Leslie J. Raffini, MD, MSCE

Leslie J. Raffini, MD, MSCE, is an attending physician and the Medical Director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology. She specializes in the diagnosis and management of children with bleeding and clotting disorders. Her current research focuses on the treatment and prevention of deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized children.

Dr. Raffini has a lifelong love of science and kids, which drove her to pediatrics, and she discovered early in her residency that hematology was particularly appealing to her. “I am particularly interested in children with unusual blood clotting disorders,” she says. “This is a group of children where there is very little ‘hard evidence’ on how best to treat, and we are constantly trying to learn more in order to make the best decisions possible.”

That uncertainty can be hard for patients and their families, but Dr. Raffini strives to build relationships with her patients and ensure she provides empathetic care. “I want them to know that we are part of their team, and although we may not always have easy answers, we are here for them and their children, every step of the way,” she says.

Dr. Raffini earned her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. She continued her training with a residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at CHOP. She also holds a Master of Science in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Dr. Raffini is the medical director of CHOP’s Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center, which provides comprehensive, family-centered care to children and adolescents with hemophilia and other bleeding and clotting disorders. She also serves as an associate professor of pediatrics at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

During her career, Dr. Raffini has earned several awards, among them the Blockley-Osler Teaching Award, Perelman School of Medicine (2013), the Master Clinician Award, Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine (2015) and the CHOP Heme/Onc Fellowship Distinguished Teaching Award (2016).

Dr. Raffini is looking forward to improved treatments – and possible cures -- in the near-future for hematology. “The medical advances in the last decade are simply mind-blowing. Pediatric hematology is so exciting right now!” she says. “Gene therapy is actually going to be a possible option for patients with hemophilia, sickle cell disease, and thalassemia in my lifetime. In addition, we have a whole group of oral anticoagulants soon to be available for children with thrombosis, as well as new, targeted therapies for those with immunohematologic disorders.”