Corporate Leadership Award, Neuroblastoma, Oncology Leaders, 2025 Poster Day Winners

 

Congratulations go out to Dr. Susan Furth, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, who was honored with the 2025 Corporate Leadership Award, and two oncology innovators who were chosen to co-lead the Abramson Cancer Center Pediatric Oncology Research Program. Also, we are celebrating CHOP leaders' participation in local symposia exploring the future of population health and advancements in cell and gene therapy, researchers' contributions to a national conference on sports-related concussion assessment and care, and our 2025 Poster Day awardees. This and more, In The News.

Dr. Susan Furth Honored as Outstanding Executive

The Philadelphia Business Journal recognized Susan Furth, MD, PhD, as an outstanding executive in the Great Philadelphia region with a 2025 Corporate Leadership Award.

Dr. Furth leads strategic initiatives that enable translational research to improve healthcare for children in Philadelphia and around the world. Elected to the National Academy of Medicine, she is renowned for her mentorship and contributions to advancements in pediatric nephrology.

Dr. Furth is one of 24 awardees in the annual program that honors top business leaders at every level of the C-suite outside of the CEO role. The journal's editorial board reviewed nominations to evaluate the scope of each nominee's work and their impact at their organization. A celebration of all honorees will be held July 10 in Philadelphia.

CHOP Investigators Named Co-leaders of Pediatric Oncology Research Program

The Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) appointed Theodore Laetsch, MD, and Sogol Mostoufi-Moab, MD, MSCE, as co-leaders of the Pediatric Oncology Research Program. In their new roles, they will provide translational leadership for a dynamic community of interdisciplinary investigators.

Dr. Laetsch leads the Center for Precision Medicine for High-Risk Pediatric Cancer Frontier Program, and is Director of the Developmental Therapeutics Program and the Very Rare Malignant Tumors Program at CHOP. He has been a member of the ACC's Pediatric Oncology Research Program since 2020.

Dr. Mostoufi-Moab, Director of the Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Outcomes Research Program and the Endocrine Late Effects After Cancer Therapy Program at CHOP, has been actively involved with the program since 2016.

The Pediatric Oncology Research Program was established in 1992 to change the standard of care for children with cancer through discovery, development, and translation of new treatment approaches.

Study Findings Suggest New Standard of Care for Hereditary Neuroblastoma Linked to ALK Mutation

CHOP researchers reported findings from a case report that suggest a new standard of care for treating hereditary neuroblastoma with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibition therapy, potentially reducing the need for intensive chemotherapy and surgery. JCO Precision Oncology published the findings.

"With these findings, we can offer new hope for affected families and pave the way for more personalized, less invasive treatment strategies in pediatric oncology," said first study author Yael Mossé, MD, the Patricia Brophy Endowed Chair in Neuroblastoma Research at CHOP, and Attending Physician in CHOP's Cancer Center.

The researchers previously found that most familial cases of neuroblastoma are linked to the ALK mutation, which can be tested for and directly targeted. The case report demonstrated how a mother and daughter, both diagnosed with neuroblastoma and who have the ALK R1275Q mutation, achieved long-term remission with targeted ALK inhibitors.

The researchers suggest these findings could change how hereditary neuroblastoma for patients with an ALK mutation is treated and followed, making way for use of ALK inhibitors as a frontline therapy for patients with the inherited mutation. They also encourage lifelong surveillance; current guidelines end surveillance in childhood.

Future investigation will study if individuals with hereditary ALK have a lower risk of developing drug resistance than those with non-inherited mutations.

Learn more in this CHOP news release.

Congratulations to CHOP's 2025 Poster Day Awardees

From left: Zaha Shahdad; Teresa Arroyo, RN, BSN; Caitlyn Davis; Miriam Lerner; Jonathan Berken, MD, PhD; George Emory

The CHOP and University of Pennsylvania community came together to celebrate all things research at the 2025 Poster Day and Scientific Symposium May 6-8. More than 150 researchers showcased their posters over three sessions in the Colket Translational Research Building lobby.

All presenters were judged based on the scientific merit of their research, the quality of their poster, and the strength of their oral presentation. Each winner received a $250 cash prize.

Congratulations to the 2025 CHOP Research Poster Day winners in the Patient-Oriented Research Track and Laboratory-Based Research Track.

Sagori Mukhopadhyay, MD, MMSc, Attending Neonatologist at CHOP and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Penn served as the Patient-Oriented Research Track lead, and Julia Warren, MD, PhD, Hematologist in the Division of Hematology at CHOP was the Laboratory-Based Research Track lead.

Visit the View All Abstracts tab* on the Poster Day and Scientific Symposium website to see the full abstracts.

CHOP Researchers Share Expertise at Joint Concussion Symposia

From left: Madeliene Consuelos; James Wilkes, PhD; Christina Master, MD; Kristy Arbogast, PhD

CHOP researchers from the Minds Matter Concussion Program and the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) participated in the first joint meeting of the Concussion In Sport Group (CISG) and Sports Neuropsychology Society (SNS). The partnered symposia, held at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee April 30 through May 3, featured two related but separate educational experiences that showcased clinical advances and research in sports-related concussion evaluation, care, and recovery.

Christina Master, MD, Minds Matter Concussion Program Co-director, welcomed attendees to the second day of the CISG symposium, "From Consensus to Clinic: Advances and Practical Applications of the Amsterdam International Consensus," and participated in an interdisciplinary panel on challenging cases. Dr. Master serves on the CISG Board of Directors, is President-Elect of the group, and served on the Symposium's organizing committee.

During Poster Session 1, Madeline Consuelos, Clinical Research Coordinator at CIRP, presented "Youth Sports Coaches' And School Nurses' Knowledge, Education, and Needs Caring for Youth With Concussion In Community Settings," and James Wilkes, PhD, Research Scientist, Minds Matter Concussion Program and CIRP, presented "Relationships Between Physical Therapy and Repeat Concussion in Adolescents Within a Pediatric Care Network."

"We found that while school nurses and coaches have general knowledge about concussion, they expressed a need for more education to keep them informed of the latest best practices for concussion management," Consuelos said. "Presenting this study at a gathering of leading voices in concussion care and research aligns with our belief in translational research that supports not only clinicians, but those responsible for supporting young people in school, in athletic settings, and at home."

Kristy Arbogast, PhD, Scientific Director for CIRP and Minds Matter Co-director, represented CHOP at the SNS 13th Annual Concussion and Brain Health Symposium. The symposium provided state-of-the-art research and clinical information about athletes' brain and mental health, and the science and practice of sport-related concussion assessment and management.

Dr. Arbogast, the R. Anderson Pew Distinguished Chair of Pediatrics CHOP, and Professor of Pediatrics at Penn, kicked off the final day of the event with her talk, "Prevention is the Best Medicine for Concussion," and participated in a late-morning panel discussion.

Other topics at the SNS symposium included personalized concussion interventions, long-term outcomes in former athletes, emerging biomarkers for concussion management, and biomechanics of concussion and protective equipment.

Exploring Three Decades of Population Health Advancement

The Future of Health and Health Care Conference, held May 1 at the Jordan Medical Education Center in Philadelphia, showcased how investigators at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are driving advancements and shaping the future of population health and healthcare research.

Dr. Furth joined Jon Epstein, MD, PhD, the Interim Dean of the Penn Perelman School of Medicine, to welcome attendees.

The event featured three sessions with topics related to translating research into population health impact, identifying and alleviating health inequities, and Penn's public health impact at local, national, and global levels. CHOP contributors included:

• Sanjiv D. Mehta, MD, MBE, is an attending physician in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, discussed colon cancer screening in underserved populations.
• Srinath Adusamalli MD, MSHP, MBMI, FACC, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at CHOP, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Penn presented Code to Care: Harnessing Health Information Technology for Healthier Communities.
• Tyra Bryant-Stephens, MD, Medical Director of the Community Asthma Prevention Program and Chief Health Equity Officer of the Center for Health Equity at CHOP, talked about improving asthma outcomes through community-based work.
• Aditi Vasan, MD, MSHP, Faculty Member in PolicyLab and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn, discussed improved access to benefit programs as a means to promote health equity.
• Alexander Fiks, MD, MSCE, Director of Clinical Futures, a CHOP Research Institute Center of Emphasis, talked about the local and national impact of pediatric primary care.
• Flaura Winston, MD, PhD, Founder and Former Director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, delivered, "Traffic Medicine: Reimagining Safety to Reduce Deaths and Injuries from Crashes," a discussion of driving research, injury prevention, and distracted driving.
• Meredith Matone, DrPH, MHS, Director of PolicyLab, participated in the closing panel discussion focused on the conference theme.

Joseph St. Geme III, MD, Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Endowed Chair in Pediatrics, and Chair, Department of Pediatrics at CHOP, served as a session moderator.

"This outstanding conference highlighted the breadth and depth of work at both CHOP and Penn related to population health in our own community, other parts of the country, and other areas of the world," Dr. St. Geme said.

Learn more and see the full event agenda.

Cellicon Valley '25: Experts Unveil the Future of Cell and Gene Therapies

From left: Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD; Caroline Diorio, MD; Julia Warren, MD, PhD; Caitlin Elgarten, MD, MSCE

Hosted by CHOP and the Penn Medicine the Cellicon Valley '25 Symposium brought together world-renowned experts in cancer, hematologic disorders, and autoimmune diseases. The event not only focused on technical breakthroughs, but also ways to optimize patient care and increase access to the therapies that have revolutionized cancer treatment.

Take for instance the story of Emily Whitehead, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in May 2010 when she was 5-years-old. When the leukemia became resistant, doctors told her parents that they had exhausted all treatment options.

Unwilling to give up, Tom and Kari Whitehead consulted experts at CHOP, where they heard an experimental treatment — called CAR T-cell therapy — was being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The therapy that saved her life, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017, changed the future of medicine. Emily celebrated her 20th birthday this year.

Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, the Yetta Deitch Novotney Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology at CHOP, delivered those CAR T cells to Emily and shared the stage with her father at the symposium held at Penn.

"This is a scientific symposium, but the future of delivering cell and gene therapies will depend on solving two problems: access and manufacturing," Dr. Grupp told attendees.

The event was co-chaired by Dr. Grupp and Alexis Thompson, MD, MPH, the Elias Schwartz Endowed Chair in Hematology. CHOP speakers included: Caroline Diorio, MD; Caitlin Elgarten, MD, MSCE; Joseph St. Geme, III, MD; Stefano Rivella, PhD; David Teachey, MD; and Julia Warren, MD, PhD.

Session recordings will be available May 30 on the event website.

ICYMI

Catch up on our headlines from our May 2 In The News:

• CHOP Researcher Honored at Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting
• Dr. Flaura Winston Elected to Association of American Physicians
• Study Analyzes Long-term Pediatric Kidney Health Following COVID-19 Infection
• Deep Learning Algorithm Identified Potential Disease-causing Variants
• Study Support Long-Term Efficacy for Hemophilia B Gene Therapy

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