Shalini Shenoy, M.D., the Teresa J. Vietti MD Scholar and Professor of Pediatrics, has been named Interim Chief for the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.  Dr. Shenoy has an international reputation as an expert in stem cell transplantation for non-malignant disorders.  She has led national trials of transplantation for hemoglobinopathies and continues research in this area.  Dr. Shenoy’s medical education includes degrees and training from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA and Washington University, St. Louis, where she was a Fellow in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology before joining the faculty.  She has held leadership roles in numerous national and international professional organizations, including serving as Co-Chair of the Benign Non-immune Disorder Transplant Committee of the Westhafen Intercontinental Group, Co-Chair of the Non-malignant Disorder Committee of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, and member of the Publications Committee and American Society of Hematology Panel on Guidelines for Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease.  She has served as Director of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program of St. Louis Children’s Hospital for more than a decade and has mentored dozens of graduate students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty.

Todd Druley, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, was named the Director of the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program.  Laura Schuettpelz, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, will assist him as the Assistant Fellowship Training Director. Dr. Druley joined the faculty following a residency in pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Washington University.  He completed his undergraduate, MD, and PhD degrees at the University of Illinois.  His lab is working to develop genomic and computational methodology for characterizing genetic or epigenetic variation in leukemia and aging. He is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Myeloid Disease and Epidemiology Committees. Research in the Druley Lab is based on characterizing the link between abnormal human development and early childhood cancer, particularly infant leukemia. The lab has a track record for genomic methodology development and is currently applying that technology to improve molecular diagnostics in pediatric AML. Clinically, Dr. Druley is focused on pediatric cancer predisposition and serves as the Director of the Pediatric Cancer Predisposition Program at Siteman Kids / St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Laura Schuettpelz, M.D., Ph.D., was named the Hematology and Oncology Assistant Fellowship Training Director. Dr. Schuettpelz received her undergraduate degree from Creighton University and her MD and PhD degrees from Northwestern University. She completed her residency in pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Washington University before joining the faculty. She is a Faculty Scholar of the Children’s Discovery Institute of Washington University, and her work is also supported currently by the NIH and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Her lab is studying how inflammatory signals regulate hematopoietic stem cells, particularly the role of toll-like receptors. Dr. Schuettpelz is a member of the American Society of Hematology committee on myeloid biology, and chair of the annual Pediatric Academic Career Development Retreat for the Department of Pediatrics.