Board of Advisors

Lia Gore, MD

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Section Head, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapeutics 
Children’s Hospital Colorado
​
Professor
University of Colorado School of Medicine and University of Colorado Cancer Center

Dr. Gore's clinical focus is on childhood acute leukemias and the development of new therapies to address unmet needs for children, adolescents, and young adults with resistant and refractory cancers, with the ultimate goal to improve the lives of all children with a cancer diagnosis.

Elizabeth Raetz, MD

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

KiDS of NYU Foundation Professor of Pediatrics
​Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Dr. Raetz's clinical research interests focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After developing a foundation in the laboratory during her fellowship training, she transitioned her focus to clinical and translational research in ALL and has continued to pursue her interests in this field since this time. She has collaborated with laboratory investigators to develop clinical trials and correlative studies, and she has been an active member of the COG ALL Committee for the past 20 years, serving as a Vice Chair for the Disease Committee from 2008-2023, overseeing frontline clinical trials. She has also served as a study chair for COG clinical trials in relapsed ALL and holds numerous other key leadership positions within COG.  

Leo Mascarenhas, MD, MS

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Division Chief and Director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Medical Director, Sarcoma Program; Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine (Clinical Scholar)​
Cedars-Sinai

Dr. Mascarenhas is the Chair of the Voting Body of COG. Prior to his appointment at Cedars-Sinai in January 2024, he served as the Deputy Director of the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute and the Section Head of Oncology within the Division of Hematology & Oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) where he held the Associate’s Sarcoma Program Endowed Chair and was the Director of the Sarcoma and Solid Tumor Program. His research focus is on clinical trials for sarcomas in pediatrics, adolescents, and young adults, as well as developmental therapeutics for pediatric solid tumors and he is a member of the Bone Tumor Committee and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee of COG.

Cindy L. Schwartz, MD, MPH

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Pediatric cancer specialist and the Rebecca Jean Slye Chair in Oncology
Children's Wisconsin
 
Professor
Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Schwartz is Chair of the COG Hematology/Oncology Committee. She is an accomplished oncologist who brings 35 years of experience, passion and expertise in the areas of Hodgkin lymphoma, osteosarcoma and childhood cancer survivorship. Her national leadership in these areas is reflected in her significant clinical trials experience, and her development of long-term survivorship programs at several institutions. Most recently, she was division head and chair of Pediatrics, ad interim, and director of Clinical and Translational Research in Pediatrics at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

Jason A. Jarzembowski, MD,PhD

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Vice Chair, Pediatric Pathology and Professor, Department of Pathology 
​Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Jarzembowski has served as chair of the COG Pathology Discipline Committee since 2016, and serves on several neuroblastoma and rare tumor study protocol committees. Dr. Jarzembowski is Associate Editor of the journals Pediatric and Developmental Pathology and American Journal of Clinical Pathology, was on the editorial board for the inaugural WHO Classification of Tumours: Paediatric Tumours, and has held multiple leadership roles within the Society for Pediatric Pathology. His research is focused on identifying and evaluating morphologic and molecular biomarkers for pediatric solid tumors in an effort to better tailor therapy and predict outcome.