Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital

Meet Our Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute Leadership

Our expert team provides comprehensive clinical care and treatment for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders.

Leadership

Cassandra Josephson, MD — Cassandra Josephson, MD
Medical Director, Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute

Dr. Josephson is the Hawkins Family Endowed Professor and director of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is also a Professor (PAR) in Oncology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She joined the medical staff in 2022. Dr. Josephson, who specializes in blood banking/transfusion medicine and hematology-oncology, is recognized internationally as a leader in pediatric transfusion medicine and has made significant contributions to medical education, clinical knowledge, clinical/translational research and patient care. Most recently, she worked as a Professor of Pathology/Laboratory Medicine and Pediatrics and was the director of Clinical Research and associated director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies at the Emory University School of Medicine and at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
View Cassandra Josephson, MD’s Bio

Irmel Ayala, M.D. — Irmel Ayala, M.D.
Division Chief, Hematology

Dr. Ayala is the division chief of Hematology and director of the Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. She also is the hematology leader of the Young Women Bleeding Disorders/Menorrhagia Clinic, which focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to bleeding symptoms in girls and young women. Dr. Ayala also is involved in the Immune Dysregulation Clinic, which evaluates patients with autoimmune cytopenias in a multidisciplinary approach.
View Irmel Ayala, M.D.’s Bio

Deepakbabu Chellapandian, M.D. — Deepakbabu Chellapandian, M.D.
Division Chief, Bone Marrow Transplant

Dr. Chellapandian specializes in bone marrow transplant as a hematologist/oncologist and serves as Director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy for Non-Malignant Conditions (CCGNC) in the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute. He joined the hospital staff in 2017. In 2022, he became interim division chief of the bone marrow transplant program. Dr. Chellapandian earned his medical degree from Madurai Medical College and then trained at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, both in India. He completed a residency in pediatrics at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Chellapandian completed a pediatric hematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation fellowship at Hospital for Sick Children/University of Toronto in Canada and an advanced fellowship on bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
View Deepakbabu Chellapandian, M.D.’s Bio

Stacie Stapleton, M.D. — Stacie Stapleton, M.D.
Division Chief, Oncology

Dr. Stapleton is the division chief of oncology and director of pediatric neuro-oncology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Dr. Stapleton joined the hospital in 2007 and is double-board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in general pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology. She has formal training in pediatric neuro-oncology. Dr. Stapleton is on the Pediatric Palliative Care Team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s and she specializes in symptom control and end of life care. She has been awarded numerous grants for phase I studies for patients with brain and spinal cord tumors as well as clinical research in pediatric palliative care. Dr. Stapleton’s research experience includes investigator-initiated and multi-center research projects.
View Stacie Stapleton, M.D.’s Bio

Administration

Michelle DuJardin — Michelle DuJardin
Senior Director, Institute Administration

Michelle DuJardin leads the administration of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, and the Institute for Brain Protection Sciences. She joined the team in 2016 and has more than 18 years of health care and administrative experience. DuJardin is a certified Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from the University of Central Arkansas and earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She spent much of her health care career at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where she held various leadership and administrative roles in pediatric anesthesiology and neuroscience.

Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorders

Pediatric Thrombosis

Sickle Cell

Blood & Marrow Transplant

Blood Cancers

Solid Tumors

Neuro-Oncology

CanSurviveClinic

Adolescent & Young Adult

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