Introduction
Dr. Watkins joined Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 2016, following a pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Emory and a blood and marrow transplant (BMT) fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. A native of Arkansas, Dr. Watkins completed his medical degree and pediatric residency at the University of Arkansas prior to moving to Atlanta in 2011.
Dr. Watkins’ clinical interest is in BMT for hematologic malignancies, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and late effects of transplant. Since 2015, Dr. Watkins has become involved in international pediatric oncology. In addition to volunteering, he has taken on the role of volunteer coordinator for the Pediatric Oncology Program at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Dr. Watkins is also a steering committee member of the Children’s International Consortium on Acute Leukemia.
Dr. Watkins spends the majority of his spare time trying to keep up with his two children. On the weekends, he likes to avoid Atlanta traffic and spend time with his family.
Research
Dr. Watkins’ research interests include acute and chronic GVHD, transplant immunology, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and its complications. He has numerous first author publications and presentations at national meetings describing his work. He is also the local principal investigator of multiple clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic GVHD.
Focus of Practice
- Hematology/oncology
- BMT
Areas of Interest
- GVHD
- International pediatric oncology