Childhood cancer is meeting its match in Nashville, where Jennifer Domm, MD, MSCI, serves as medical director of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial. The new program adds to the armamentarium in the fight against pediatric cancer and blood diseases.
Making Nashville Home
A New York native, Domm received her bachelor’s of science in biology from Brown University in Providence, R.I., and decided to head south for her post-grad education. “My family had vacationed in Nashville twice, and I had good memories of it,” she said. “I took a leap of faith.”
That leap paid off when Domm was accepted to the only school she applied to outside of the Northeast – Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Domm went on to receive both her medical degree and a master’s in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt. She then undertook postgraduate training at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which is affiliated with Weill Medical College at Cornell University.
Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology-oncology, Domm served as medical director of Pediatric Hematology and later Pediatric Hemostasis and Thrombosis at Vanderbilt, where she also worked as an associate professor in the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. Domm said her path to pediatric oncology was paved by Vanderbilt professors who took the extra time to engage students in their work.
“Mentorship is extremely important,” said Domm, who credits oncology pioneers James Whitlock, MD, and the late John Lukens Jr., MD, as “kind, empathetic people who were willing take students under their wing and draw them into the field.”
The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial
In 2015, Domm took another leap of faith when she left her alma mater to help pioneer TriStar Centennial’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant programs. “We pride ourselves on being a small program with a very experienced team,” said Domm. “Patients appreciate knowing they’ll always be seen by one of two physician providers or the program’s nurse practitioner. It’s a very intimate, extended family feel.”
The program started in January 2015 and now provides full-service treatment of pediatric hematology and oncology, bleeding and clotting disorders, sickle cell, hemoglobin issues and a full range of pediatric oncology.
They also offer stem cell transplant for pediatric and young adult patients and can enroll patients in clinical trials through Children’s Oncology Group (COG) – the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial are the only two COG research partners in Middle Tennessee. TriStar’s Sarah Cannon provides additional treatment options for patients at The Children’s Hospital. “While we’re still new, we have a program that offers everything others are doing in Nashville,” said Domm, who often educates providers about the program’s capabilities. “If a doctor is concerned about a lab, I’m happy to see the patient that same day or talk them through it by phone,” Domm said. “I want them to know we’re accessible.”
Better Options, Better Odds
Domm said one of the greatest recent breakthroughs in pediatric hematology is the haploidentical transplantation – a half-matched bone marrow transplant that has been successful in “curing” patients of some cancers and blood disorders like sickle cell anemia. “There can be difficulties finding matches for stem cell transplant in the registry, particularly those under-represented minorities,” Domm explained. “Haploidentical transplantation significantly changed how we approach transplant.”
To perform a stem cell transplant, oncologists must kill off the patient’s immune system to successfully prepare to accept donor cells. Traditionally, the closer the match, the greater the chance a transplant would be successful and that the donated cells wouldn’t attack the recipient’s tissues (as seen in graft versus host disease). Today’s advances in immune suppression, chemo protocols and supportive care have helped reduce the risk of infection and rejection, allowing acceptance of a half-match.
“It’s been really revolutionary, particularly in pediatrics because one of the parents will be a half-match for the child,” Domm said. “It’s opened up transplant as an option for people who may have not been able to have transplant previously.” Domm said the treatment is also helpful for patients with sickle cell and others who might need an “elective” transplant. “It’s opened up transplant as a true curative option for patients,” Domm said.
Joy in the Journey
A respected leader in one of the most heart-tugging pediatric sub-specialties, Domm is often asked how she does it. “Everyone says ‘It must be so sad,’ but as cliché as it seems, you’re really helping the patients and their entire family,” said Domm, who regularly attends weddings, graduation ceremonies and end-of-chemo parties for her patients.
“I look at my role as being a supporter through their journey. You can’t save every child, but you can make the journey through this diagnosis the best it can be. My role is to help families through the good and the bad, and I’m fortunate to have found something I love.”
RELATED LINKS:
The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at The Children’s Hospital
