James LaBelle appointed to lead pediatric cancer and blood diseases programs at Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance and UChicago Medicine

James LaBelle, MD, PhD, has been appointed the Service Line Chief of Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases for the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance and Section Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Transplant and Cellular Therapy at UChicago Medicine. The announcement, made by the University of Chicago Medical Center on October 15, 2026, formalizes a leadership position that LaBelle has held on an interim basis since 2025. The Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance is a collaboration between the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, Advocate Children’s Hospital and Pediatrics at Endeavor Health, and the appointment places LaBelle at the helm of one of the region’s most extensive pediatric cancer and blood disease networks.

In his interim leadership roles, LaBelle has expanded the scientific and clinical translational activities of the section. According to the announcement, this work has included the recruitment of new faculty, the development and implementation of novel clinical trials, steps toward further integration of the CCHA service line, and the mentorship of numerous faculty members, trainees, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and advanced practice providers. These activities reflect a leadership philosophy that treats laboratory discovery and bedside application as a single continuum, an approach that has become increasingly central to modern pediatric oncology.

Emily Chase, PhD, RN, President of Comer Children’s Hospital, welcomed the appointment. “We are thrilled that Dr. LaBelle has accepted a new leadership role not only with Comer Children’s but also with the CCHA,” she said. “Our partnership with the CCHA improves outcomes for children across the region, and this is a significant time in our collaboration as our pediatric hematology/oncology program continues to strengthen.” Her comments underscore the strategic weight that the alliance places on unified pediatric subspecialty care across Chicagoland.

LaBelle’s path to this role reflects more than two decades of specialized training and clinical development. He joined the University of Chicago’s faculty in 2012 following postgraduate training at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, two institutions widely regarded as benchmarks in pediatric hematology and oncology. He was appointed Director of the Pediatric Stem Cell and Cellular Therapy Program in 2018 and serves on the Executive Committee of the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, positioning him at the intersection of clinical service delivery and institutional research strategy.

At the laboratory bench, LaBelle’s research focuses on understanding and targeting intracellular proteins to induce cancer cell death and to manipulate the immune system. These translational findings carry potential implications for both pediatric and adult patients with cancer and immune system disease. His laboratory also aims to overcome the chemical and logistical barriers that have prevented peptide-based therapeutics from becoming usable in clinical settings, a challenge that has long limited the translation of peptide science into approved treatments. John Cunningham, MD, physician in chief of Comer Children’s Hospital and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago, described the appointment in emphatic terms. “Dr. LaBelle’s clinical achievements, research, leadership roles and commitment to his patients make him the ideal candidate to lead our growing pediatric hematology/oncology program,” Cunningham said. “I am confident that Dr. LaBelle’s leadership will accelerate the impact of the Section and the CCHA service line on the care of children with cancer and blood diseases in the region.”

Beyond institutional leadership, LaBelle is recognized nationally as a clinical leader in stem cell transplant, cellular therapies and cancer immunology. Under his direction, UChicago Medicine has brought transplant, cellular and gene therapy clinical trials to the health system and built regional initiatives to treat patients with neuroblastoma and sickle cell disease. Among the most consequential of these efforts, Comer Children’s became one of the first nine centers in the country to offer the first FDA-approved gene therapy to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology, delivering curative corrected stem cells for patients with sickle cell disease. That milestone placed the institution at the forefront of a therapeutic revolution in which a patient’s own hematopoietic stem cells are genetically edited ex vivo and reinfused to produce corrected hemoglobin, a approach that had been theoretical for decades before entering clinical practice.

The significance of that CRISPR milestone extends beyond a single institution. Sickle cell disease affects roughly one in every 365 Black or African American births in the United States, and for generations the only durable cure was allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a matched donor, an option available to a minority of patients. The arrival of an FDA-approved, autologous, CRISPR-based therapy represents a fundamental shift in what curative care can look like for children with the disease, and the fact that a pediatric center in Chicago was among the first to deliver it illustrates how quickly academic medical centers can move cutting-edge science into routine clinical channels when leadership prioritizes it.

Frank Belmonte, DO, interim president of the CCHA and senior vice president of the children’s and women’s service line at Advocate Health, emphasized the collaborative dimension of the appointment. “One of the greatest strengths of the CCHA is our ability to bring together leading pediatric experts and resources from across the Chicagoland area to deliver the highest level of care for children and families,” Belmonte said. “Dr. LaBelle has been instrumental in advancing our pediatric cancer and blood diseases program, and we are thrilled to officially welcome him into this leadership role. His expertise, guidance and collaborative approach will help shape the next chapter of care for the children and families we serve.”

LaBelle’s standing in the national pediatric hematology and oncology community is reflected in his roles within the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consortium, the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, the Clinical Research Forum and the American Society of Hematology. His recognitions include the Herbert Pardes MD Clinical Research Excellence Award from the Clinical Research Forum and the Peter Huttenlocker Award for Scholarly Excellence from the University of Chicago. He was also appointed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to the Advisory Council on Financing and Access to Sickle Cell Disease Treatment and Other High-Cost Drugs and Treatment, a role that connects his clinical expertise to state-level health policy on access to expensive but transformative therapies.

Vincent F. Biank, MD, MS, co-chief medical officer of the CCHA, chairman of the department of pediatrics at Evanston Hospital, pediatric physician executive at Endeavor Medical Group and senior clinician educator at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, framed the appointment as a regional commitment. “Dr. LaBelle is a nationally recognized leader in cellular therapies and transplantation, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him lead Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases for the CCHA,” Biank said. “Through our continued collaboration across the CCHA, Dr. LaBelle’s expertise will bring cutting-edge, lifesaving cancer care and clinical trials directly to the families and communities we serve.” As pediatric oncology continues to shift toward precision cellular and gene-based interventions, the consolidation of clinical, translational and policy leadership under a single figure across the CCHA network signals a deliberate strategy to make advanced therapies accessible to children throughout the Chicago metropolitan area rather than concentrated at a single flagship hospital.

Subject of Research: Leadership appointment in pediatric hematology/oncology and cellular therapy programs in Chicago

Article Title: James LaBelle appointed to lead pediatric cancer and blood diseases programs at Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance and UChicago Medicine

Article References: James LaBelle appointed to lead pediatric cancer and blood diseases programs at Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance and UChicago Medicine. (n.d.). Original publication

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Keywords: pediatric oncology, stem cell transplant, CRISPR gene therapy, sickle cell disease, cellular therapy, UChicago Medicine, Chicagoland Children's Health Alliance, leadership appointment, James, LaBelle, appointed, lead