Neufeld to Depart Medical Advisory Board, Kwiatkowski to Assume Chairmanship
January 30, 2017 – The Cooley’s Anemia Foundation is announcing a change in the Chairmanship of its Medical Advisory Board (MAB). Ellis Neufeld, MD, PhD, who has been Chair of the MAB since 2009, is stepping down as of March 1. Janet Kwiatkowski, MD, MSCE will be assuming the Chairmanship of this important Board.
Dr. Ellis Neufeld
Dr. Neufeld is stepping aside due to his plans to leave his current position as associate chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. He will be taking up a new role as clinical director, physician-in-chief and executive vice president of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“It’s been a joy and an honor to serve as the head of the Medical Advisory Board for the past several years,” Dr. Neufeld says. “The dedication and skill of the Foundation’s volunteers and professional staff are really extraordinary. The scientists and physicians who take time to review Fellowship and Clinical Research Grants for the MAB, and to help offer clinical pathways and information for patients, are unfailingly generous with their time and expertise because they know what a great job that CAF has done in improving lives for patients with thalassemia.”
Dr. Janet Kwiatkowski
Dr. Kwiatkowski is the Director of the Thalassemia Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York and subsequently received MS degree in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kwiatkowski completed her pediatric residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD followed by her pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I am pleased and honored to have been asked to assume the Chairmanship of the CAF Medical Advisory Committee and look forward to working with this distinguished group of thalassemia experts,” says Dr. Kwiatkowski. “The breadth and depth of knowledge that this Committee possesses makes it an invaluable asset for both the Foundation and the larger thalassemia community. I also look forward to working more closely with the Foundation and to providing assistance as needed to continue the Foundation’s history of disseminating information to the thalassemia community that is medically sound and balanced. Through this collaboration, I hope to further contribute to Foundation’s mission of improving the health and well-being of individuals living with thalassemia.”
“The Cooley’s Anemia Foundation thanks Dr. Ellis Neufeld for his willingness to provide leadership and expertise to the MAB as its Chair, and to his dedication to the entire thalassemia community,” says Anthony J. Viola, National President of CAF. “We will miss his involvement but congratulate him on this tremendous opportunity.”
“The Foundation feels extremely fortunate that Dr. Janet Kwiatkowski has agreed to assume the Chairmanship of the MAB,” Mr. Viola continues. “Her knowledge of and experience with thalassemia and its treatment, combined with her devotion to patients and her research experience in areas related to thalassemia, make her an excellent choice. We are confident that the MAB will continue to grow and advance under Dr. Kwiatkowski’s guidance.”