Expert in Vascular Anomalies Joins Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to Lead Innovative Frontier Program

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Prominent pediatric hematologist-oncologist Denise Adams, MD, has joined Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to lead the Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program (CVAP), a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary program that seeks breakthrough treatments and cures for children, adolescents and young adults with rare, life-threatening tumors and malformations of the vasculature, which includes the arteries, veins, capillaries, lymphatics and combined lesions.

Dr. Denise Adams Dr. Denise Adams Dr. Adams comes to CHOP from Boston Children’s Hospital, where she has co-led their Vascular Anomalies Center since 2016 and served as an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Before joining Boston Children’s, Dr. Adams served as the Medical Director of the Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she spent 13 years and led the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program. Previously, she was a faculty member at Duke University and the University of Vermont.

As a leading expert in the field, Dr. Adams is actively engaged in clinical and translational research on complex vascular anomalies and regularly publishes studies in leading journals on the topic. She has received numerous awards, for her teaching and mentorship and for her research and clinical accomplishments. Hospitals, universities, and conferences around the world have invited her to speak on the topic of vascular anomalies, recognizing her expertise in this area.

“Denise Adams has long been recognized as a leader in the field of complex vascular anomalies, and we are delighted she has come to lead CHOP’s innovative Frontier Program,” said Stephen P. Hunger, MD, Chief of the Division of Oncology at CHOP, which oversees the Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program. “With her leadership, our goal is to develop groundbreaking treatments to improve the lives of children living with these conditions.”

CHOP designated the CVAP as a Frontier Program in 2019, recognizing its cutting-edge research that has resulted in breakthroughs in clinical care. Using state-of-the-art genomics and personalized research strategies to determine the causes of complex vascular conditions, researchers in the CVAP work to identify targeted and potentially curative therapies, many of which are similar to those used in pediatric cancer therapy. Given the complexity of these conditions and their manifestations, which can include disrupted blood and lymphatic flow and enlargement and destruction of tissues and vital organs, the program brings together specialists from numerous disciplines, including cardiology, dermatology, genetics, hematology, interventional radiology, oncology, pathology, pulmonology, and surgery underscoring the multidisciplinary nature of this work.

“CHOP’s Frontier Programs embody our mission to deliver cutting-edge clinical care, pursue research that advances child health and train the next generation of pediatric providers,” said Joseph W. St. Geme, MD, CHOP Physician-in-Chief and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. “We welcome Denise Adams and are thrilled to add her extensive experience to an important Frontier Program that will transform our patients’ lives.”

Contact: Natalie Solimeo, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 267-426-6246 or solimeon@chop.edu