Lawrence R. Kleinberg, MD

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.

Akila Viswanathan, M.D., M.P.H., is the director for the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, and a professor of radiation oncology, gynecology/obstetrics and oncology for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Viswanathan leads the department emphasizing excellence in clinical care, research and education. She has expertise with gynecologic cancers and their treatment, including cervical and uterine cancers and image-guided brachytherapy. She has developed numerous clinical innovations and initiated several system-wide integration efforts at all sites, including Green Spring Station, Bayview, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Suburban's Rockledge site, and Sibley Memorial Hospital for the Johns Hopkins Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Viswanathan earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, followed by her Masters in Public Health and Masters in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed a residency in radiation oncology at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School, where she served as chief resident. She has had research grant funding through the National Cancer Institute K07, R21 and R01 programs to support efforts in gynecologic cancers, specifically looking at the identification of gynecologic tumors at the time of brachytherapy under magnetic resonance imaging. The research team has developed several novel clinical innovations. Dr. Viswanathan has been named one of America's Top Doctors by Newsweek, Who’s who in America, and a Super Doctor by the Washington Post magazine. Dr. Viswanathan served as President and Chair of the Board of the American Brachytherapy Society; Chair of Education Committee for American Society for Radiation Oncology; and, on the Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee and the uterine cancer task force for the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Akila Viswanathan has published more than 200 articles and chapters, and lectures nationally and internationally. She is the Editor-in-Chief for Seminars in Radiation Oncology. She is on the editorial board of Gynecologic Oncology and Brachytherapy, and is an editor of several textbooks including Gynecologic Radiation Therapy: Novel Approaches to Image-Guidance and Management, Radiation Therapy Techniques for Gynecologic Cancers, and Gunderson and Tepper's Clinical Radiation Oncology. Make A Gift