Tian Yi Zhang, MD, PhD

Dr. Zhang is a board-certified hematologist hematologist: (hee-muh-TOL-uh-jist) A doctor who specializes in treating blood diseases and disorders of blood producing organs. . She is also an assistant professor of hematology at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition to her medical degree, she holds a PhD in cellular and molecular immunology.

In her clinical practice, she treats patients with all forms of hematological malignancies, offering specialized expertise in acute myeloid leukemia acute myeloid leukemia: (uh-KYOOT my-uh-LOYD loo-KEE-mee-uh) A cancer of the blood cells. It happens when very young white blood cells (blasts) in the bone marrow fail to mature. The blast cells stay in the bone marrow and become to numerous. This slows production of red blood cells and platelets. Some cases of MDS become… , including therapy-resistant cases. For each patient, she develops a personalized care plan encompassing novel treatment options.

Her research activities include conducting early phase clinical trials clinical trials: Clinical research is at the heart of all medical advances, identifying new ways to prevent, detect or treat disease. If you have a bone marrow failure disease, you may want to consider taking part in a clinical trial, also called a research study. Understanding Clinical Trials Clinical… , investigator initiated clinical trials (IITs), studying the immune repertoire in patients with myeloid malignancies, and exploring cholesterol metabolic dependencies of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

She was the recipient of an A.P. Giannini Foundation fellowship award, which supports innovative research. The award helped fund Dr. Zhang’s study of how AML cells interact with other cells in bone marrow bone marrow: The soft, spongy tissue inside most bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow. . A significant finding confirmed that AML cells secrete a protein that suppresses the production of red blood cells, the same protein that causes inflammation in disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

Her many other honors include the National Cancer Institute Career Development (K08) Award, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Research Training Award for Fellows, Stanford Cancer Institute - American Cancer Society (SCI-ACS) Pilot Grant and Best ASH Abstract Award two years in a row. She also has earned recognition from the National Institutes of Health and American College of Physicians.

She has published her research findings on topics such as advanced therapy for high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes myelodysplastic syndromes: (my-eh-lo-diss-PLASS-tik SIN-dromez) A group of disorders where the bone marrow does not work well, and the bone marrow cells fail to make enough healthy blood cells. Myelo refers to the bone marrow. Dysplastic means abnormal growth or development. People with MDS have low blood cell count for at… and reversal of bone marrow failure bone marrow failure: A condition that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells. The most common of these rare diseases are aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Bone marrow failure can be acquired (begin any time in life) or can be… induced by AML. Her work has appeared in Leukemia & Lymphoma, Science Translational Medicine, Cancer Research, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Immunology, and elsewhere.

Dr. Zhang is a member of the American Association of Cancer Research and American Society of Hematology. She advises and mentors Stanford medical students, residents and fellows. She delivers invited lectures to faculty and fellows. In addition, she has been an invited speaker on the topic of acute myeloid leukemia at the Association of Northern California Oncologists Update on Hematological Malignancies.