bone and marrow transplant program
Hearing that your child needs a blood or marrow transplant can be scary and overwhelming. We want to make this next step as stress-free as possible.
That’s why we have partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital for a one program, two campus approach to blood and marrow transplants. Nationwide Children’s is ranked as one of the top ten children’s hospitals for treating childhood cancer according to U.S. News and World Report. It is only an hour away and, the best part, all your care will return close to home at Dayton Children’s once the transplant procedure and recovery are complete.
We work closely together with Nationwide Children’s to create a personalized transplant plan, specific to each child. Your Dayton Children’s care team will guide and support you every step of the way. This includes attending your first meeting at Nationwide Children’s and consistently tracking your progress.
why can’t I do a blood or marrow transplant at Dayton Children’s?
Not as many kids need blood and marrow transplants as they used to. Rather than provide a service that we would do infrequently, we turn to Nationwide Children’s, an expert neighbor and partner. It’s the best of both worlds: Your child continues to receive compassionate, familiar care from their team at Dayton Children’s, and will receive expert, personalized transplant care at Nationwide Children’s.
proven quality
You can feel reassured that the care your child will receive is accredited by top quality national and international organizations, proving this team’s commitment to providing the highest quality, most innovative care.
The most experienced organization in the world in clinical development of new therapies for children with cancer. COG partners with researchers and hospitals, including Dayton Children’s and Nationwide Children’s, to understand the causes of cancer and find more effective treatments.
Sets the bar for excellence in cellular therapy, including bone marrow transplant. Organizations go through a rigorous process to become accredited. They meet comprehensive standards of care for their patients, and prioritize their patients’ unique needs.
Manages the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world. They work to save lives by helping patients find donors, growing their donor registry, supporting patients needing a transplant, conducting research and advocating to improve patients’ access to care.
The largest clinical trials group focused exclusively on blood and marrow transplants for children and teens. Their research and education is aimed at improving availability, safety and efficacy of blood and marrow transplants.
your care team
Mukund Dole, MD: Dr. Mukund Dole is the interim chief of the division of hematology/oncology at Dayton Children’s and has been there for nearly 25 years. He specializes in caring for children with serious hematologic disorders, including cancer and transplant patients. Dr. Dole is also the principal investigator for Children’s Oncology Group and is actively involved in their clinical trials.
Lionel Chow, MD, PhD: Dr. Lionel Chow is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist with an expertise in childhood brain cancer. He is also a cancer researcher whose work has focused on finding better treatment for aggressive brain tumors.
Jordan Wright, MD: Jordan M. Wright, MD is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist who specializes in bleeding and clotting disorders. He is the director of Dayton Children’s hemostasis and thrombosis center and co-director of the vascular anomalies clinic.
Jani Rice, BSN, RN, CPON: Jani Rice is a highly skilled oncology nurse with extensive experience in pediatric oncology, specifically bone marrow transplants. As a nurse at Dayton Children’s for 35 years, and a mom herself, Jani empathetically serves as families’ advocate and support system.
Rolla F. Abu-Arja, MD: Dr. Abu-Arja is the clinical director of the blood and marrow transplant program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an associate professor at the Ohio State University. She has over 10 years of experience in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy. Her research interests are in alternate donor transplants and graft manipulation.
Hemalatha Geetharani Rangarajan, MD: Dr. Hemalatha Geetharani Rangarajan is fellowship-trained in blood and marrow transplant and has been with Nationwide Children’s for nearly 20 years. Dr. Rangarajan’s research interests include stem cell transplant in acute myeloid leukemia and hemoglobinopathies, Chronic Graft Versus host disease and photopheresis for the treatment of Graft versus host disease.
Margaret G. Lamb, MD: Dr. Margaret Lamb is a hematologist/oncologist with Nationwide Children’s. She completed her residency and fellowship at Nationwide with a focus on hematology/oncology.
Sharon Robinson, BSN, RN: Sharon has been a nurse in the hematology/oncology/BMT department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for over 32 years, after graduating from The Ohio State University’s College of Nursing. She has been a blood and marrow transplant coordinator at Nationwide Children’s since 2013. Sharon enjoys and feels honored to work with and teach families as she coordinates the process leading up to the transplant.
blood and marrow patient journey
While each treatment plan will be different, there are a few general guidelines that will help you prepare and feel comfortable.
important numbers
Jani Rice, BSN, RN, CPON
Dayton Children’s coordinator:
937-641-5062
Sharon Robison, BSN, RN
Nationwide Children’s coordinator:
614-722-3806
Nationwide Children’s blood and marrow transplant clinic main line: 641-722-6425
Dayton Children’s hematology/oncology division main line: 937-641-3111
faq
Nurse and bone marrow transplant patient coordinator Jani Rice plays a critical role on Dayton Children’s oncology team. She serves as a bridge between Nationwide and Dayton Children’s, and makes herself available for any and all questions that patients and families may have about the transplant process and their care. She answered a few questions about her role on the BMT team:
How do BMT patients benefit from the partnership between Dayton Children’s and Nationwide?
The biggest benefit patients have from this partnership is the continued open line of communication between the two institutions. We have a weekly meeting to review all of our mutual patients. I have a very close relationship with the nurse coordinator at Nationwide and we talk or email almost every day or at least several times a week. I also try my best to call the parents during their admission for the stem cell transplant, again at least weekly and encourage them to call me whenever they need to while they are at Nationwide or even once they are discharged.
What advice do you have for families that may be beginning the BMT process?
I make sure to introduce myself as early as possible in the process and let them know I am their go-to person for any questions related to transplant. I make sure to let them know they can call me for anything at all. I also tell them to write down any questions they have because this is a stressful time and often times they have difficulty remembering what questions they do have while talking to the medical team, but once they are gone the questions start coming. Writing the questions down helps them with remembering what to ask the next time.
Do you stay in touch with families after they have been discharged?
Even after transplant when the patient is discharged to home, I am still the person they can contact for any post-transplant needs. Patients go home with many medications to manage, have dressing changes and feeding issues where home-care is involved, as well as other complicated needs so when in doubt, I am still the person they can call.
