Leading the Charge in Pediatric Oncology as the New ASPHO President

Balancing a career as a pediatric oncologist with leadership responsibilities, Maria C. Velez, MD, shares insights into her passion for the field and ASPHO’s impactful work.

In the complex and often challenging world of pediatric oncology, few individuals embody dedication and leadership as profoundly as Maria C. Velez, MD. Beyond her clinical practice, Dr. Velez has taken on a pivotal role as the recently appointed president of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) for the 2025-2026 term.

Her work spans the full spectrum of patient care, from developing specialized programs for neuro-oncology and hemophilia to navigating the intricate transitions of care for these adolescent and young adult patients.

In an interview with CancerNetwork, Velez discusses the driving forces behind her commitment to pediatric oncology, ASPHO’s ambitious plans, and the collaborative efforts essential to advancing the field and improving outcomes for the youngest patients with cancer.

Velez is a distinguished professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and former director of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine-New Orleans (LSUHSC). Dr. Velez also has several leadership roles at Manning Family Children’s New Orleans (MFC).

CancerNetwork: What made you the most interested in working in pediatric oncology?

Velez: There has always been a profound need for our specialty. Fortunately, many of our patients do well compared with their adult oncology counterparts, which provides an encouraging outlook. Still, we continue to learn so much from them: their resilience, their ability to find joy despite challenges, and their determination to push forward.

Children face not only the difficulties of a cancer diagnosis, which disrupts nearly every aspect of their lives, but also the critical milestones of growth and development. Witnessing them navigate and overcome these obstacles is truly inspirational. Their strength motivates us to continually strive for the very best in their care. For me, learning from our patients is one of the greatest sources of energy and purpose that keeps me moving forward every day.

Is there a moment in your career that you’re most proud of?

One of my proudest achievements has been developing a fellowship program in pediatric hematology/oncology to train the next generation of specialists. As the now former fellowship program director at LSUHSC and MFC, I had the privilege of building this program from the ground up, and it has been deeply rewarding to see my mentees and former fellows excel across the country, many of them now serving as leaders in the field.

Clinically, I am especially proud of helping to develop the neuro-oncology program at Manning Family Children’s New Orleans, which serves children, adolescents, and young adults with brain and spinal cord tumors. Working alongside my colleagues in neurosurgery and collaborating with the many ancillary services essential to patient care has been vital. Neuro-oncology is a particularly challenging field, as outcomes are often not as favorable as in other types of cancer. This has fueled our passion to bring together the best possible team and to pursue opportunities through clinical trials and innovative collaborative treatments.

In the hematology area, I have had the opportunity to develop and strengthen the hemophilia treatment center, caring for children with bleeding disorders as well as thrombosis. This work has been equally rewarding, reflecting the breadth of care our specialty provides.

You were recently appointed the president of the ASPHO. What is one thing you’re looking forward to accomplishing while in this position?

I am excited to launch a reassessment of the Society’s strategic plan during my term, which runs from May 2025 through May 2026. The goal of this plan is to better understand the issues most important to our members and to determine how we can address them in meaningful and dynamic ways. We will focus on educational programming, advocacy, and support of the field.

The strategic plan will combine a holistic 3-to-5-year vision for our specialty with clear, actionable steps to help us achieve our shared goals. It is an ambitious undertaking, but also a critically needed one in the current environment.

How do you feel ASPHO has helped to bring more awareness to pediatric oncology?

Raising awareness is a key priority for the Society—so much so that the 2022 to 2025 strategic plan includes a dedicated goal with specific action steps to address it. Over the past several years, our efforts have expanded to include advocacy initiatives; serving as a trusted resource to the media, policymakers, and health care providers; building strategic partnerships and coalitions with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Hematology (ASH), and other stakeholders to speak with a unified voice; and leveraging the expertise of our members to support both patient needs and the advancement of our subspecialty.

What are some multidisciplinary areas you work with daily in this specialty?

It truly takes a village to care for a child facing a serious illness. I am fortunate to work with an extraordinary team of colleagues across every pediatric and surgical specialty. Our care extends beyond physicians; we are supported by exceptional nurses, nurse educators and navigators, advanced pediatric providers (PNP and PA), social workers, psychologists, child life specialists, speech, occupational, and physical therapists, as well as our clinical trial researchers and associated nurses, to name just a few.

As you can see, it requires the dedication of the entire team to support a child through a challenging diagnosis such as cancer or other serious blood disorders. This spirit of collaboration allows us to provide the very best care, and I feel truly fortunate that we have such a strong multidisciplinary team committed to our patients and their families.

The transition from pediatric patient to adult patient can sometimes be a gray area. How do you handle this in your practice, and is there a tried-and-true way to make it more seamless?

This is an area in which we continue to focus. We have partnered not only with adult colleagues, but also with other programs across the region and state, to identify primary care physicians with experience caring for our patient population, many of whom are graduates of our own training programs, Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics (MedPeds). We also collaborate closely with adult oncology colleagues to ensure a seamless transition of care for patients who require ongoing management after they complete our pediatric programs, including those with hematologic disorders. Transition remains a challenge for many of these patients.

For some conditions, such as certain hematology disorders and central nervous system tumors in young patients, the transition to adult care can be especially complex. Unfortunately, many of these survivors experience long-term late effects and treatment-related sequelae. At Manning Family Children’s, we have a dedicated survivor and late effects program, led by my colleague, Dr. Pinki Prasad. This program helps bridge this gap. In addition, we are working to strengthen and further develop our Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) program in collaboration with adult medical oncology at LSUHSC and the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC).

Through these efforts, we aim to ensure that our patients continue to receive the highest quality care, addressing not only physical late effects but also the potential psychological, cognitive, and social challenges that may arise as they transition into adulthood.