CURRICULUM VITAE
Zachary T. Graff MD
Zachary T. Graff MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Hematology and Oncology - Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Hematology and Oncology - Pediatrics
OFFICE ADDRESS: |
MACC Fund Research Center |
8701 Watertown Plank Rd |
Milwaukee, WI 53226 |
EDUCATION: |
2007 - 2011 Bachelor of Music, Baylor University, Waco, TX |
2011 - 2015 Doctor of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX |
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING AND FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS: |
2012 Pediatric Oncology Education Research Internship, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105 |
2015 - 2018 Residency, Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45229 |
2018 - 2021 Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO 80238 |
2022 - Present Kinetic3 Teaching Academy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI |
FACULTY APPOINTMENTS: |
08/01/2021 - Present Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc., Milwaukee, WI 53226 |
ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS: |
2019 - 2021 Fellowship Schedule Coordinator, Pediatric, Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant, Children's Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045 |
2020 - 2021 Director, Pediatric Resident Boot Camp, Pediatric, Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045 |
HOSPITAL STAFF PRIVILEGES: |
08/01/2021 - Present Attending Physician, Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology/BMT, 8701 W Watertown Plank Rd, MACC Fund Research Center 3018, Milwaukee, WI 53226 |
SPECIALTY BOARDS AND CERTIFICATION: |
Board Certified | Issue Date | Expiration |
American Board of Pediatrics | 2018 | None |
Certificates | Issued By | Issue Date | Expiration |
PALS | American Heart Association | None | |
BLS | American Heart Association | None | |
Licensure | Number | Issue Date | Expiration |
USMLE ID | 52966413 | 2015 | None |
NPI | 1952798274 | 2015 | None |
DEA Registration | FG7817084 | 2018 | None |
Colorado Medical License | DR.0060262 | 2018 | None |
Wisconsin Medical License | 75598-20 | 2021 | None |
AWARDS AND HONORS: |
2013 Louise Barekman Memorial Scholarship, Texas Medical Association |
2014 Alpha Omega Honor Society |
2014 Gerakd Holman, M.D. Pediatric Scholarship Award |
2019 Conroy Family Young Investigator Award |
2020 American Association for Cancer Research/American Society of Clinical Oncology Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop |
2021 - 2022 MCW Outstanding Medical Student Teacher- Recognition for teaching in Foundations of Clinical Medicine, Course Director Seth Bodden, MD, MCW Curriculum and Evaluation Committee for academic year 2021-2022 |
MEMBERSHIPS IN HONORARY AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES: |
2015 - Present American Academy of Pediatrics (Member) |
2018 - Present American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (Member) |
2018 - Present Children's Oncology Group (Member) |
2020 - Present American Association for Cancer Research (Member) |
LOCAL/REGIONAL APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS: |
2021 - Present Committee Member, Pediatric Residency Selection Committee, Children's Wisconsin |
NATIONAL ELECTED/APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS: |
2022 - Present Institutional Vice-PI/Member, Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia & Lymphoma (TACL), Medical College of Wisconsin |
RESEARCH GRANTS/AWARDS/CONTRACTS/PROJECTS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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INVITED LECTURES/WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS: |
National |
Two Black Eschars in a 6-year-old Girl, American Academy of Pediatrics Conference, Washington, D.C., 10/24/2015 |
Toxicity Outcomes in Advanced Retinoblastoma: Pilot Study for Upcoming Central American Protocol, American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Conference, Fort Worth, TX, 05/08/2020 |
PRBC: Pediatric Resident Boot Camp Increases Resident Comfort and Preparedness on Hem/Onc Rotation, American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Conference, Virtual Conference, 04/20/2021 |
Combination Immunotherapeutic and Molecular Targeting of FLT3 in Pediatric Leukemias, National Cancer Institute Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery and Development Network, 11/08/2021 |
Local |
New Treatments in Pediatric AML, Professor Rounds, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, 03/01/2019 |
Trisomy 21: Transient Abnormal Myelopoiesis – Pathogenesis and Management, Professor Rounds, Children's Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 09/13/2019 |
Development of FLT-3 CAR for KMT2A Rearranged Leukemia, Aspen Research Conference, Aspen, CO, 09/23/2019 |
Toxicity and Outcomes in Advanced Retinoblastoma in Guatemala – New Regimen Assessment, Aspen Research Conference, Aspen, CO, 09/23/2019 |
Dan Li, TanCAR T cells targeting CD19 and CD133 efficiently eliminate MLL leukemic cells, Journal Club- University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 11/11/2019 |
Gianni Bisogno, Vinorelbine and continuous low-dose cyclophosphamide as maintenance chemotherapy in patients with high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS 2005): a multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 3 trial, Journal Club, Aurora, CO, 12/13/2019 |
Recurrent Osteosarcoma – Summary of Current Treatment Approaches, Solid Tumor Board, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, 01/28/2020 |
Sarah Milgrom, MD, Nicholas Cost, MD, and Carrye Cost, MD, Brachytherapy: Current and Future Uses, Professor Rounds, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, 02/14/2020 |
The Development of FLT-3 CAR T-cells for Relapsed/Refractory AML and KMT2A-Rearranged ALL, Spring Symposium Presentation, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, 05/22/2020 |
Dual Targeting CD19xFLT3 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells (CAR-T) for Infant Leukemia, Children's Hospital Colorado Pediatric Spring Research Poster Session, Aurora, CO, 05/29/2020 |
Toxicity Outcomes in Advanced Retinoblastoma: Pilot Study for Upcoming Central American Protocol, Children’s Hospital Colorado Pediatric Spring Research Poster Session, Aurora, CO, 05/29/2020 |
The Development of FLT-3 CAR T-cells for Relapsed/Refractory AML and KMT2A-Rearranged ALL, William Hathaway Research Conference, Children’s Hospital Colorado,, Aurora, CO, 10/05/2020 |
PRBC: Pediatric Resident Boot Camp Increases Resident Comfort and Preparedness on Hematology/Oncology Rotation, University of Colorado Academy of Medical Educators Education and Innovation Symposium, Aurora, CO, 03/03/2021 |
12. “A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies, Research Brainstorming Conference, Milwaukee, WI, 10/21/2021 |
A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies, BMT Conference, MCW, Milwaukee, WI, 10/28/2021 |
A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies, Immuno-oncology Conference, MCW, Milwaukee, WI, 11/05/2021 |
PEER REVIEWED WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS: |
National |
Zachary Graff, Lisa M Niswander, Sarah K Tasian, and Terry Fry., “Combination Immunotherapeutic and Molecular Targeting of FLT3 in Pediatric Leukemias.”, National Cancer Institute Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery and Development Network (PI-DDN) Annual Meeting, 11/08/2021 - Present |
Lisa M Niswander, John A Chukinas, Zachary Graff, Asen Bagashev, Lillie Leach, Terry Fry, and Sarah K Tasian, Multi-Modal Targeting of FLT3 with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Immunotherapy and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition in High-Risk Pediatric Leukemias.”, American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, 12/12/2021 - Present |
Zachary Graff, Terry Fry, “FLT-3 CAR T-cells: A New Target for AML and Infant ALL.”, Acute Leukemia Research and Care Network, 01/28/2022 - Present |
Local |
“A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies.”, Research Brainstorming Conference,, Medical College of Wisconsin, 10/21/2021 - Present |
“A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies.”, BMT Conference, Medical College of Wisconsin, 10/28/2021 - Present |
“A Phase 1 Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Alpha-Beta Depleted Donor Lymphocyte Infusions following Stem Cell Transplant in Hematologic Malignancies.”, Immuno-oncology Conference, Medical College of Wisconsin, 11/05/2021 - Present |
“The Development of FLT-3 CAR T-cells for Relapsed/Refractory AML and KMT2A-Rearranged ALL.”, Integrative Sciences Meeting (combined adult/pediatric oncology and transplant team), Medical College of Wisconsin, 04/12/2022 - Present |
“Pediatric ALL and AML.”, Nursing Education Series, gave 3-30 minute talks to nursing staff at Children's Wisconsin, 04/15/2022 - 04/20/2022 |
“Pediatric AML Standard of Care at Children's Wisconsin.”, CHW Leukemia/Lymphoma Meeting, 05/11/2022 - Present |
MCW TEACHING ACTIVITIES: |
Medical Student Education |
2021 - Present Facilitator, Foundations of Clinical Medicine, MCW School of Medicine
• 8/24/21 – Medical interview, pain history, and SOAP Note – 10 medical students with standardized patient – 2 hours
• 8/31/21 – Medical interview, upper extremity exam - 10 medical students with standardized patient – 2 hours
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2021 - Present Preceptor, M1 Clinical Apprenticeship, MCW School of Medicine
1/14/22- Present Natalie Stratton |
2022 - Present Facilitator, Inter-professional Education, MCW School of Medicine
3/30/22 - Guided inter-professional team of students in discussion of inter-professional values and ethics |
2022 - Present Teacher, M2 Foundational Capstone, Oral Presentations, MCW School of Medicine
3/8/22 - Supervised practice oral clinical presentations of M2 students |
2022 - Present Member, MCW Oncology Interest Group
4/1/22 - Facilitated discussion for medical students interested in pediatric oncology |
2022 - Present PEC/CCC Liaison, Oncology/BMT rotation and Oncology Elective |
Resident and Fellow Education |
2021 - Present MCW Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT Fellow Mentorship
-Kirstin Zorn, MDS Tumor Board (12/2/2021), AML CD33 Negative and Gemtuzumab Tumor Board (4/29/22)
-Leonid Melnikov, PTLD Tumor Board (1/6/22) |
2021 - Present Educator, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Residency, Children’s Wisconsin
• 8/18/21 – B-ALL Leukemia Staging – 1 resident/1 fellow – 1 hour
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2022 - Present Pediatric Residency Education Liaison, Oncology/BMT rotation and Oncology Elective |
EXTRAMURAL TEACHING: |
Medical Student Education |
2019 - 2021 University of Colorado School of Medicine, Serve as facilitator for first-year medical students during hematology/oncology block. Lead groups of 8 students in a case-based discussion of topics ranging from iron deficiency anemia to chronic myeloid leukemia. |
2020 - 2021 University of Colorado, Grade and provide feedback on medical student objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) |
08/24/2021 MCW School of Medicine, Medical interview, pain history, and SOAP Note – 10 medical students with standardized patient – 2 hours |
08/31/2021 MCW School of Medicine, Medical interview, upper extremity exam - 10 medical students with standardized patient – 2 hours |
Resident and Fellow Education |
2018 - 2021 Presenter, Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT Professor Rounds Series (4 per year)
Prepare and present to faculty, fellows, and staff primarily within Section of Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT. Topics include clinical case review (morbidity and mortality), journal club, and literature reviews of topics within the field. |
2018 - 2021 Children's Hospital Colorado, Leader, Children’s Hospital Colorado pRBC (Pediatric Resident Bootcamp)
• Submitted and received IRB approval for medical education study
• Organized and led two focus groups with 5 participants each to explore what curriculum and method of teaching would be most useful for residents starting the hem/onc rotation
• Developed curriculum for orientation based on feedback from focus groups, and mentored a pediatric resident who helped with curriculum development
• Managed logistical planning of providing inpatient coverage and securing educators to teach boot camp orientation monthly
• Developed and analyzed survey tools to assess the efficacy of the boot camp (data showing improved confidence in management of key hem/onc emergencies after implementation of boot camp and overall improved satisfaction on rotation) |
2018 - 2021 Children’s Hospital Colorado Clinical Teaching, Supervise and teach residents and medical students while a fellow on the inpatient hematology/oncology service (26 weeks per year as PGY4, 4 weeks per year as PGY5/6). |
2019 - 2021 Children’s Hospital Colorado, Serve as facilitator for pediatric residents completing academic half-day on hematology/oncology topics. Received rating of 3.8 out of 4 by pediatric residents. |
08/18/2021 Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Residency, Children’s Wisconsin, B-ALL Leukemia Staging – 1 resident/1 fellow – 1 hour |
Presenter, Fry Lab Journal Club. Present new literature on the development and modification of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. |
PROGRAMMATIC DEVELOPMENTS: |
Clinical Programs |
2021 - Present Developed COVID-19 treatment algorithms for use in the pediatric oncology and BMT programs at Children’s Wisconsin |
ADDITIONAL ADVANCED EDUCATION: |
2019 Biostatistics for Clinicians, University of Colorado, Department of Pediatrics.
6-week 12-hour total course highlighting essential biostatistics needed for interpreting and conducting clinical research. |
2020 Fellows as Educators Elective, University of Colorado, Academy of Medical Educators.
4-week workshop to provide fellows with the knowledge, attitude, and teaching skills necessary for an academic teaching physician.
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2020 Responsible Conduct of Research Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine. 9-week 9-hour total course on the responsible conduct of research.
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2020 Quality Improvement Training, Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency (IHQSE), University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Full day QI introductory training program (ITP). |
2020 Fundamentals of Study Design, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design Core of Clinical and Translational Science Institute. 6-week 12-hour total course highlighting clinical trial methodology.
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2022 - Present Methods in Grant Preparation, Medical College of Wisconsin, Clinical and Translational Science Institute. 10-week 20-hour total workshop to provider junior investigators with skills needed to apply for extramural grant funding. |
DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL RESEARCH CLINICAL TRIALS : |
2021 - Present Epigenetic Reprogramming in Relapsed/Refractory AML: A Phase I Study of Venetoclax, Azacitidine, and Vorinostat followed by Fludarabine, Cytarabine, and G-CSF in Children and Young Adults with Relapsed/Refractory AML, Children’s Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, Study Co-Principal Investigator.
- Grant applications submitted: Curing Kids Cancer 2022 (application pending), PCRF 2022 (not funded), CURE 2022 (not funded)
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FELLOWSHIP RESEARCH: |
Primary Project: Performed final pre-clinical testing of FLT3 directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CART) and participated in IND submission in collaboration with Elevate Bio for upcoming clinical trial. Experience included CAR-T construct cloning, cell culture techniques including lentiviral transduction of T-cells, in vitro cytokine production testing through ELISA, in vivo testing of CAR-T in NSG mice, and flow cytometric analysis. Developed novel bispecific CD19xFLT3 CAR-T for the treatment of infant KMT2A rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a method to prevent lineage switch.
Mentor: Terry Fry, MD
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Secondary Projects:
Retrospective review of toxicity in advanced retinoblastoma patients in Guatemala receiving alternating therapy of vincristine, etoposide, carboplatin with vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide. Study served as basis for safety and preliminary efficacy of new Central American retinoblastoma protocol.
Mentor: Sandra Luna-Fineman, MD
Resident Experience Improvement. Team lead of quality improvement project on improving experience of pediatric residents on hematology/oncology rotation by introducing various interventions to improve experience using PDSA cycles (increased overall experience of rotation from 3.19 to 4.20 from 2018 to 2020 on scale of 1 to 5).
Mentors: Jenna Sopfe, MD, Kelly Maloney, MD, Timothy Garrington, MD
Prospective study evaluating feasibility, satisfaction, knowledge, and patient-safety of pediatric Resident Boot Camp (pRBC) for pediatric residents starting hematology/oncology rotation.
Mentors: Timothy Garrington, MD and Jenna Sopfe, MD
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PEER-REVIEWER FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS: |
2022 - Present BMC Cancer (1 review article reviewed on 7/14/22) |
2023 - Present Frontiers in Medicine (1 original article reviewed on 7/24/2023) |
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT : |
2021 - Present Developed COVID-19 treatment algorithms for use in the pediatric oncology and BMT programs at Children’s Hospital Wisconsin. Collaborated with infectious diseases program to create an active living document to reflect frequent treatment recommendation changes in treating pediatric COVID-19.
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2022 - Present Bone marrow collection sheet. Developed form to assist proceduralists prioritize and obtain necessary samples for oncologic bone marrow aspirations and biopsies. |
2022 - Present Fever and neutropenia standard of care. Revised and edited the Children’s Wisconsin fever and neutropenia standard of care, presenting revised recommendations at oncology division conference and publishing SOC on Children’s Connect. |
2022 - Present Myeloid malignancy standard of care. Revised and edited the Children’s Wisconsin myeloid malignancy standard of care, presenting revised recommendations at leukemia conference and publishing SOC on Children’s Connect. |
2022 - Present HOT Unit Resident QI Project |
2022 Oncology clinic preparation pilot. My leukemia/lymphoma clinic served as a pilot for the oncology section in utilizing a standardized methodology to prepare for upcoming clinics to maximize efficiency and improve patient care. This involved regular meetings with QI specialist and reviewing and editing preparation checklist. |
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers |
1. Niswander LM, Graff Z, Bagashev A, Leach L, Fry TJ, Tasian SK. Multi-Modal Targeting of FLT3 with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Immunotherapy and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition in High-Risk Pediatric Leukemias. Blood 2021; Nov; 404. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2021-147321. |
2. Graff Z, Giron V, Miller K, Pixtun D, Alejos A, Luna-Fineman S. Toxicity and feasibility of vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin alternating with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide in children with advanced retinoblastoma in Guatemala. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2023; May. PMID 37132129. |
Books, Chapters, and Reviews |
1. Graff Z, Tower R. Chapter 539. Lymphadenopathy. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 2023. |
Abstracts |
1. Graff Z, Giron V, Alejos A, Luna-Fineman S. Toxicity Outcomes in Advanced Retinoblastoma: Pilot Study for Upcoming Central American Protocol. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2020; Jun; 67. |
Peer Reviewed Educational Products |
1. Vern-Gross TZ, Lam CG, Graff Z, Singhal S, Levine DR, Gibson D, Sykes A, Anghelescu DL, Yuan Y, Baker JN. Patterns of End-of-Life Care in Children with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Enrolled on a Palliative Care Service. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2015; Sep; 50(3):305-12. PMID: 25891664. |
2. Graff Z, Mendoza G, Barche A, Turner C. Case 4: Two Black Eschars in a 6-year-old Girl. Pediatrics in Review 2016; Sep; 37(9):399-401. PMID: 27587644. |
3. Graff Z*, Niswander L*, Chien C*, Chukina J, Meadows C, Leach L, Loftus JP, Kohler ME, Tasian S, Fry TJ. Potent Preclinical Activity of FLT3-Directed CAR T Cell Immunotherapy Against FLT3-Mutant AML and KMT2A-Rearranged ALL. Haematologica 2022; Manuscript accepted for publication.
*Indicates shared first authorship
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Non-Peer Reviewed Educational Products |
1. Graff Z, Tower R. Chapter 517. Lymphadenopathy. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 2021. |
2. Thakore P, Graff Z, Parrish R, Naqvi M, Vasylyeva T. Family-Centered Care Replacing the Newborn Nursery in An Amarillo Hospital. Panhandle Health 2016; Summer 26(3):30-31. |
