Karla Rodrigues, MD, PhD, is a pediatric oncologist who joins the St. Jude Graduate School while currently serving as the Medical Director at Barretos Children’s Cancer Hospital. She is a member of the solid tumor team and in charge of the soft tissue sarcomas and rare tumors care. She is also a professor at the Post Graduation Program in Oncology at the Pio XII Foundation and has been the Coordinator of Registry and Data Epidemiology Subcommittee of the AMARTE Alliance in Brazil since 2021.
Rodrigues’ research interests are centered on cancer registry, patients’ journey to childhood cancer diagnosis (delay of diagnosis), and the economic burden of oncologic treatment. Her previous work has examined the key factors contributing to delays in diagnosis and the impact of cancer treatment on health-related quality of life. She is currently leading efforts to implement a hospital-based pediatric cancer registry network in Brazil.
Through the St. Jude Graduate School’s Master in Global Child Health program, Rodrigues aims to strengthen her expertise in epidemiology, health systems, and implementation science to help lead the development of Brazil’s first comprehensive national pediatric cancer registry and translate data into research, policy, and action to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for children with cancer. She is not pursuing this degree as just another academic title, but because she knows that with the knowledge and tools it offers, she can help change the reality of pediatric oncology in her home country of Brazil.
Hometown: Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Education:
2011 PhD, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte
2002 Master Degree, Fundação Antônio Prudente, AC Camargo Hospital
2000 Residency in Pediatric Oncology, Hospital do Câncer, AC Camargo Hospital
1998 Residency in Pediatrics, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto
1995 MD, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pernambuco
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2025 GHN Scholarship for the Annual Congress, SIOP
2020 Scholarship for the Global Academy in Pediatric Onco-Critical Care (GA-POCC) Residential Course, St Jude Children's Research Hospital
2018 Prize Profesor Ennio Leão
2018 XV Pediatric Congress of Minas Gerais, Society of Pediatrics of Minas Gerais
2018 Outstanding Academic Achievement at the XXI Outreach Meeting, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Outreach Vice-Rectory
2017 Outstanding Academic Achievement at the XXVI Scientific Initiation Week - Knowledge Week, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Outreach Vice-Rectory
2016 Outstanding Academic Achievement at the XXVI Scientific Initiation Week - Knowledge Week, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Outreach Vice-Rectory
2012 Best Thesis Prize, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)
2000 Best Poster Prize, SIOP Amsterdam
Publications:
Lopes LF, Loggetto P, de Oliveira Junior A, Farias B, Nunes C, de Almeida AEA, do Amaral ABCN, Frisanco A, Fiori CMCM, Santana D, Gasperini DG, Francelino E, Carlesse F, Bazaglia FC, Watanabe FM, Magalhães IQ, de Aguirre Neto JC, Costa JT, de Sá Rodrigues KE, Pianovski MAD, Milone M, Dos Reis MBF, Abraham M, Sanz R, Prado S, de Campos Viera Abib S, de Oliveira TA, Tiziani V, Viana VO, Friedrich P, Metzger ML, Rodriguez-Galindo C. Aliança AMARTE: A Collaborative Network to Improve Oncologic Pediatric Care in Brazil. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Nov;72(11):e31986. doi: 10.1002/pbc.31986. Epub 2025 Sep 3. PMID: 40903979.
de Paula FE, Bonatelli M, Dos Reis MT, Rodrigues KES, van Kempen LC, Teixeira GR, Reis RM. Enhancing precision in sarcoma diagnosis: nCounter fusion panel implementation in a middle-income country. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2025 Mar 14;17:17588359251318159. doi: 10.1177/17588359251318159. PMID: 40093980; PMCID: PMC11907538.
Kortz TB, Holloway A, Agulnik A, He D, Rivera SG, Abbas Q, Appiah JA, Arias AV, Attebery J, Camacho-Cruz J, Caporal P, de Sa Rodrigues KE, Fink E, Kissoon N, Lee JH, López-Barón E, Murthy S, Muttalib F, Nielsen K, Remy K, Sakaan F, Andre-von Arnim AVS, Rodrigues AT, Blackwelder W, Wiens MO, Bhutta A; Global PARITY Investigators; Global Health Subgroup of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) Network. Prevalence, aetiology, and hospital outcomes of paediatric acute critical illness in resourceconstrained settings (Global PARITY): a multicentre, international, point prevalence and prospective cohort study. Lancet Glob Health. 2025 Feb;13(2):e212-e221. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00450-9. PMID: 39890223.
Ritter J, de Bragança J, Auste C, Mendez A, Cohen PD, Fajardo AF, Loggetto P, de Sá Rodrigues KE, Essue BM, Knaul FM, Malone SM, Quast T, Kirby RS, Steliarova-Foucher E, Huang IC, Meheus F, Bhakta N. Novel Framework of Financial Hardship in Childhood Cancer: Incorporating Stakeholder Perspectives. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024 Aug;10:e2400093. doi: 10.1200/GO.24.00093. PMID: 39208390.
Vince CSC, Brassesco MS, Mançano BM, Gregianin LJ, Carbone EK, do Amaral E Castro A, Dwan VSY, Menezes da Silva RZ, Mariano CS, da Mata JF, Silva MO, Caran EMM, Macedo CD, Alves da Costa G, Esteves TC, Silva LN, Ferman SE, Martins FD, Cristófani LM, Odone-Filho V, Silva MM, Reis RM, Pianovski MAD, Campregher PV, Kunii MS, de Sá Rodrigues KE, Carvalho Filho NP, Valera ET; Brazilian Committee of Precision Medicine in Pediatric Oncology (BC-PMPO)— the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Oncology (SOBOPE). Beyond Clinical Trials: Understanding Neurotrophic Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Inhibitor Challenges and Efficacy in Real-World Pediatric Oncology. JCO Precis Oncol. 2024 May;8:e2300713. doi: 10.1200/PO.23.00713. PMID: 38810175.