Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Dr. Douglas Graham, Chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center

Date: September 20, 2025
Host: Chris Sosa
Guest: Dr. Douglas Graham, Chief, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Douglas Graham about advancements in pediatric cancer and sickle cell disease treatment, research milestones at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, and the future of precision, cellular, and gene therapies. Dr. Graham shares insights on progress in cure rates, the impact of strategic partnerships, and the hope offered by cutting-edge therapies.

Dr. Graham’s Background & Motivation

[00:16 – 03:13]

• Personal Introduction:

  • Dr. Graham trained in North Carolina (Wake Forest, UNC Chapel Hill: MD/PhD) and spent 19 years at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
  • He is both a physician scientist and an administrator, with a research focus on pediatric leukemia and clinical care experience.

• Reason for Choosing Pediatric Leukemia:

  • Sparked by research into cancer biology but driven by clinical experiences with families facing childhood cancer.
  • Emphasizes the transformation in cure rates:

    “In the 1960s... there was almost no hope for a cure. …in Today's world, about 80% of children with all childhood cancer we can cure... within leukemia, some of the cure rates are as high as 90 to 95%.” (B, 02:23)

• Motivation & Reward:

  • Working with families during crises is challenging yet rewarding.
  • Hopes to further improve already high cure rates.

Milestones at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center

[03:44 – 07:58]

• Unique 30-Year Partnership with Aflac:

  • Sparked by the need to offer complete cancer care in Georgia, including bone marrow transplant.
  • Impact:

    “Aflac... has given us $190 million of investment to make us one of the top centers in the country.” (B, 05:32)

  • 15,000+ Aflac field workers nationwide contribute monthly.

• Growth & Volume

  • Faculty expanded from 18 to over 130 specialists in hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplantation.
  • Now a regional referral center, receiving patients from 45+ states.

• Program Scale:

  • Over 500 new pediatric cancer diagnoses annually—among the highest volumes nationally.
  • Nation’s top volume for pediatric hematology patients (2,100+ unique sickle cell disease patients).
  • Bone marrow transplant program now one of the five largest in the U.S.

• Innovation:

  • Pioneering programs available in only a handful of centers nationwide.

The Future of Pediatric Cancer Treatment

[08:22 – 13:52]

• Cure Gap & Next Frontiers:

  • Despite 80%+ overall cure rates, 20% of pediatric cancer cases require better and less toxic therapies.
  • Survivors often face chronic health challenges due to legacy treatments.

• Precision Medicine:

  • Using genetic sequencing to identify unique drivers in each cancer patient.

    “We now can, in just a matter of days, sequence all the genes in a cancer cell... This allows us to figure out... Is there a drug that can be targeted for that?” (B, 10:34)

  • Tailoring therapies and chemotherapy to individual genetic profiles.

• Immunotherapy (CAR T Cell Therapy):

  • Harnessing and engineering a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer.
  • Profound impact on refractory cases:

    “CAR T cell therapy has changed the path for many patients that have failed other therapies.” (B, 12:15)

  • These cellular therapies now offer a new line of hope where options were once exhausted.

Advancing the Mission & Looking Ahead

[14:29 – 18:52]

• Expanding CAR T and Cell Therapy:

  • Developing new protocols for cell therapy in solid tumors (brain cancer, neuroblastoma), not just leukemia.
  • New Arthur M. Blank Hospital features 98-bed Aflac unit and in-house GMP labs, enabling the manufacturing of innovative cell and gene therapies.

    “Now that we have the manufacturing capability right in the hospital, we actually can think of new ideas... and manufacture these products right in the hospital...” (B, 16:00)

• Gene Therapy as a Game-Changer:

  • Now possible to cure sickle cell disease with gene therapy—Atlanta site enrolling 60+ on waitlist.

    “There's gene therapy trials... for us to develop an effective gene therapy product for patients with sickle cell disease.” (B, 17:09)

  • Already treating beta thalassemia patients and contributing to gene therapy for hemophilia, including faculty-led innovations published in major journals.

• Comprehensive, Advanced Care:

  • Continued use and improvement of bone marrow transplant, with over 150 sickle cell patients already treated.
  • Ambition to spread gene therapy success to more conditions and patient groups.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Core Motivation:

  “There's a lot of promise and hope and really just a lot of reward... in working with families and being entrusted with the care of their children.” (B, 02:58)

• On Community Partnership:

  “Every month, more than 15,000 of the field force workers contribute monthly from their paycheck... This has allowed tremendous growth…” (B, 05:50)

• On the Promise of New Therapies:

  “The goal that we have... are more targeted therapies that are effective and are less toxic.” (B, 09:28)

• On the New Era of Treatment:

  “Today is the day that we can do that. There’s gene therapy trials... we now are in the process of enrolling patients to receive this new gene therapy treatment right here in Atlanta.” (B, 17:07)

Key Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp (MM:SS) | Topic | |-----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16 – 03:13 | Dr. Graham’s Background & Motivation for Pediatric Leukemia | | 03:44 – 07:58 | Aflac Partnership and Center Milestones | | 08:22 – 13:52 | Advances in Targeted, Precision, and Cellular Therapy | | 14:29 – 18:52 | Expanding Treatments: Cell/Gene Therapy, GMP Labs, Future Goals | | 17:09 | Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapy Launch in Atlanta |

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Graham’s passion and optimism shine throughout the discussion as he describes a medical landscape transformed by collaborative research, powerful partnerships, and a relentless focus on more humane, effective, and accessible cures. The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center’s trajectory—marked by innovation, scale, and hope—is leading-edge and offers benefits to children well beyond Atlanta.

For listeners seeking an accessible, forward-looking view of pediatric cancer care and gene therapy advances, this episode is a rich, motivating resource.