M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Leo Wang, M.D., Ph.D, is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte, where he also serves as director of both the City of Hope Alpha Clinic and the Clinical Gene Therapy Program.
A nationally recognized expert in pediatric hematology-oncology, Dr. Wang leads a research lab dedicated to leveraging the immune system to combat childhood cancers. His team specializes in cellular engineering, modifying the body’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells or to adapt to the ways in which some tumors may become resistant to conventional treatments. Dr. Wang also oversees clinical trials that use these advanced cellular therapies to treat pediatric brain tumors and other aggressive cancers.
In addition to his research work, Dr. Wang serves as the director of City of Hope’s Alpha Clinic, which is part of a nine-site network across California supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This initiative is designed to improve patient access to stem cell and regenerative medicine clinical trials. In this role, Dr. Wang collaborates with colleagues at City of Hope and throughout the state to develop a strong, long-term clinical trial infrastructure, ensuring that leading-edge care is available to people across California.
Dr. Wang received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, then went on to earn both his medical degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He completed his internship and residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, followed by a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology and stem cell transplantation at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. During this time, he also conducted postdoctoral research in Dr. Amy Wagers’ lab at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.