Dell Children's Medical Center has achieved a historic milestone in pediatric cancer care for Central Texas, announcing the region's first successful pediatric bone marrow transplantation. This groundbreaking program provides comprehensive stem cell services for children battling cancer, eliminating the need for families to travel outside the area for advanced therapies.
“We are thrilled to be the first pediatric hospital in Central Texas to have a stem cell program,” said Dell Children’s President, Adam Messer. "This achievement is a testament to the extraordinary collaboration of our nurses, physicians, staff, and supporters. Our hospital continues to invest in the most complex and comprehensive programs that give patients and families access to innovative treatments and world class care right here at home.”
The first bone marrow transplant procedure was successfully performed in August of 2025. This achievement would not have been possible without visionary philanthropy. The Shivers Cancer Foundation’s generous gift established the Arthur H. Dilly Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology, at Dell Medical School, enabling the recruitment of Dr. Amir Mian, MD, MBA, who led efforts to launch this life-saving program. Their investment—and the support of so many who gave through Dell Children’s HERE Campaign—laid the foundation for transformative care right here at Dell Children’s.
“Stem cell transplantation represents one of the most intricate achievements in modern medicine—made possible only through the collective strength of a committed, multi-disciplinary team, operating in perfect alignment,” said Dr. Mian. “At Dell Children’s, our mission is clear: to bring world-class cancer care closer to home. Every team member contributes meaningfully towards that goal. When vision, philanthropic investment, and the power of academic medicine align, excellence follows—and we’re proud to demonstrate that”.
To help build the infrastructure of the program, Dell Children’s has been working in close partnership with We Are Blood and Carter BloodCare for Stem Cell collection and processing. Dell Children's has also developed nearly 60 standard operating procedures for FACT accreditation, a crucial step towards expanding into allogeneic transplants, CAR-T, and gene therapies for pediatric patients.
"We Are Blood is proud to have played a key role in assisting the first pediatric stem cell collection in Central Texas to support Dell Children’s Medical Center’s historic bone marrow transplant program.” shared April Tiller, BSN, RN, QIA, director of clinical services at We Are Blood.
With this new program, Dell Children's Medical Center continues its commitment to delivering comprehensive care, ensuring that children in the community have access to the most advanced treatments right where they need them most – close to home. The hospital was recently ranked in seven specialty areas in the U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Children's Hospitals list.
