Hope in the Fight Against Blood Cancers - Insights From UVA Health Physician-Scientists

Alumni, families, patients, and friends were invited to join us for a special program to learn how UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center is transforming the treatment of blood cancers and giving new hope to patients. Participants heard firsthand from internationally renowned UVA doctors and scientists who are increasing our understanding of these devastating diseases and improving outcomes, including through UVA’s pioneering Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative (TOBCRI).
Featured UVA Health faculty included:
Thomas P. Loughran Jr., MD, director of UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, TOBCRI co-leader, and LGL leukemia discoverer and leading expert
Owen A. O’Connor, MD, PhD, American Cancer Society Research Professor, TOBCRI co-leader, co-director of the T-Cell Lymphoma Research Program and international authority on lymphoma
Craig Portell, MD, section head for Hematologic Malignancies and medical director, Hematologic Malignancies Clinical Research Program
Each of these physician-researchers will share a glimpse into their exciting work that’s leading to groundbreaking new treatments for blood cancer patients.
Laahn Ho Foster, MD, associate professor of hematology and oncology, will moderate the program. An audience Q&A will follow the presentation.
The Zoom webinar link will be sent to all registrants on the morning of the event.
About our speakers:
Thomas P. Loughran Jr., MD, is the director of UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center and the F. Palmer Weber-Smithfield Foods Professor of Oncology Research at UVA’s School of Medicine. Loughran joined UVA in 2013 and has led the transformation of UVA Cancer Center-most recently with its designation as Virginia’s first National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. Loughran’s career as a physician-scientist is a testament to the impact of leading-edge research on advancing treatment and care, beginning with his discovery of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia. He has dedicated over 40 years of research and clinical focus to understanding this rare blood cancer and is considered the world authority on LGL leukemia. Loughran has co-led the Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative (TOBCRI) since its inception in 2022.
Owen A. O’Connor, MD, PhD, is co-leader of UVA’s Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative (TOBCRI), co-director of the T-Cell Lymphoma Research Program, and an American Cancer Society research professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. O’Connor is internationally renowned for his expertise on the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of lymphoma, with over 25 years of experience in academic medicine. He has invented and pioneered the development of several first in class drugs for the treatment of lymphoma, including one he co-invented for T-cell lymphoma which has now been approved in over 35 countries around the world. He has held several prestigious leadership positions at the major cancer centers in New York City, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York University Medical Center, and Cornell and Columbia University Medical Centers.
Craig Portell, MD, serves as section head for Hematologic Malignancies and medical director of the Hematologic Malignancies Clinical Research Program at UVA Cancer Center, where he also holds a clinical faculty appointment in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Portell is an expert in managing lymphoid malignancies and has spent the majority of his career studying two important blood cancers - mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He is a translationally focused physician who works closely with Dr. Michael Williams and the laboratories at UVA conducting research in MCL and related disorders. Portell has led and continues to lead national and international clinical trials in MCL. He recently succeeded Dr. Williams as the head of the Lymphoma Section in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UVA.
Laahn Ho Foster, MD, is a UVA hematologist/oncologist who treats patients with blood disorders and blood cancers. Her clinical practice primarily focuses on the management of patients with plasma cell disorders, such as monoclonal gammopathy, myeloma, amyloidosis and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. After earning her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, Foster worked in management consulting in New York City, focused on the business side of medicine, before deciding to pursue a career as a physician. She earned her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed a residency in internal medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University. Foster came to UVA for a fellowship in hematology/oncology, and joined the faculty after completing her training.
This event was hosted by UVA Health and University Advancement’s Office of Engagement.