NAME: Barbour, Mustafa

eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login): barbourm

POSITION TITLE: Associate Professor of Pediatrics

EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)

1. Personal Statement

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My interest in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology began during my third year of medical school when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. This was a life-changing experience for both my family and me. Spending time at my mother’s bedside allowed me to witness the profound impact her oncologist had on her care and recovery. It also introduced me to the advances in modern cancer research early in my medical training and inspired my career path in oncology.

I completed my Pediatric Residency at the University of Louisville and my Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. My fellowship research focused on the expression of the ion channel TRPM2 in neuroblastoma and the role of the TRPM2-TE isoform in neuroblastoma cell proliferation and response to chemotherapy.

After completing my fellowship training in 2011, I joined the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I also served as Director of the South Dakota Center for Blood Disorders. In this role, I collaborated with leaders from other Hemophilia Treatment Centers in Region V West to develop regional consensus guidelines for the management of surgery, invasive procedures, and hemorrhagic complications in patients with bleeding disorders. I also maintained two annual subgrants through the Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation. Although developing expertise in bleeding disorders was professionally rewarding, it became clear to me that my true passion was in oncology, particularly pediatric neuro-oncology and brain tumors.

In 2015, I returned to Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital as Associate Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program. Working closely with the program director and multidisciplinary team members, I helped enhance clinical services for children and young adults with brain and spinal tumors. I collaborated to integrate rehabilitation and neurology services into our multidisciplinary neuro-oncology program. Our research efforts focused on increasing participation in multi-institutional clinical trials, including the Head Start IV trial, while actively contributing to Children’s Oncology Group studies aimed at improving outcomes for children with central nervous system tumors. I was also a member of Penn State’s Experimental Therapeutics Research Team, which participated in early-phase clinical trials investigating novel treatments for relapsed and refractory CNS tumors through the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators’ Consortium (POETIC) and the Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC).

In 2017, I joined the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Louisville. This position provided new opportunities for personal and professional growth and allowed me to collaborate with colleagues to deliver outstanding care to patients and their families while fostering a supportive learning environment for trainees. Pediatric neuro-oncology remains my primary clinical and research interest. As Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program, I work with multidisciplinary colleagues to strengthen and expand the program, including the implementation of molecular diagnostics and targeted therapies. I also serve as Director of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, where I oversee the training and professional development of future pediatric hematologists and oncologists.

B.        Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors
 

Positions

2008-2011                   Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA

2011-2015       Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, USD Sanford School of Medicine, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Sanford Children’s Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD

2015-2017       Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Hershey, PA

2017-2024       Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Louisville, KY

2024-               Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Louisville, KY

Honors

2005                            Outstanding Academic Achievement, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

2006                            Outstanding Academic Achievement, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

2007                            Celebrating Better Care Award, Norton Health Care, Louisville, KY

2016                            Cubby Care Award, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA

2019                            Top 10 Teaching Faculty Award, Pediatrics, University of Louisville, KY

2021                            Top 10 Teaching Faculty Award, Pediatrics, University of Louisville, KY

2021                            Most Remarkable Physician 2020, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY.  Voted by patients and families on social media. (Awarded in March 2021)

2021                            Best Bedside Manner, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY. Voted by staff (Awarded in March 2021)

2022                            Most Remarkable Physician 2020, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY.  Voted by patients and families on social media. (Awarded in March 2021)

2022                            Most Remarkable Male Physician 2021, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY. Voted by staff. (Awarded in March 2022)

2022                            Top 10 Teaching Faculty Award, Pediatrics, University of Louisville, KY

2023                            Most Remarkable Male Physician 2022, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY. Voted by staff. (Awarded in March 2023)

2024                             Best Bedside Manner, Norton Children’s Hospital. Louisville, KY. Voted by staff (Awarded in March 2024)

2024                     Top Twenty Teaching Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, School of Medicine, Louisville, KY

C.        Contributions to Science
My research during my Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship training focused on studying neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. I studied the expression of the ion channel TRPM2 in neuroblastoma and the importance of TRPM2-TE isoform in neuroblastoma cell proliferation and response to chemotherapy. The research showed that TRPM2 activity is important for tumor growth and for cell viability and survival following doxorubicin treatment and that interference with TRPM2 function may be a novel approach to reduce tumor growth.

1. Chen SJ, Hoffman NE, Shanmughapriya S, Bao L, Keefer K, Conrad K, Merali S, Takahashi Y, Abraham T, Hirschler-Laszkiewicz I, Wang J, Zhang XQ, Song J, Barrero C, Shi Y, Kawasawa YI, Bayerl M, Sun T, Barbour M, Wang HG, Madesh M, Cheung JY, Miller BA: A Splice Variant of the Human Ion Channel TRPM2 Modulates Neuroblastoma Tumor Growth through Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF)-1/2α. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2014 Dec 26; 289(52):36284-302.

For the last 12 years my research efforts have been focused on clinical research in patients with pediatric oncology diseases. I participate in several clinical trials lead by collaborative research groups, including the Children’s Oncology Group and other consortia, as a sub-investigator. I regularly explain the purpose, design, and requirements of different clinical trials to study candidates, obtain the informed consent, evaluate and report adverse events and maintain accurate records.    

1. Davanzo J, Greiner R J, Barbour M, Rizk E. (October 19, 2017) Radiation Necrosis Following Proton Beam Therapy in the Pediatric Population: a Case Series. Cureus 9(10): e1785. doi:10.7759/cureus.1785

2. Barbour, M, Bujold, KE, Tjarks, BJ, & Jassim, AD. (2018). A Case of Small Cell Lung Carcinoma in a 15-Year-Old Boy and Literature Review. Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. 2018 Oct;40(7):563-566. doi:10.1097/mph.0000000000001089

3. Bujold KE, Dandekar S, Barbour M. (2018). Successful Treatment of Relapsed Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia Presenting as Central Nervous System Myeloid Sarcoma: A Single-Institution Case Series. 2018 Dec 12. doi:10.1097

4. Moorman B, Barbour M, Huang MA. Current Salvage Treatment Strategies for Younger Children (<10 y of Age) With Progressive Low-grade Glioma After Initial Chemotherapy in North America: A Web-based Survey. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Jan;43(1):e141-e145. doi: 10.1097/MPH.0000000000002017.

5. Shields LB, Daniels MW, Coombs L, Vaynerman A, Sinicrope K, Barbour M, Spalding A, Gump W, Mutchnick I, Sun D. Initial Endoscopic Ventricular Failure to Relieve Hydrocephalus in Patients with Obstructing Brain Tumors Predicts a Histone 3K27M Mutation. (February 20, 2025). Cureus 17(2): e79362. doi:10.7759/cureus.79362