Scott A. Armstrong, M.D., PhD

Dr. Scott A. Armstrong is Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Chief, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Armstrong received his MD and PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. He performed his residency and fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Hospital Boston, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School. His work has been recognized by a number of awards including the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the E. Mead Johnson Award for Outstanding Research in Pediatrics and the Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology. He is a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Science an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Armstrong’s studies have led to several findings that point to promising new therapies. The major focus of his career has been on delineating the biology of leukemia and the development of new therapeutic approaches for cancer. His research program has focused on the mechanisms of leukemia development and the relationship between leukemia and normal hematopoietic stem cells. His lab has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of how leukemia arises from different cells in the hematopoietic system. Through this work, he has shown that myeloid leukemia stem cells are often most similar to committed myeloid progenitors that inappropriately express stem cell programs; a concept that has now been replicated in multiple cancers. His group also studies how chromatin-associated complexes control cancer-causing gene expression and has used this understanding to develop small molecule approaches that he continues to pursue. This work has led to the development of clinical trials that are being assessed in adults and children with cancer.