Amy DeZern, MD

Dr. Robert Brodsky is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His area of clinical expertise is classical hematology and haploidentical bone marrow transplant for sickle cell disease and aplastic anemia.Dr. Brodsky serves as the director of the Division of Hematology and the T32 Training Program. He is the Johns Hopkins Family Professor of Medicine and Oncology. He received his M.D. from Hahnemann University. He completed his residency at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He performed a fellowship in hematology at the National Institutes of Health and a fellowship in oncology at Johns Hopkins. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1997. From 2017 to 2022 he served as Associate Editor to The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) and Secretary to American Society of Hematology (ASH). He serves as President of The American Society of Hematology (ASH) in 2023.

Richard J. Jones, M.D., is a Professor of Oncology and Medicine, Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, and Co-Director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Jones received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Bucknell University prior to completing his medical degree at the Temple University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency at Temple University Hospital, where he was appointed to serve as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine. Dr. Jones later came to Johns Hopkins to complete his Medical Oncology Fellowship, and was then recruited to the faculty. Dr. Jones’ research is aimed at better understanding the biology of normal and cancer stem cells, with the goal of translating promising findings to the clinic particularly in the area of blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). Dr. Jones' laboratory discovered one the most commonly-used stem cell markers, Aldefluor which identifies cells based on their expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), and have used this marker to identify and characterize normal stem cells and cancer stem cells from many hematologic malignancies. This work also led to the development of post-transplant cyclophosphamide and effective related haploidentical BMT. Cyclophosphamide is metabolized by ALDH1, which is the reason both stem cells and memory lymphocytes are resistant to the drug. Recently, Dr. Jones' laboratory found that cytochrome P450 enzymes are a major mechanism by which the bone marrow stem cell niche protects both normal and leukemia stem cells. Dr. Jones co-leads the Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation Research Program.In addition to his promising work in the laboratory, Dr. Jones is recognized as a gifted mentor. During his tenure at Hopkins, he has trained a generation of leading physician-scientists who have excelled at Johns Hopkins and across the country. Dr. Jones has also authored numerous peer-reviewed articles that have been published in such prestigious journals as Blood, Nature, the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, PNAS, the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the British Journal of Haematology, and Leukemia.

Mark J. Levis, M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncology, medicine and pharmacology in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, co-directs the Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and directs the Adult Leukemia Service at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. In addition to his role within the Kimmel Cancer Center, he serves on the faculty for the Johns Hopkins Graduate Training Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, a Ph.D. program that prepares scientists to conduct laboratory research at the cellular and molecular level that is designed to have a direct impact on the understanding of human diseases.Dr. Levis has expertise in acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes.Dr. Levis received his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins, followed by fellowships in medical oncology.Dr. Levis is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the European Hematology Association. He is an ad hoc member of the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee, as well as an ad hoc manuscript referee for peer-reviewed journals such as New England Journal of Medicine; Leukemia; Clinical Cancer Research; and The American Journal of Hematology.Dr. Levis has earned numerous awards, such as the Daniel Nathans Research Award from Johns Hopkins University, the Osler Housestaff Teaching Award, the Director's Teaching Award in Clinical Science, and the Advanced Clinical Research Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.Dr. Levis’ laboratory research focuses on the development of molecularly-targeted therapies for leukemia. He is actively involved in the pre-clinical and clinical development of small molecule inhibitors of protein kinases, including FLT3. The research involves studying the biochemical effects of these inhibitors on samples taken from leukemia patients, with the broad goal of identifying and validating novel molecular therapeutic targets in these hematopoietic malignancies. While Dr. Levis plays a key role in the pre-clinical development of these therapies, he is particularly interested in translating this research to the bedside of his patients by using correlative studies to incorporate these novel therapies into existing treatments. In addition to his work in both the clinic and the laboratory, Dr. Levis has also conducted talks, mentorship and teaching lectures, and published extensively in the top journals in his field, including Leukemia; Blood; and the New England Journal of Medicine.