Kelly L. Vallance, MD, MPH

As a child, Dr. Vallance loved visiting her pediatrician. The doctor's office was a magical place where her pediatrician would rub a balloon in her hair and stick it to the wall. She was mesmerized by sounds of her own heartbeat with his stethoscope and loved to color on the paper on the exam room table. Wanting to become a pediatrician, she attended Tulane University in New Orleans for her undergraduate, medical degree, and master's in public health.

After leading a "big buddy program" in medical school which paired students with pediatric oncology patients, she was drawn to the challenging and rewarding field of oncology. After pediatric residency in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Vallance completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In her fellowship, she was involved with clinical and translational research with a primary focus on quality of life, sleep disturbances, and fatigue during treatment. In addition she received her masters in epidemiology from University of Tennessee while training at St. Jude.

Dr. Vallance joined the Cook Children's family in 2009 and specializes in treating childhood cancer. She has special interests in solid tumors and genetic syndromes that predispose children to developing cancer. She has served as a Young Investigator on the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Renal committee and is the vice-chair of the COG AREN1831 Wilms Tumor research trial. Another passion is the support of families who have lost their child. She recently was the recipient of a grant to create and research a formalized oncology bereavement program at Cook Children's. Dr. Vallance is also recipient of the St. Baldrick's infrastructure grant to help develop a targeted therapeutics program.

Outside of the hospital and clinic, she enjoys traveling, scuba diving, reading, and spending time and sharing family hugs with her husband Mike and their three young daughters.

Speaking engagements:

• 2018 6th Annual International Pediatric Neonatologist Conference - Mexico Novel Therapies in Pediatric Solid Tumors

• 2018 University of North Texas Health Science Center Grand Rounds: Genetics of Childhood Cancer: The Tumor & The Host

• 2018 Cook Children's Medical Center Grand Rounds: Genetic Predisposition of Childhood Cancer

Texan with Character:

Dr. Vallance was recognized as a Texan with Character for her work with Cook Children's Bereavement Program. Cook Children's Bereavement Program provides and maintains a therapeutic relationship for patients and families during every phase of their disease and helping them cope throughout the end of life, death and grieving period.