Chief, Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI)
As chief of NCI’s POB Dr. Widemann oversees and active basic, translational and clinical research program for children and young adults with hematologic and solid malignancies.
Dr. Widemann joined the NCI in 1992 as a pediatric hematology oncology fellow after having obtained her MD and completed pediatric residency at the University of Cologne in Germany. Her research has been focused on drug development and early clinical trials for children with refractory solid tumors or genetic tumor predisposition syndromes, in particular neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The work of her research team on NF1 resulted in the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved medical therapy, the MEK inhibitor selumetinib, for children with NF1 and inoperable, symptomatic plexiform neurofibroma. Dr. Widemann is also a co-leader of the Cancer Moonshot funded My Pediatric and Adult Rare Tumor (MyPART) network, which aims to advance the understanding of rare tumors and the development of more effective therapies.
Dr. Widemann is a member of the Association of American Physicians and recipient of the AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research. She has authored more than 200 original scientific papers, reviews, and book chapters, and has conducted many clinical trials.