Peter Cole, MD

As Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, and Director of the New Jersey Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Research Center of Excellence (NJ PHORCE) at the Rutgers Cancer Institute, I am committed to improving outcomes for children with cancer or blood disorders through a coordinated program of clinical and laboratory-based research. My current clinical research program focuses on improving curative therapy for children and young adults with hematologic malignancies. My laboratory and translational research focus on reducing the neurotoxic effects of cancer therapy. Our translational studies of children being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia are identifying biomarkers within cerebrospinal fluid that relate to clinical toxicity and genetic variants that confer increased susceptibility. In addition, we developed a rat model of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment to shed light on the underlying pathophysiology and to test protective interventions.

I am fully committed to the academic development of the next generation of innovative scientists and clinicians and am specifically eager to support trainees from underrepresented backgrounds. In addition to mentoring my junior faculty, I have mentored a diverse group of students, residents, and fellows in clinical and laboratory research. Previous trainees have continued on to successful careers in both industry and academic medicine, indicated by manuscript publication, grant funding,  and faculty appointments.

My research focuses on improving the lives of children, adolescents and young adults with cancer. I have chaired or co-chaired clinical trials testing novel immunotherapeutic strategies for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and precision medicine approaches for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). My laboratory and translational research focuses on improving the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors by reducing the long term, deleterious impact of cancer therapy on organ function. By better understanding how cancer treatment causes persistent alterations in normal organ function, we hope to develop strategies to protect against these side effects of curative cancer therapy.

O'Dwyer, K.M., Winestone, L.E., Cheung, M.C., Benitez, L., Buldini, B., Cole, P.D., Damlaj, M., Dholaria, B., Dias, A.L., Dils, A. and Fritsch, M., 2026. ASH 2026 Guidelines for Management of Relapsed/Refractory Disease in Adolescents and Young Adults with ALL. Blood Advances, pp.bloodadvances-2021006479. 

Park, Y., K. C, N., Willekens, J., Patel, C., Savage, B.A., Lin, H., Paneque, A., Daly, R., Thrope, A., Burns, M.A. and Welch, J.J., and Cole PD. 2025 . Treatment-related changes in cerebrospinal fluid markers of oxidative stress and neurodegeneration during therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 34(11), pp.2015-2024. 

Willekens, J., Ramjan, S., Sands, S.A., Park, Y., KC, N., Burns, M.A., Welch, J.J., Kahn, J., Kelly, K.M., Tran, T.H. and Michon, B., and Cole PD. 2026. CSF metabolomic signature during therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia predicts subsequent working memory impairment. Molecular Medicine, 32(1), p.12. 

Diefenbach, C.S., Jegede, O., Wang, V., Ansell, S.M., Kostakoglu, L., Steidl, C., Natkunam, Y., Scott, D.W., Cole PD, Ambinder, R.F., David, K.A. and Advani, R.H., 2026. A Randomized Phase II Study of Ipilimumab, Nivolumab and Brentuximab Vedotin in Patients with Relapsed Hodgkin Lymphoma. Blood. 

Patel, C., Glytsou, C., Jang, M.H. and Cole, P.D., 2025. The effects of doxorubicin on blood-brain barrier integrity in hCMEC/D3. Neurotoxicology, p.103355.