This year’s Presidential Symposium will focus on a topic that is particularly close to my heart: social determinants of health. Our distinguished guest speakers will address the potential financial distress and economic burden associated with medical treatments and the profound impact these factors have on our patients and their families. By bringing these conversations to the forefront, we reaffirm our responsibility to care not only for disease, but for the whole child and family within the broader context of their lived experiences.

We at ASPHO are also closely monitoring recent events in south Minneapolis and remain in active communication with local authorities and the Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau. The safety of our attendees, partners, and staff is our highest priority. Guided by our core values of compassion, diversity, and inclusion, we stand in solidarity as a professional community with our colleagues and patients in Minneapolis who are directly affected by the current circumstances, and we remain committed to supporting one another during this challenging time. I look forward to gathering as a community in late April for a truly special experience.

Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 3-4 pm CT

Mediators and Moderators of Active Music Engagement (AME) to Reduce Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Improve Well-Being in Parents of Young Children with Cancer: AME as Evidence-Based Care (Developed by the ASPHO Integrative Medicine SIG)

Cancer and its related treatment are highly stressful and potentially traumatic life events for young children with cancer and their parents. Active Music Engagement (AME) is a music therapist–delivered intervention that uses music-based play to address the interrelated distress experienced by young children (aged 3-8 years) and their parents. Findings from two NIH-funded mechanistic trials indicate that AME can significantly lower child distress and fatigue and buffer traumatic stress symptoms in parents during cancer treatment. Mediation analyses indicate the importance of parent-child interaction as a significant pathway for improved well-being. Moderation analyses indicate AME is particularly beneficial for parents who screen high for traumatic stress and who report higher distress in their child, supporting AME as an evidence-based intervention to address the needs of our most highly distressed parents and children.

REGISTER HERE

Fertility Preservation in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Patients

Date TBD

With contemporary cancer therapy, survival for AYA patients exceeds 80%. Unfortunately, the therapy required to cure cancer often has short- and long-term health consequences. One of these long-term toxicities is a negative impact on a cancer survivor’s fertility. There used to be few options available, but with greater awareness, earlier interventions, and improved reproductive technologies, our patients have options for fertility preservation before starting therapy and during survivorship. This webinar will review the impact of cancer and treatment on fertility, including the modalities of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. It will then educate the audience about the choices patients with cancer have to preserve fertility before therapy and to restore fertility when they are survivors. The speakers will review both standards of care and experimental approaches to this important problem. We will examine the barriers to the broader use of these techniques and identify strategies to overcome these barriers so that more cancer survivors will be able to have children if they so choose.

Registration opening soon!

Missed Recent ASPHO Webinars?

Stay informed by viewing past webinars on demand. Register now for on demand access to all past webinars.

Recorded Webinar: November 2025—Bridging the Gap: Transitional Care for AYA Individuals with Sickle Cell Disease

Recorded Webinar: October 2025—The Evolution of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology APP Practice Demands to Meet Organizational Needs with Changing ACGME Requirements

Recorded Webinar: January 2026—Redefining the Finish Line: Late-Career Opportunities in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

Following a recent call for volunteers, 37 new members have joined the review effort.

The collaboration focuses on the following goals:

• Reviewing policies and guidelines from AAP sections, committees, and external medical societies, ensuring PHO perspectives are represented
• Developing PHO-related AAP policies, with drafts reviewed by the appropriate PHO groups and additional AAP stakeholders

Ten specialized review groups—with representation by 54 ASPHO members—support this work, covering the following areas:

• Solid tumors
• Non‑malignant hematology and transfusion medicine
• Leukemia and lymphomas
• Healthcare delivery and policy
• Coagulation disorders
• Hemoglobinopathies
• Stem cell transplantation
• Oncology supportive care
• Neuro‑oncology
• Survivorship and late effects

We extend our sincere appreciation to all volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to this vital collaborative effort.

In accordance with the ASPHO Bylaws, this slate was presented to the current ASPHO Board of Trustees.

• Vice President: Michelle Hudspeth, MD, Medical University of South Carolina
• Secretary/Treasurer: Rich Tower, MD MS, Medical College of Wisconsin
• At-Large Trustee: Amir Mian, MD MS MBA, Children’s Blood and Cancer Center/Dell Children’s Medical Center
• At-Large Trustee: YoungNa Lee-Kim, MD MEd, Baylor College of Medicine

The new Trustees join Dan Wechsler, MD PhD (President), Maria Velez, MD (Past President), and Trustees Sarah Alexander, MD, Mary-Jane Staba Hogan, MD MPH FAAP, Michael Jeng, MD, and Rishi Lulla, MD MS, who will continue their leadership on the board.

ASPHO supports and encourages a diverse and inclusive leadership environment, having created a rigorous board appointment process with a noncompetitive slate to better support leadership competencies and diversity of the membership in every way: specialty, professional setting, demographics, and other characteristics in accordance with the Society’s Diversity Statement. Learn more about ASPHO’s leadership development efforts.

Congratulations to the following members:

Jennifer Davila, MD, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

Erica Esrick, MD, Boston Children’s

Lisa Jacola, PhD ABPP-CN, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Julie Krystal, MD MPH, Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Cathy Lee-Miller, MD, American Family Children’s Hospital

Julia Meade, MD UPMC, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

Emily Mueller, MD MSc, Riley Hospital for Children/IU Health

Kathyrn Scott, MD MPH, SUNY Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital

To be eligible for consideration, applicants needed to have completed PHO fellowship between 2009-2016. The 2026-2027 class will kick-off with a group meeting at the 2026 ASPHO Conference in Minneapolis, MN. Mentors are currently being finalized for these individuals.

The Member Engagement Committee (MEC)

Merriam-Webster defines engagement as emotional involvement or commitment. As physicians and providers, we understand these words deeply. We have taken oaths, committed our lives to the care of others, and invested ourselves fully in a field of medicine we were called to practice. Every day, we engage with patients, families, and colleagues through the passion we bring to pediatric hematology/oncology.

Yet, we also face significant challenges—perhaps now more than ever. Uncertainty in clinical practice, workforce shortages, funding constraints, and advocacy concerns affect us all. No one understands these challenges better than those walking in our shoes. As members of ASPHO, we are stronger together.

Engagement in professional organizations such as ASPHO supports career development, networking, mentoring, and lifelong learning. It creates opportunities to have your voice heard, to shape advocacy efforts, to volunteer, and to develop leadership skills while fostering meaningful connections with peers and leaders across the country and around the world.

I have been honored to serve on the Membership and then the Member Engagement Committees for the past 5 years, including 3 years as committee chair. The goal of the ASPHO Member Engagement Committee (MEC) is to promote professional development, education, and connectedness by creating opportunities for meaningful engagement and clear communication across the membership.

The MEC oversees ASPHO’s 16 Special Interest Groups (SIGs), which provide targeted opportunities for collaboration and community-building and are open to all members. We also closely monitor membership demographics, interests, and communication platforms, striving to ensure ASPHO remains an inclusive and relevant resource for members at every career stage and across all practice settings. In response to member feedback and evolving communication needs, we are excited to pilot a new Social Media Ambassador position this year to further engage members and highlight educational offerings and opportunities on a broader scale. Above all, we are committed to ensuring that your ASPHO membership is valuable—to you and to our community as a whole.

The MEC itself reflects the diversity of ASPHO, with members representing small and large programs, clinicians and basic science researchers, and institutions across the country. I asked several committee members to share what their ASPHO membership and their committee participation means to them.

“I enjoy being part of ASPHO because it is a smaller, more cohesive community of pediatric hematologists/oncologists that I identify with, making networking more meaningful and accessible. The annual meetings are a highlight—they bring the community together, provide opportunities to learn across our field, and foster mentorship and a strong pipeline of future leaders. Serving on the Member Engagement Committee and participating in the Physician-Scientist SIG have allowed me to connect with colleagues across institutions who share similar challenges. Being active in ASPHO has increased my overall career satisfaction and renewed my motivation to continue this work.”

Dr. Lindsay Blazin

“I recently joined the Member Engagement Committee because I believe now, more than ever, it is crucial to lean into our communities and work together to effect change. As a lone pediatric oncologist, I don’t have the power to influence key decisions that affect my career and my patients. But as a member of ASPHO, I can join the chorus of voices advocating for what is right.”

Dr. Karen Effinger

“ASPHO has been my professional home. Having access to exceptional education, meaningful connections, and opportunities to advocate for our field has been invaluable. More than a resource, ASPHO represents a commitment to the future of pediatric hematology/oncology—a strong, collaborative community that empowers us to lead, innovate, and make a difference together.”

Dr. Meret Henry

“Membership in ASPHO and serving on the Member Engagement Committee have been both an educational experience and a reminder that we are all in this together¾navigating challenges and facing the changing landscape that is medicine today.”

Dr. Michael Jeng

“As the Board liaison to the Member Engagement Committee, I have seen firsthand the thoughtfulness and dedication behind ASPHO’s efforts to remain responsive to member needs. The spirit of volunteerism and the diversity of perspectives represented on the committee are impressive. Consideration is given to differences in career stage, practice type, institution, and preferred communication methods, with innovative approaches to engagement aimed at reaching the entire membership. I encourage members to share ideas and suggestions—the committee is deeply committed to promoting meaningful engagement across ASPHO.”

I hope these reflections resonate with you. Your ASPHO membership matters, and the MEC is here to serve you and support the needs of our community. We welcome your ideas, creativity, and involvement. Together, we are stronger—and ASPHO remains committed to you, our members. We invite you to engage with us.

After 13 years, the ASPHO Vascular Anomalies SIG (VA-SIG) remains the thriving academic home for North American education, practice, and research in the field of pediatric vascular anomalies. With over 280 members, the VA-SIG has helped change the landscape of our field through groundbreaking observational and epidemiological research, national educational primers, webinars, online modules, workshops, and through a renaissance of targeted pharmacotherapy clinical trials. Most importantly, the VA-SIG functions as a close community of dedicated faculty who help mentor careers, support academic advancement, and represent everything good about academic collaboration. Few collaboratives can celebrate such a list of publications and educational platforms of success, and our momentum is just getting started.

Recent highlights from the VA-SIG:

• 2025 Fall VA-SIG hybrid meeting held at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Included exciting debates on medical management, challenging case discussions, and discussion of collaborative projects and included a fun networking event at the National Civil Rights Museum.
• 2026 Fall VA-SIG meeting will be hosted by The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. More information coming soon. Everyone is welcome to join us!
• 2025 ASPHO Workshop, “Supportive Care of Vascular Anomalies Beyond Pharmacotherapy.” This was an interactive, hands-on workshop focusing on skin biopsies and compression therapy.
• 2026 ASPHO Workshop, “Medical Mimicry in Vascular Anomalies.” Please plan to attend!

As the VA-SIG looks to the future, we aim to better standardize education in our field for training hematology/oncology fellows and junior faculty. We aim to improve educational resources for patients and families and work to ensure there is equity in access to care for this patient population nationally. We will continue to act as a group resource to solve everyday patient challenges and to carry out structured epidemiological research to help identify gaps in care. We encourage you to join the community and join the collaboration.

The ASPHO Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QIPS) SIG is committed to supporting, educating, and empowering members to deliver high-quality and safe care to pediatric hematology/oncology patients. With a diverse membership of over 300 individuals from around the world, the SIG champions academic excellence and scientific rigor to drive meaningful QI initiatives in the field.

What We Do

• Educational Activities: SIG members benefit from journal clubs, a QI tips newsletter, and an ongoing educational series through our online clinical forum.
• Support for QI Projects: The SIG provides mentorship and project support for members involved in QI initiatives. From project development to works-in-progress discussions, SIG leadership is available to assist in advancing your work.
• Multi-Institutional QI Projects: One of our exciting current initiatives is the development of a platform for collaborative, multi-institutional QI projects. The initial project is underway, with plans to expand to additional sites in the future.

Upcoming Activities and Events

• SIG Meeting: Please join us in person at ASPHO’s Annual Conference in Minneapolis!

We invite you to be part of our growing community and collaborate on advancing the safety and quality of care for our pediatric patients. For more information on SIG membership and to get involved in any of our ongoing initiatives, please contact SIG leadership.

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Sun Young Kim, MD PhD
Assistant Professor
LSU-LCMC Health Science Cancer Center
Louisiana State University
New Orleans, LA