The Section of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology is a comprehensive program that addresses both the medical and psychosocial needs of children with cancer and hematologic disorders such as sickle cell disease. The staff includes pediatric hematologists/oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, orthopedists, urologists, otolaryngologists, and ophthalmologists. Pediatric social workers help families cope with diagnosis and treatment, and support groups help educate families.

The Tulane pediatric oncology program belongs to the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and we use treatment protocols designed by the physician experts in the group. This is done in order to provide the most up-to-date treatment for children with cancer and to better the treatment in the future.

We have three full-time nurses who specialize in childhood cancer and work with our pediatric hematology/oncology patients. Our pain relief specialists seek to relieve or manage the pain of procedures as well as pain caused by disease. Child life specialists help the children with a variety of play-therapy techniques. Tulane's pediatric oncology specialists form a team for the child with cancer. An important member of that team is the family. At every step of the treatment, procedures are explained to family members. Child life specialists use dolls to demonstrate to children, and use words youngsters can understand to describe their treatment. Adolescents are given appropriate support that takes into account the effect cancer and cancer treatments can have on the lives of teenagers. When possible we provide home care delivery of medicines, chemotherapy, and other support..

The SMILE program encourages first and second year medical students to become "Big Buddies" to our pediatric cancer patients and their brothers and sisters. The program was initiated and is managed by medical students with the advice and help of the medical staff. The children benefit because they have a new friend who is fun and who helps them when they visit the hospital. The children's parents highly value the interactions. The medical students act as friends and not as doctors.

Our hematologic program treats all hematologic diseases including anemias and coagulation disorders. We direct The Sickle Cell Center of Southern Louisiana, which provides care for children as well as adults with sickle cell disease.  Comprehensive medical care is provided by the physicians and 2 nurses who specialize in sickle cell disease and who are knowledgeable about all aspects of sickle cell disease.  Recognizing that social, economic and personal factors play a large role in the well being of sickle cell patients, the social service component provides assistance to patients in meeting their social service needs.  One social worker is dedicated to the Center.

As children with sickle cell disease develop into adolescents and adulthood, the professional staff works with each patient in preparation for transition into adult care.  Adult sickle cell care also takes place at Tulane Medical Center and consists of a hematologist, nurse practitioner, nurse and social worker.

Children with coagulation disorders are cared for by the professional staff of Hemophilia Center, a group of physicians orthopedists, nurses, and social workers who together address all aspects of care.

Charles Scher, MD
Dr. Scher is the Marcelle Shaeffer Vergara Chair, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Section Chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.  He served an internship and residency at Bronx Municipal Hospital/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and a residency in pediatrics fellowship in pediatric hematology at Children's Hospital Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. He joined the Tulane faculty in 1994. Dr. Scher has served as bench researcher, mentor, and reviewer in investigations in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the molecular biology of cancer. Dr. Scher is an accomplished basic scientist in the fields of the cellular and molecular biology of cancer, especially in the definition of the viruses causing leukemia, and the study of platelet derived growth factor, which has been implicated in the replication of normal connective tissue cells as in process of wound healing. He has served as principal investigator on six NIH-funded projects and one privately funded grant project, and has been responsible for extramural funding for numerous graduate students and junior faculty working in his laboratories. He is author of over 90 original publications and abstracts in his field.

Julie Kanter, MD
Dr. Kanter joined our program in July 2009. She is a native of New Orleans and a graduate of Tulane Medical School. Dr. Kanter served a pediatric internship and residency at the University of Colorado at Denver Children's Hospital and completed her pediatric hematology/oncology program at Washington University in St. Louis.