Cancers Treated:
Specializing In:
- Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents
- Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Biography
My name is Dr. Kara Kelly, and I’m a pediatric oncologist and the Chair of Roswell Park Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program. I specialize in leukemia and lymphoma in children and adolescents, with a specific focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Hodgkin lymphoma.
As a recognized national and international leader in the field of pediatric cancer, my skills as a clinician, professor and clinical investigator have helped solidify the joint pediatric hematology/oncology program at Roswell Park Oishei Children’s. Under my leadership, the Children’s Hospital has expanded and now includes:
- A pediatric experimental therapeutics program
- Next-generation cancer mutation sequencing
- Integrative medicine for patients and their families
I have chaired the NCI-supported Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Hodgkin lymphoma committee since 2011 and led two national clinical trials for high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma through the COG. I currently serve as a member of both the Scientific Advisory Board and the Adolescent and Young Adult Initiative Committee of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. For fifteen years, I was the Columbia University Medical Center site principal investigator for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Consortium, where I oversaw 9 trials for the management of ALL and its complications.
Along with my roles as an active clinician and dedicated researcher, I also hold the following professional roles:
- Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Waldemar J. Kaminski Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at UBMD Pediatrics
- Division Chief of Department of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
- Professor of Pediatrics at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
I earned my medical degree from Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. I completed my residency in pediatrics at University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, and completed dual fellowships in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, United Kingdom.
I am board certified in both general pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology by the American Board of Pediatrics. Along with Elena J. Ladas, MS, RD, I co-authored Integrative Strategies for Cancer Patients: A Practical Resource for Managing the Side Effects of Cancer Therapy, which is a reference book on integrative therapies during cancer treatment. I’m also a member of the American Society of Hematology and the Children’s Oncology Group.
A few of my recent honors and awards include:
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons: James A. Wolff Professorship of Pediatrics
- New York Magazine: Top Doctor
- National Cancer Institute: National Institute of Health Merit Award
- Schneider Children’s Hospital: Lefton Lectureship
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute: 9th Annual Lenny Zakim Lecture – Invited Lectureship
Prior to joining Roswell Park in 2016, I was on the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York, NY. I’ve been in practice as a pediatric hematologist/oncologist for 21 years. In addition to providing ongoing care to my pediatric leukemia and lymphoma patients, I am also available for second opinions.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Professor of Oncology
- Chair – Department of Pediatric Oncology
- Waldemar J. Kaminski Endowed Chair of Pediatrics
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo
- Professor of Pediatrics
John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo
- Program Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service Line
Background
Education and Training
- 1989 - MD - State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY
Residency
- 1992 - Department of Pediatrics – The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship
- 1996 - Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- 1993 - Pediatric Hematology/Oncology – Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, UK
Board Certification
- 2015, 1998 - American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- 2000, 1993 - American Board of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics
Professional Memberships
- 2015-present - Lymphoma Research Foundation, Scientific Advisory Board
- 2009-present - American Society of Hematology
- 1997-present - Children's Oncology Group
Professional Experience
- 1996-2016 - Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York, NY
Honors & Awards
- 2015 - James A. Wolff Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
- 2015 - New York Magazine Top Doctors
- 2010 - National Institute of Health Merit Award, National Cancer Institute, For Service to the PDQ Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board
- 2008-2015 - New York Super Doctors
- 2007-2015 - Best Doctors in America® Database
Clinical Trials
Featured on CancerTalk
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Publications
- Cole PD, McCarten KM, Pei Q, Spira M, Metzger ML, Drachtman RA, Horton TM, Bush R, Blaney SM, Weigel BJ, Kelly KM. Brentuximab vedotin with gemcitabine for paediatric and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (AHOD1221): a Children's Oncology Group, multicentre single-arm, phase 1-2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2018 Sep;19(9):1229-1238. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30426-1. Epub 2018 Aug 16. PMID: 30122620
- Marks LJ, McCarten KM, Pei Q, Friedman DL, Schwartz CL, Kelly KM. Pericardial effusion in Hodgkin lymphoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group AHOD0031 protocol. Blood. 2018 Sep 13;132(11):1208-1211. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-02-834465. Epub 2018 Jul 30. PMID: 30061157
- Vrooman LM, Blonquist TM, Harris MH, Stevenson KE, Place AE, Hunt SK, O'Brien JE, Asselin BL, Athale UH, Clavell LA, Cole PD, Kelly KM, Laverdiere C, Leclerc JM, Michon B, Schorin MA, Sulis ML, Welch JJG, Neuberg DS, Sallan SE, Silverman LB. Refining risk classification in childhood B acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results of DFCI ALL Consortium Protocol 05-001. Blood Adv. 2018 Jun 26;2(12):1449-1458. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018016584. PMID: 29941458
- Dupuis LL, Kelly KM, Krischer JP, Langevin AM, Tamura RN, Xu P, Chen L, Kolb EA, Ullrich NJ, Sahler OJZ, Hendershot E, Stratton A, Sung L, McLean TW. Acupressure bands do not improve chemotherapy-induced nausea control in pediatric patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Cancer. 2018 Mar 15;124(6):1188-1196. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31198. Epub 2017 Dec 19. PMID: 29266260
- Diefenbach CS, Connors JM, Friedberg JW, Leonard JP, Kahl BS, Little RF, Baizer L, Evens AM, Hoppe RT, Kelly KM, Persky DO, Younes A, Kostakaglu L, Bartlett NL. Hodgkin Lymphoma: Current Status and Clinical Trial Recommendations. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2016 Dec 31;109(4). doi: 10.1093/jnci/djw249. Print 2017 Apr. PMID: 28040700
- Place AE, Stevenson KE, Vrooman LM, Harris MH, Hunt SK, O'Brien JE, Supko JG, Asselin BL, Athale UH, Clavell LA, Cole PD, Kelly KM, Laverdiere C, Leclerc JM, Michon B, Schorin MA, Welch JJ, Lipshultz SE, Kutok JL, Blonquist TM, Neuberg DS, Sallan SE, Silverman LB. Intravenous pegylated asparaginase versus intramuscular native Escherichia colil-asparaginase in newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (DFCI 05-001): a randomised, open-label phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2015 Nov 5. pii: S1470-2045(15)00363-0. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00363-0. [Epub ahead of print]
- Kelly KM. Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents: Improving the therapeutic index. Blood, 2015 Nov 26;126(22):2452-8. doi: 10.1182/blood-2015-07-641035. Epub 2015 Nov 18
- Giulino-Roth L, Keller FG, Hodgson DC, Kelly KM. Current approaches in the management of low risk Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents. British Journal of Haematology, 2015; 169(5):647-60. doi: 10.1111/bjh.13372. [Epub ahead of print].
- Ladas EJ, Lin M, Antillion F, Rivas S, Chantada G, Cacciavillano W, Ortiz R, Stein K, Castillo L, Rocha V, Fu L, Rodriquez H, Kelly KM. Improving our understanding of Traditional Complementary/Alternative Medicine (TCAM) in Children with Cancer. Cancer 2015 May 1; 121(9):1492-8. 2014 Dec 29. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29212.
- Karlik JB, Ladas EJ, Ndao DH, Cheng B, Bao YY, Kelly KM. Associations Between Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use: Integrated Wellness. JNCI Monographs 2014; (50):323-329. doi: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgu031