Nadia Sirdar, MD

Dr. David Valle is a professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and former director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Genetic Medicine. He also serves as a geneticist for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.Dr. Valle holds a bachelor’s degree and medical degree from Duke University. He completed a pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins University before joining the Johns Hopkins faculty. He is interested in the genetic contributions to health and disease. He is the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Inherited Disease Research. Over the years, his laboratory has discovered the genetic causation for more than 20 diseases, including those responsible for inborn errors of metabolism, inherited retinal degeneration, disorders of cellular organelle biogenesis and genetic variations that contribute risk for common disorders such as schizophrenia.Dr. Valle also serves as director of the Predoctoral Training Program in Human Genetics, as well as co-director of the Genes to Society program. He was a 2014 recipient of the annual Victor A. McKusick Leadership Award from the American Society of Human Genetics, which recognizes individuals whose professional achievements have fostered and enriched the development of human genetics as well as its assimilation into the broader context of science, medicine and health.

Matthew Ladra, M.D., M.P.H., leads the dedicated pediatric team for the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center and is the director of pediatric radiation oncology for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, a clinical collaboration with Children’s National Hospital, where Dr. Ladra serves as faculty in the department of pediatric oncology. He is also an assistant professor of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Listen Dr. Ladra's Cancer Matters podcast episode to learn more about his work.Previously, Dr. Ladra served as the director of pediatric radiation at the Provision Center for Proton Therapy in Tennessee. He also completed a 2-year fellowship in pediatric proton therapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Francis H. Burr Proton Center. Dr. Ladra is one of a handful of radiation oncologists whose research and clinical efforts focus exclusively on pediatric patients. He is frequently invited to speak on pediatric radiation oncology topics internationally and across the U.S. and has published extensively on the subject through original research book chapters and review articles. Dr. Ladra’s research efforts focus mainly on pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma treatment, early phase clinical trials involving radiation and non-chemotherapeutic agents, and reducing neurocognitive toxicity for pediatric brain tumor patients.

Dr. Michael A. Carducci is the AEGON Professor in Prostate Cancer Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He serves as the Vice Chair of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Oncology. Dr. Carducci has an expertise in various types of cancer including prostate, kidney, and testicular. He also has an expertise in clinical trials, pain and palliative care for oncology, urological oncology, urology and medical oncology. A graduate of Georgetown University, Dr. Carducci received his medical degree with high distinction from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine internship, residency and chief residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He went on to complete medical oncology and research fellowships at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was promoted to Professor of Oncology and Urology in 2008 and installed into the inaugural AEGON Professorship in Prostate Cancer Research in 2009. He served as Co-Director of the GU Oncology program until 2013. In 2013, he assumed the leadership role of Associate Director for Clinical Research until being named Vice-Chair of Solid Tumor Oncology in 2024. A fellow of the American College of Physicians and a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Dr. Carducci has received peer-reviewed funding for his clinical research from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Mentorship of students, fellows, and junior faculty has been another focus of Dr. Carducci’s career in medicine, receiving numerous teaching awards. Dr. Carducci received the Michaele Christian Award and Lectureship for Oncology Drug Development at the National Cancer Institute in 2011. He chaired the Genitourinary Oncology Committee of ECOG-ACRIN from 2011-2024. In this role, he served on the GU Steering Committee for the NCI. Dr. Carducci is a member of the Investigational Drug Steering Committee for the NCI, and chaired that Committee for four years. He served as Associate Editor for GU Cancers for the Journal of Clinical Oncology from 2013-2024. Overall, his clinical research focus is on the development and evaluation of new therapies for urologic cancers. Incorporation of pharmacodynamics, novel biomarkers, and targeted imaging has been key elements of many of the trials led by Dr. Carducci. To complete these studies, Dr. Carducci facilitates and brings together a multidisciplinary team from urologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, biostatisticians, and medical oncologists. Other areas of interest include palliative and end of life care, survivorship, and use of patient reported outcomes in clinical research and care. This provider is registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida.