Women's History Month: CHOP Doctor Leading Team That Has Developed Revolutionary Treatment For Childhood Cancer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As we continue to celebrate Women's History Month, we're sharing stories of some amazing women who are game-changers impacting our community in different ways. A doctor and researcher at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is saving lives.
This doctor and her team at CHOP have developed revolutionary treatments for a childhood cancer. It's research that's backed by Alex's Lemonade Foundation, a Philadelphia-based organization started by the parents of Alex Scott.
Philip Steigerwald has survived neuroblastoma because of a breakthrough drug developed at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"He should have died many years ago. Phillip is doing great. He is living a completely normal life," Dr. Yael Mosse said.
Mosse has led the team at CHOP that discovered a neuroblastoma mutation and then developed a treatment that has saved children like Philip.
"It's taken us 14 years to bring the right drug to the right patients," she said.
They've recently developed a new and improved version of the drug and were able to amend the clinical trial to include more children.
"It's a really big deal because this doesn't happen often," Mosse said.
Three-year-old Arden Saenz will be getting the new drug to reduce the risk of a relapse. Her neuroblastoma has also been successfully treated with the original medication.
"It has very few side effects and it's been a game-changer," Mosse said.
Mosse isn't just on the cutting edge of science and saving lives, she's also about to be promoted to a full professor.
"In my division of oncology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, I am the only female who has gone all the way through early training on the tenure track and received tenure at the University of Pennsylvania," Mosse said.
Fittingly, the promotion comes during Women's History Month.
"As a woman in medicine for me it's been a journey I never really imagined and never thought that I could succeed and that I could really make an impact," Mosse said.
She's succeeding in a field still dominated by men, a field that impacts so many families in profound ways.
"It's humbling, and it's an enormous privilege," Mosse said.
Mosse says she is dedicated to paying it forward, to help other women, especially those just getting into medicine, when it can be especially challenging.