About the department

The overall mission of the Oncology Department is to improve cure rates for children with cancer while reducing the side effects of therapy through a coordinated program of clinical and laboratory-based research, patient care and education. We will achieve this by close collaboration between laboratory and clinical research to understand better how cancer behaves in children and young adults. We will use this knowledge to discover new and more effective therapies for childhood malignancies while minimizing the long-term effects on our patients.

Our Oncology faculty are world leaders in identifying novel drugs and treatment modalities, defining the clinical significance of recently discovered genetic abnormalities of cancer cells, understanding mechanisms of cancer development and drug resistance, and understanding and preventing late effects of therapy. We aim to share our unique clinical expertise with colleagues nationally through our many clinical trial consortia and worldwide through our partnership with St. Jude Global. The ultimate goal of our research is to ensure that every child with cancer receives curative therapy and that this therapy allows them the potential for a healthy, long-lasting life.

About the Chair

Dr. Julie R. Park is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who is interested in developing and advancing new approaches to childhood cancer therapy. Dr. Park received her MD from the University of Vermont and completed residency training in pediatrics at the University of Washington. Dr. Park then completed a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. 

She has been funded as a Fellow for the Leukemia Society of America at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and an investigator on NCI and NIH grants. As a Member of the St. Jude Faculty and Chair of the Oncology Department, Dr. Park is interested in discovering the molecular and immunologic vulnerabilities of solid tumor malignancies, such as neuroblastoma, and using this information to inform clinical trials centered on novel therapies for children with relapsed or refractory high-risk tumors. 


Department directors

Meaghan Granger

Meaghan Granger, MD
Associate Member
Director of Oncology Clinical Medicine


Rebecca Gardner

Rebecca Gardner, MD
Associate Member
Director of Cellular Therapy Integration

Divisions

Initiatives and Collaborations

  • Young male patient in hospital room
    Comprehensive Cancer Center

    St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.

Selected Publications


Fellowships

Operations team

Shemika Jones, Manager Finance & Grants,

Veronica Espinosa Medina, Program Coordinator, Oncology Strategic Initiatives

Alejandra Gonzalez Ruiz, MD, MIH, Senior Program Manager- Oncology Strategic Initiatives

Tiffany Smith, Administrative Manager

J.T. Webb, Program Coordinator, Communications

Contact us

Department of Oncology
MS 260, Room C6056
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678

Email: julie.park@stjude.org
Telephone: (901) 595-4329
Fax: (901) 521-1751

Preferred contact method: email