Thomas J. Starc, MD

I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist who specializes in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. I graduated from the Upstate Medical University, completed a residency in pediatrics at the Schneider Children's Hospital, served as Chief Resident of Pediatrics at the Schneider Children's Hospital, and then completed my training with a fellowship in pediatric hematology / oncology at the Children s Hospital of Philadelphia. During my fellowship, I concurrently spent 3 years in the laboratory researching cellular immunotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, while also pursuing a clinical interest in the late effects of childhood cancer treatment. In 2008 I came to the Cohen Children s Medical Center to found Survivors Facing Forward, a long-term follow-up program to provide care to survivors of childhood cancer and stem cell transplantation. Since 2008, the program has grown to follow nearly 1,000 survivors of childhood cancer and has been a fertile source for clinical research. In 2021 I assumed leadership of the stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy program at Cohen Children's Medical Center, where I am the Transplant Center Medial Director and Marrow Collection Facility Director. Our transplant center participates in national and international cooperative group studies in the use of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy to treat cancers, bone marrow failure syndromes, immune deficiencies and hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell disease and thalassemia). Notably, we are one of a very limited number of Qualified Treatment Centers (QTC) for Zynteglo , an FDA approved gene therapy for transfusion dependent thalassemia, and are in the process of being named a QTC for gene therapy products recently FDA approved to cure sickle cell disease.

I am a pediatric endocrinologist with interests that include polycysytic ovary syndrome (PCOS), bone health, disorders of puberty, thyroid disorders, pituitary disorders and growth disorders. In addition to my training in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, I have Master of Science degrees in Nutrition (1999) and in Patient Oriented Research (2014) and have completed a research fellowship at the Body Composition Unit of Columbia University Medical Center (2003). I comleted the TRANSFORM KL2 program sponsored by the Irving Institute of Clinical and Translational Research, a mentored career development program. My responsibilites include my clinical practice, overseeing clinical and research fellows, mentoring students, and running a clinical study. I have been certified as a clinical densitometrist by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry and interpret pediatric bone mineral density studies performed at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. My research project, “A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial assessing the efficacy of metformin for hepatic fat in adolescents and young adults with polycystic ovary syndrome” has the primary goal of exploring the use of novel and noninvasive testing and a pilot double-blind placebo-controlled trial of metformin with the intention of identifying and potentially treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents and young adults with PCOS. My research is unique in that it uses minimally invasive body composition methodology, which makes it particularly attractive for use in adolescents and young adults. My overall clinical research goal is early identification and treatment of metabolic and body composition abnormalities associated with PCOS and to prevent lifelong morbidity associated with this disorder in a young population