Ami Desai, MD, MSCE

2018 Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Ami Desai is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation. Dr. Desai earned a BA in economics, with highest honors, from Rutgers University and an MD from the Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (7-year Baccalaureate/MD Program). She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She also completed the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in pharmacoepidemiology, during her fellowship.

Dr. Desai’s research focus is on clinical drug development for childhood and young adult cancers, and understanding treatment-related toxicities, particularly with regard to solid tumors such as neuroblastoma and sarcomas. She is also interested in the discovery and use of biomarkers of drug toxicity and disease response in drug development and treatment paradigms. Dr. Desai has served as an Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Developmental Therapeutics Scholar, among other honors. In addition to her efforts in the solid tumor program and developmental therapeutics, Dr. Desai serves as the Director of the Pediatric Cancer Risk Program.