Career Center

The Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and the Emory University Department of Pediatrics invites interested applicants for the position of Aflac Solid Tumor Researcher. The Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center provides a rich and collaborative environment for basic, clinical and translational research and boasts a diverse faculty. The Solid Tumor Program is an integral component of the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, and currently includes nine faculty members, two of whom are primarily basic research-focused. Ideal candidates will have a strong record of scientific accomplishments and proven success in obtaining extramural funding to conduct independent research within a defined area of investigation that relates to the development and/or treatment of pediatric solid tumors. The Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center has close affiliations with research investigators within the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a willingness to collaborate across departmental or center boundaries is essential.

About the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center

The successful candidate will join one of the strongest pediatric hematology/oncology programs in the country.

• The Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center has 115 faculty and 35 Advance Practice Providers (APPs), conducting basic, translational, and clinical research related to pediatric oncology and hematology disorders, with expertise in leukemias, lymphomas, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, sarcomas, rare tumors, renal tumors, CAR T-cell therapies, hemoglobinopathies and hemophilia.
• More than 7,000 children with cancer and blood disorders are treated annually at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
• The Aflac pediatric oncology program sees ~500 new cancer diagnoses each year. This includes ~150 new solid tumors, ~50 of which are sarcomas. Aflac is the pediatric component of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.
• The Aflac pediatric hematology program is one of the largest in the country (including >2,000 active patients with sickle cell disease, and 600 with bleeding or clotting disorders).
• The Aflac blood and marrow transplantation program performs ~80 transplants each year, and is one of the leaders in curative therapies for hemoglobinopathies.
• In 2021, the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center was ranked No. 6 in the nation for Pediatric Cancer by US News and World Report
• In 2020, Aflac faculty generated $21.5M in extramural funding, including more than $12.3M from the NIH.
• The Aflac fellowship program accepts 6 fellows each year for intensive clinical and research training in pediatric hematology/oncology. We are one of the few pediatric programs with an NIH-funded T32 training grant in non-malignant hematology.
• The Aflac Developmental Therapeutics Program offers a wide portfolio of clinical trials from cooperative groups, industry partners, and investigator-initiated studies, and has a larger referral base in the southeastern United States. Aflac is a member of the COG Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN), NANT, TACL, and PBTC.
• The MIBG and Relapsed Neuroblastoma Program is the largest in the southeast and has treated ~100 patients with therapeutic MIBG since its inception in 2013.
• Aflac is a leading contributor to the Childrens Oncology Group, having been #1 in therapeutic trial enrollments for the past 2 years and annually in the top 4.

This position will allow a wealth of opportunities for research collaborations within the Department of Pediatrics, with Emorys NCI-designated cancer center (Winship Cancer Institute), as well as with Emory basic science departments, the Rollins School of Public Health, the American Cancer Society (located in Atlanta), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Successful candidates will have:

• MD, MD/PhD, or PhD degree
• If MD, must be Board Certified in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
• If MD, must be currently licensed as a physician and eligible for licensure as a physician in the State of Georgia
• A strong record of scholarship and appropriate funding as an independent investigator, and will be expected to work in a collaborative fashion conducting nationally recognized research in pediatric oncology
• A history of academic excellence/achievement
• A strong history of mentorship of trainees and junior faculty to support growth in research and scholarship
• A history of service or leadership in a hematology-oncology program

Salary and rank of Associate Professor or Professor at Emory University School of Medicine will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments. The primary focus of this position will be an emphasis on innovative research (80% effort). Individuals with MD degrees may spend a maximum of 20% effort on clinical service and administrative duties.

Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University have worked together since 1956, facilitating leading-edge pediatric research, training, and innovation. Together, our partnership advances research and facilitates evidence-based quality care for children. In 2020, the Emory Department of Pediatrics was the #1 ranked pediatric department in National Institutes of Health research funding.

This job posting is part of our ambitious $200M investment to substantially grow our team of world class child health researchers over the next five years. Contact peds.research@emory.edu with inquiries and for more information.

Applicants interested in this position should apply online and submit a curriculum vitae, a summary of research accomplishments, a description of future independent research plans, and three letters of reference.