Dr. Hunger focuses his research on molecular and genomic approaches to identify and clinically evaluate targeted cancer treatments for children with relapsed or high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) such as Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-Like) ALL. The long-term goal of Dr. Hunger’s research is to develop better therapies, improve cure rates, and minimize treatment toxicities for children with ALL.

Dr. Hunger leads the National Cancer Institute/Children’s Oncology Group high-risk ALL TARGET (Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments) program, which has used next generation sequencing technologies of the exome, genome, and transcriptome to identify genetic mutations and chromosomal perturbations that contribute to the development of pediatric ALL and high-risk subtypes of the disease. The results of these analyses have demonstrated that relapsed or certain high-risk pediatric ALL subtypes have genomic lesions that should make them sensitive to precision medicine therapies using FDA approved targeted cancer therapies.

Ongoing research seeks to improve risk stratification of children with ALL and to identify new treatments or refine existing ones for high-risk pediatric ALL patients.

BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Applied Biology), 1981

MD, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 1985

Fellowship, Stanford University School of Medicine (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology), 1991

Chief, Division of Oncology

Director, Center for Childhood Cancer Research

Jeffrey E. Perelman Distinguished Chair in the Department of Pediatrics

Professor of Pediatrics

International Society of Paediatric Oncology

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Society of Clinical Oncology

American Society of Hematology

American Society of Microbiology

American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Children’s Oncology Group

Society for Pediatric Research

American Cancer Society Physician's Research Training Award, 1991

Individual National Research Service Award, National Cancer Institute, 1992

BLOOD/American Society of Hematology (ASH) Scholar Award, 1995

Professional Development Award, The Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Denver, CO, 1997

Leukemia Society of America Translational Research Awardee, 1998

SIOP Award for Basic Science Abstract, 2009

Elected to the John Morgan Society of the University of Pennsylvania, 2015

Center for Childhood Cancer Research Profile