Joana Mack

Joana Mack, MD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and practices pediatric hematology-oncology at Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Children's Northwest. She joined the institution in 2018 after completing her residency and fellowship in Pediatrics at UAMS. As the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program Director, she is deeply involved in training future clinicians. Dr. Mack specializes in treating patients with vascular anomalies and leads research initiatives through the Consortium of iNvestigators of Vascular AnomalieS (CaNVAS). Her work includes a multi-institutional study on quality of life in patients with vascular malformations and a groundbreaking Phase II clinical trial using Cobimetinib for extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), the first of its kind in the Midwest and Southern U.S.

Education: Medical Degree from Ross University School of Medicine (2012), Residency and Fellowship at UAMS (completed 2015 and 2018, respectively).

Research: Dr. Mack’s studies focus on advancing systemic therapies for vascular anomalies, including MEK inhibitor therapies targeting RAS/MAPK pathway mutations. She secured FDA approval for a novel Cobimetinib trial (2022) and received the Marion B. Lyon Award for her anticoagulation effects research. Her work continues despite pandemic challenges, enrolling half the required trial participants.

Awards: Marion B. Lyon Award (specifically cited for her 'Anticoagulation Effects on Quality of Life in Patients with Slow-Flow Vascular Malformations' study).

Advising & Grants: Leads the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program and manages multi-institutional research grants. Her clinical trial is funded via FDA-approved pathways.

Labs/Teams: Active in Arkansas Children's Research Institute, particularly within the Vascular Anomalies Center and Innovative Therapeutics Program. Collaborates with the CaNVAS consortium across 9+ U.S. institutions.