Leonido Luznik, MD

Carol Ann Huff, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Oncology and Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Medical Director for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Zoology at Duke University in Durham, NC, Dr. Huff received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins and was an Assistant Chief of Service in the Department of Medicine before completing her fellowship training in the Department of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Huff is a nationally-recognized expert in the treatment of multiple myeloma and amyloidosis and in the development of new biologically-based treatment strategies. She has sought to better understand the mechanisms for recurrence and the inability to cure these diseases. Through this research, the identification of a myeloma cancer stem cell has emerged, and efforts to target these cells through combination therapy in clinical trials are ongoing. In collaboration with Dr. William Matsui, Dr. Huff has identified a flow cytometric-based blood analysis for multiple myeloma patients that can be used to quantify the number of myeloma cancer stem cells and track how these cells respond to treatment. Their efforts have revealed that changes in the number of myeloma cancer stem cells can predict recurrence in myeloma patients before clinical evidence of recurrence is detectable. Using this blood analysis, as well as growth of these cells from bone marrow samples taken from patients with myeloma, they have begun studying therapeutic strategies to target these cells based on cell surface markers and enzymatic pathways that are important to the survival of myeloma stem cells. Dr. Huff is the recipient of multiple awards for clinical and teaching excellence including the Kimmel Cancer Center's Director’s Teaching Award in Oncology in both 2006 and 2012. During her medical school training, Dr. Huff was the recipient of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship. She has received grant support from the NIH, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. and LLS, and is the principal investigator of numerous investigator-initiated and industry- sponsored clinical trials. She is the author of numerous publications and book chapters not only on multiple myeloma and related disorders, but also on bone marrow transplantation and a range of topics related to internal medicine and oncology. Her current research efforts involve active collaboration with the preclinical laboratories in the development and testing phases of new therapeutic approaches, as well as a lead effort in the national African American Myeloma Consortium seeking to better understand genetic determinants of the disease.

Sahaja Acharya is the Director of Pediatric Radiation Oncology within the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences. She specializes in pediatric brain tumors, pediatric sarcomas, and adult sarcomas. She is also the Associate Director for the Radiation Oncology Residency Program. She leads the Pediatric Radiation Oncology program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and treats patients at both Johns Hopkins Hospital and Sibley Memorial Hospital. She has extensive expertise in proton therapy, SBRT, pediatric malignancies, and adult sarcoma. She is the Principal Investigator on external grants from ASCO Conquer Cancer, the Department of Defense, and the Carson Leslie Foundation. She is also the Principal Investigator of phase II pediatric brain tumor clinical trials. She has been invited to participate in multiple national and international guideline committees and regularly lectures on pediatric malignancies and proton therapy. Dr. Acharya received her Bachelor's in Chemistry and Political Science from Stanford University and her medical degree from Saint Louis University. She completed radiation oncology residency at Washington University in St. Louis.