Bone Marrow Failure Program

Bone marrow failure occurs when a person cannot produce enough red blood cells, white blood cells and/or platelets.

At the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our Bone Marrow Failure Program team provides comprehensive treatment for children with inherited or acquired bone marrow failure syndromes, including:

• Bone marrow failure
• Inherited bone marrow failure (IBMF)
• Fanconi anemia (FA)
• Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA)
• Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS)
• Dyskeratosis congenita
• Severe congenital neutropenia
• Thrombocytopenia absent radii (TAR) syndrome
• Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia
• Pearson syndrome
• Aplastic anemia

Evidence shows that children do better when cared for by a pediatric medical team. Our specialized team of hematologists, dermatologists, genetic counselors, nutritionists, dentists, optometrists, social workers and advanced practice nurses in the Children’s Bone Marrow Failure Program brings a multidisciplinary approach to caring for these unique patients. As part of a major academic hospital, we are able to provide leading-edge treatments and therapies.

Our program offers:

• Comprehensive annual medical evaluations
• Specialty care with hematology, dermatology and optometry
• Blood and bone marrow testing
• Genetic testing, counseling and risk assessments
• Radiographic imaging
• Nutritional assessments
• Dental examinations
• Consultation with endocrinology and survivorship
• Education for families to learn more about the condition and risk of cancer
• Identification of clinical trials, when appropriate

• Staci Arnold, MD, MBA, MPH, Hematology
• Leslie Lawley, MD, Dermatology
• Patricia McElfresh, PNP-BP, Hematology
• Bojana Pencheva, MMSc, Genetic Counselor