Alix E. Seif, MD, MPH

I am an attending physician in both the Cellular Therapy & Transplantation and Hematologic Malignancies sections at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine. I previously held the Richard and Sheila Sanford Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology. In addition to caring for patients, I am interested in advancing patient-centered care for children, adolescents, and young adults with leukemia.

My research focuses on developing and implementing interventions that improve clinical outcomes, quality of life, and equity.  I created a way to personalize the care setting for patients with acute myeloid leukemia and am leading the work to implement this as a new national standard. As Director of Clinical Research for CHOP’s Center for Childhood Cancer Research, I partner with patients and caregivers to improve the clinical research consent process. I chair the Children’s Oncology Group’s Patient-centered Informed Consent Improvement Working Group, which aims to 1) empower patients and caregivers to make informed decisions about participation in clinical research; 2) establish standardized best practices for informed consent; and 3) increase research participation of historically marginalized groups to improve representation and generalizability.

My research program grew directly from my experience caring for patients. A cancer diagnosis turns a family’s world upside down, with a flood of new information that can be overwhelming. I prioritize clear, honest communication with patients and caregivers — telling them what we know, what we don’t, how we’ll find answers, and exactly how we will support them every step of the way. What I love most about CHOP are the partnerships between patients, caregivers, and staff.  We work together with compassion and purpose to give children and adolescents the best possible cancer care. We also have the tremendous privilege of working side-by-side with world leaders in nearly every pediatric specialty.

I am fortunate to be a part of two oncology subspecialty teams and lead CHOP’s Graft-versus-Leukemia (GVL) team, which designs transplant plans and sets standards for patients who need transplants for leukemia or lymphoma. Our Hematologic Malignancies (leukemia and lymphoma) and Transplant teams review every active patient weekly, so each child benefits from many experienced perspectives. I’m proud to be part of a team that continually seeks to improve patient outcomes by combining cutting-edge research with thoughtful, collaborative family-centered care.