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Dr. Maris is a physician-scientist who focuses on discovering the basic mechanisms of why childhood cancers occur in the first place, what makes subsets of cancers highly aggressive and resistant to standard therapies and using this knowledge to create new precision therapeutics. His laboratory largely focuses on neuroblastoma, a lethal malignancy of young children arising in the peripheral nervous system. His laboratory and clinical research teams have created a pipeline of the therapies including modern immunotherapies at various stages of development using a highly collaborative multi-disciplinary team science approach. A practicing pediatric oncologist, he specializes in providing care to children with neuroblastoma for whom our standard therapies have failed them.
Bio
I am a physician-scientist who has focused for over three decades on the childhood cancer neuroblastoma with the dual goals of improving patient outcomes and using the disease as a model to understand cancer in general.
Trained in molecular genetics, my laboratory has discovered the vast majority of the currently known neuroblastoma susceptibility genes through both family-based and genome-wide association study approaches. My laboratory has also defined the genomic landscape of neuroblastomas at diagnosis and during clonal evolution. These studies have led to the discovery and validation of biomarkers of patient outcomes and novel therapeutic strategies.
In parallel, my laboratory has focused on improving neuroblastoma patient outcomes by developing the preclinical rationale and then designing innovative clinical trials for a variety of small molecular, targeted radiotherapeutic, and more recently immunotherapeutic strategies. I have been intimately involved in all aspects of pediatric cancer drug development, and my laboratory has developed multiple collaborations with industry to further speed the process.
I am an internationally recognized practicing pediatric oncologist who cares for children with refractory neuroblastoma from around the world, typically in the context of early phase clinical trials. I am at a stage of my career where I think I can make paradigm shifting laboratory advances that are immediately translatable to improving cancer patient outcomes.
I support a diverse and multi-disciplinary research team both within my own lab and through leadership of several multi-institutional projects and have mentored over 100 trainees in various disciplines over the past 25 years. I have continued a highly focused clinical practice exclusive to children with cancer for whom our standard of care has failed them, and continuously seek to improve patient outcomes through a highly integrated basic and clinical research programs.
Education and Training
BS, Wheeling College (Biology), 1983
MD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Medicine), 1989
Resident, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania (Pediatrics), 1992
Fellow, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology), 1995
Postdoctoral Fellow, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Cancer Genetics), 1996
Titles and Academic Titles
Attending Physician
Giulio D'Angio Chair in Neuroblastoma Research
Professor of Pediatrics
Professional Memberships
Chair, COG Neuroblastoma Disease Committee, 2006-2010
Member, COG ANBL0621 Study Committee, 2006-2010
Member, NANT 2007-01 Study Committee, 2007-2011
Vice-Chair, COG ADVL0812 Study Committee, 2008-2012
Member, COG ANBL0821 Study Committee, 2008-2012
Member, COG ANBL0823 Study Committee, 2008-2013
Member, AACR Pediatric Oncology Task Force, 2009-present
Member, ASPHO Professional Development Committee, 2010-present
Member, AACR Special Conferences Committee, 2010-2013
Member, AACR Stand up to Cancer Review Committee, 2010-present
Member, COG Scientific Council and Associate Chair, 2011-present
Member, ASCO Leadership Development Program Working Group, 2011-2015
Member, AACR Cancer Progress Report 2012 Writing Committee
Member, AACR Vision 2020 Strategic Planning Committee, 2015-2018
Member, Pediatric Cancer Working Group, NCI Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel, 2016-2018
Chair, NCI Cancer Moonshot Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery and Development Steering Committee, 2019-present
Member, NCI Board of Scientific Advisors ad hoc Working Group: Childhood Cancer Data Initiative
Member, Foundation of the NIH Working Group: Pediatric Preclinical Testing Public-Private Partnership
Co-leader, Childhood Cancer Data Initiative Open Targets Project
Co-Chair, Pediatric Immunotherapy Network Steering Committee, 2023-
Professional Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha, 1988
Pincus Award: Outstanding Clinician of Graduating Medical School Class, 1989
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Young Investigator Award, 1993
Elected to the Society for Pediatric Research, 2004
Oski Award Recipient, American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, 2007
Elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, 2007
Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, for integrating the basic and clinical sciences, 2009
Eagles Fly for Leukemia Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009
William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2010
Elected to the John Morgan Society, University of Pennsylvania, 2012
Award of Excellence, Arms Wide Open Foundation, 2013
St. Ignatius Loyola Distinguished Alumni Award, Wheeling University, 2013
National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award, 2017
National Cancer Institute Eminent Lecture, 2018
American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award (Pediatric Cancer Dream Team Leader), 2021
Party with a Purpose Scientific Achievement Award, Friend of the AACR Foundation, 2023
Elected to the Association of American Physicians, 2024
Elected as a Fellow to the American Association for Cancer Research Academy, 2024
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Pitcher of Hope Award, 2024
Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House 50th Anniversary Dr. Audrey Evans Award for Medical Excellence (with Dr. Yael Mossé), 2024
Publication Highlights
Links of Interest
CHOP's John M. Maris MD, and Penn Medicine's E. John Wherry named 2024 Fellows of the AACR Academy
CHOP Cancer Researchers Win 2021 AACR Team Science Award
Dr. John Maris: Teaming Up to End Childhood Cancer
Dr. John Maris Presented with the Alex’s Lemonade Stand 2024 Pitcher of Hope Award
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Powers 20 Years of Pediatric Cancer Research at CHOP
Cell and gene therapies against pediatric cancers.
John Maris, MD, Receives Outstanding Investigator Award
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JnM1FjgAAAAJ&hl=en8