Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Names James F. Amatruda, MD, PhD, as Director of the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute
LOS ANGELES (August 13, 2024) – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has named James F. Amatruda, MD, PhD, a highly respected medical leader, clinician, and researcher with global recognitions, as Director of the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute (CBDI) and Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). He had been serving in these roles on an interim basis since September 2023. He is also the new Alfred E. Mann Family Foundation Chair in Cancer Research.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Amatruda as the new Director of the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute and Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at CHLA,” says Dr. Alan S. Wayne, Pediatrician-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at CHLA and Pasadena Guild Chair. Dr. Wayne is also Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Dr. Amatruda’s research and clinical work have established him as an internationally renowned expert in the field of pediatric cancer. Dr. Amatruda’s leadership will further cement CHLA’s standing as one of the leading pediatric cancer and blood disease programs in the nation, and advance research in the development of safer and more effective therapies for children with cancer.”
As CBDI Director and Division Chief, Dr. Amatruda is leading the clinical care, research and education programs in pediatric hematology, oncology, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation/cellular therapy at CHLA and USC. He will work with institutional leadership in strategic planning, recruitment and program development for the largest pediatric cancer and blood disease program in the Western U.S. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals survey ranked the CBDI No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in California and the Pacific region. The CBDI also functions as the pediatric component of the National Cancer Institute-designated USC-Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Amatruda joined CHLA in 2019 as the Director of Basic and Translational Research overseeing laboratory research within the CBDI and as a tenured Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC. He markedly expanded zebrafish-based disease research at CHLA, promoting innovative, cross-disciplinary team science, including fostering bench-to-bedside translational research in oncology.
Dr. Amatruda’s global recognition as an expert in these areas is further demonstrated by his leadership in several scientific organizations. He has held multiple positions in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the national cooperative that oversees all U.S. clinical trials in pediatric oncology, including Chair of the Rare Tumors Biology Committee, Chair of the Germ Cell Tumor Biology Committee, and member of the COG Ewing Sarcoma Biology Committee. In 2014, he co-founded the international Zebrafish Disease Models Society and served as its first president. Dr. Amatruda was the initiating Chair of the Biology Committee for the Malignant Germ Cell International Collaboration, and currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of Curing Kids Cancer as well as the Sam Day, Pablove and William Guy Forbeck Foundations. He is also co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute’s FusOnC2 Fusion Oncogene Consortium.
Dr. Amatruda received his bachelor’s in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and his MD-PhD from Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care in Boston. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Leonard Zon at Boston Children’s Hospital, then served on the faculty of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas before coming to CHLA. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a specialty certification in Medical Oncology.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. Children’s Hospital is home to renowned experts who work together across disciplines to deliver inclusive and compassionate care, and drive advances that set pediatric standards across the nation and around the globe. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides a level of care to its diverse population of children that is among the best in the world. The hospital is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals, including No. 1 in California and No. 1 in the Pacific U.S. region. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles embraces its mission to create hope and build healthier futures. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is among the top 10 children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, allowing physicians and scientists to translate discoveries into treatments and bring answers to families faster. The pediatric academic medical center also is home to one of the largest training programs for pediatricians in the United States. And the hospital’s commitment to building strong communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to fight food insecurity, enhance health education and literacy, and introduce more people to careers in health care. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, and visit CHLA.org/blog.
