Megha Malhotra, MD

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Undergraduate: BSc Double Major in Neuroscience and Theatre Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada
MBBS: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India, 2015
Residency: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, 2019
Megha Malhotra, MD, started fellowship in 2019. Her interests are in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and novel therapies (cellular and targeted) for pediatric high-risk malignancies, particularly in demonstrating their application via new clinical trials. Under her primary mentor, Sima Bhatt, MD, she is developing an allogeneic HSCT trial using an advanced ex vivo graft modification technique for haploidentical products to maintain adequate engraftment and the graft versus leukemia effect, while minimizing adverse effects such as graft versus host and relapse. Other projects include a Phase 2 trial utilizing CD22 targeted immunotherapy pre-emptively for high-risk B-ALL patients who remain NGS positive following stem cell transplant. Malhotra’s review of contemporary approaches for HSCT in CGD patients was recently published in Pediatric Medicine. Her other passions include advocating for diversity and inclusion within the healthcare system (both for providers and patients) and playing hide-and-seek with her recently adopted beagle, Ginger.