News

Supporting Health Equity Research

We are deeply grateful to the Red Line Charity for their generous support of our lab’s research on health equity. Their commitment to driving change through community-centered action and storytelling is truly inspiring. The funds raised will play a vital role in advancing our efforts to understand…

How Do Neighborhoods Impact Children's Chances of Surviving Leukemia

The recent study by Dr. Winestone highlights how a child's neighborhood significantly influences their chances of surviving leukemia. Children residing in low-income areas face higher mortality rates, even when receiving similar medical treatments as those from more affluent neighborhoods. This…

More Than Treatment: Bridging Gaps in Pediatric Cancer Care

Despite major advancements in pediatric cancer treatment, many children—especially those from underserved communities—struggle to access life-saving therapies. Dr. Lena Winestone, a leading researcher at UC San Francisco, is working to uncover and address disparities in care by studying how factors…

Lena Winestone, MD uncovers effects of pre-conception smoking and racial disparities in pediatric leukemias

In a study published recently in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the UCSF research team showed that paternal preconception smoking decreased 5-year survival in children with AML.

Dr. Lena Winestone presenting at ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition

Dr. Winestone will be presenting "2392 Distance to Care Predicts Clinical Trial Enrollment on COG ALL Clinical Trials: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group" at ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition on Saturday, December 9, 2023, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM.  https://ash.confex.com/ash/2023/…

Lena Winestone, MD and Maria Castellanos, MD, presenting at the Joint Pediatric Program and Cancer Control Program Meeting

Dr. Winestone and Dr. Castellanos will be presenting at the Joint Pediatric Program and Cancer Control Program Meeting on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 9:00 am- 12:45 pm. Topics: 9:20- 9:40AM Lena Winestone– "Integrating genomic data with social determinants of health and clinical data at…

Erica Evans, MD, details how the financial burden of pediatric cancer diagnosis disproportionately affects and stresses low-income and Hispanic families.

A childhood cancer diagnosis comes with significant financial costs to a patient’s family through direct medical costs and loss of work productivity. Winestone’s study shows that financial burden is felt regardless of income level, but low-income and Hispanic caregivers dealt with more income loss…

Anu Hall, MD, leads work to evaluate access to chimeric antigen receptor T Cell clinical trials, published in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

Key findings include the following: Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy trials have revolutionized the treatment of relapsed B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL); however, these clinical trials might not be equally accessible to all patients.  External…

Chynna Swift, MS1, receives the UCSF Greenberg Oncology Research Fellowship

Through the Summer Explore program, Chynna will receive funding for her proposed project will focus on the ways in which neighborhood socioeconomic status and distance to care are associated with illness acuity and outcomes in pediatric leukemia.  For more details on this fellowship…

Maria Castellanos's, MD, article shows living along US-Mexico border linked to higher risk for death among children with leukemia

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who resided along the U.S.-Mexico border appeared at higher risk for death than their counterparts in other areas of Texas, according to study results published in Cancer. However, among children with acute myeloid leukemia, researchers observed an…