This is an exciting time for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine.

The clinical-academic partnership for all pediatric hematology/oncology inpatient, outpatient and pediatric infusion care provides more integrated care options, treatments, and resources for children throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Patients receive high quality clinical care and have access to the latest research. We strive to provide our patients with the best patient experience and care pathway, no matter how rare the cancer or blood disorder.

As a leader in research, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute offers CAR-T cell immunotherapy for children with difficult-to-treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We are the only pediatric cancer program in Kentucky approved as a CAR-T provider site. We’re also home to Kentucky’s leading multidisciplinary pediatric brain tumor program, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute Neuro-oncology Clinic. We also have the Hanna Catherine Evans Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program, Kentucky’s leading pediatric blood and marrow transplant program.

We have Kentucky’s only pediatric apheresis and photopheresis program and one of the country’s largest sickle cell anemia treatment programs. For patients with moderate to severe hemophilia A, we have been able to offer what truly counts as a revolutionary drug, Hemlibra, which is dramatically improving these children’s lives.

Our experienced physicians who serve on the UofL School of Medicine faculty are also passing along their expertise to the next generation of providers and conducting valuable clinical research that brings innovative treatments to their patients.

As a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, we’re participating in dozens of clinical trials with the goal of improving outcomes for our patients. We now have three clinical trial research nurses who round with the physicians and evaluate all of our patients for suitability in new and ongoing clinical trials.

We’re also taking the lead in research. Michael Huang, M.D., pediatric hematologist/oncologist with Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, is principal investigator in a national medulloblastoma trial. If Dr. Huang’s trial is successful, children with the most common malignant brain tumor will have a better chance of surviving their cancer.

To improve the experience for patients and their families, we’re expanding the number of multidisciplinary clinics we offer.

To care for our patients’ emotional well-being and that of their families, we’ve added Sunnye Mayes, Ph.D., a pediatric clinical psychologist, to the team. She is Kentucky’s only psychologist dedicated to the mental health care of childhood cancer and blood disorder patients.

We’ve also created the Hematology/Oncology Physical, Emotional and Social (HOPES) Program, which includes child life services, art therapy, music therapy and psychosocial services.

We’re committed to safety at Norton Children’s Cancer Institute. We have built our chemotherapy treatment protocols into our electronic health records for better patient delivery. We’ve also started a multidisciplinary chemotherapy safety committee and developed protocols for treating toxicities associated with immunotherapies.

The formal integration of Norton Children’s Cancer Institute with the UofL School of Medicine has been in development for years, as part of a strategic plan. The combined team has embraced a culture that is advancing both the clinical and research programs.

There is more work to do. Childhood cancer in Kentucky is among the highest in the nation. Our goal is nothing less than doing groundbreaking research and delivering the latest lifesaving and curative therapies.

As we move toward individual treatments and precision medicine with genomic medicine and immunotherapies, the combined expertise of the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute-UofL team will prove invaluable. By using all of these resources, we are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact and offer children with blood diseases and cancer an opportunity for the best outcomes.

Ashok B. Raj, M.D., is a hematologist/oncologist with Norton Children’s Cancer Institute and is the division chief of pediatric hematology/oncology for the UofL School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Raj is also the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation chair of pediatric hematology/oncology.

Jun Zhao, D.O., is assistant professor of pediatrics in the UofL School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and medical director of Norton Children’s Cancer Institute.