Roundtable: Understanding Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment Sequencing

Dalton joined HealthTree in 2024 as the MPNs and MDS Program Manager. He is passionate about helping patients gain a better understanding of their health and treatment and sees it as a way to help empower individuals and their families who are affected by these diseases. Prior to joining HealthTree Dalton earned a Master’s Degree in Oncological Sciences while studying various different blood cancers. When not interacting with patients he is an avid snowboarder and hiker.

Nicole Lamanna, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Hematologic Malignancies Section of the Hematology/Oncology Division. Dr. Lamanna is a hematologist/oncologist whose research interests include lymphoid leukemias, specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She is an experienced clinical investigator and her research focus has been the development of combination therapies that include chemoimmunotherapy, immunomodulatory drugs, novel kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. She also is working to find active, safer therapies for older patients with these diseases. She earned her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Deborah Stephens, DO is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Richter's Program at The University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She joined the medical profession and specifically blood cancer research because she likes to develop long-term relationships with patients and finds the science behind blood cancer to be fascinating. Her specific area of clinical interest is chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). She is passionate about making life better for patients, whether it be through access to new therapies through clinical trials, education of patients, development of new clinical trials that improve quality of life and eliminate complications of living with CLL. She currently serves on the Medical Advisory Board for the CLL Society, leads the CLL Section for the SWOG Leukemia Working Group, where she plans and implements international clinical trials for patients with CLL, including her role as national chair of the S1925 EVOLVE CLL Trial evaluating early interventional for patients with high-risk CLL. Previously, she has served on the NCCN Guideline Panel to provide recommendations to clinicians for how to best manage patients with CLL. In addition to her research and clinical work, she enjoy spending time with her husband, son, and French bulldog. She loves outdoor activities and you can find her hiking or trail running in the natural beauty around North Carolina.

Dr. Bita Fakhri is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), hairy cell leukemia, and other hematologic malignancies. As a clinical scientist, Dr. Fakhri is dedicated to caring for patients, teaching trainees, and researching novel therapies for patients with CLL/SLL. Dr. Fakhri has co-authored numerous publications on topics including CLL, novel targeted agents, and cellular therapies for patients with hematologic malignancies. Currently, Dr. Fakhri is the director of the CLL clinical trial portfolio at Stanford. Additionally, in her role as the DEI ambassador of the Division of Hematology, her main focus is to enhance trial equity among underserved and marginalized populations in the Stanford catchment area