Endowed Chairs

Children’s Cancer Research Fund has a long-standing commitment to guarantee ongoing research support well into the future. Endowed chairs provide a constant stream of funding to keep research moving forward and help recruit and retain top faculty.

Children’s Cancer Research Fund Land Grant Chair

Bruce R. Blazar, MD

Dr. Blazar’s research focuses on improving bone marrow transplant outcomes, preventing and treating graft-versus-host disease, stimulating the immune system to fight tumor cells and developing therapies that speed immune recovery and prevent immune complications.

Hedberg Family/ Children’s Cancer Research Fund Chair in Pediatric Brain Tumor Research

David A. Largaespada, PhD

Dr. Largaespada’s research is focused on cancer genetics and finding targeted customized therapies based on the specific genetic makeup of a patient’s cancer. As chair holder, he investigates the genetic basis of tumor development and continues efforts in the creation of effective vaccine approaches for nervous-system tumors.

Suzanne Holmes Hodder/Children’s Cancer Research Fund Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research

Logan G. Spector, PhD

Dr. Spector is focused on the causes of childhood leukemia, hepatoblastoma and bone sarcomas. Over the past year, he’s led studies investigating the genetic basis of osteosarcoma to help diagnose the disease earlier and to identify new targets for therapy. In addition, he has analyzed and released preliminary results of the largest study to date to examine the risk of childhood cancer in children conceived by in vitro fertilization.

Hageboeck Family/ Children’s Cancer Research Fund Chair in Pediatric Oncology

John E. Wagner, Jr. MD

Dr. Wagner is best known for his work in umbilical cord blood transplantation and hematopoietic stem cell expansion, as well as his research on the isolation and expansion of regulatory T cells and the generation of thymic progenitors from umbilical cord blood. He has also developed novel treatment strategies for Fanconi anemia and epidermolysis bullosa, transforming survival expectations and the quality of life for many patients.

Lehman Family/ Children’s Research Fund Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research

Brenda J. Weigel, MD

Dr. Weigel focuses on advancing new therapies for patients, particularly ones that harness the immune system’s role in fighting cancer, translating promising therapies into clinical trials for children and helping accelerate the work of new faculty members.