Lena Winestone

Lena Winestone, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She is affiliated with the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and focuses on pediatric hematology/oncology research. Dr. Winestone leads several NIH-funded studies examining disparities in pediatric cancer care and outcomes, with particular emphasis on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors that impact access to treatment and survival rates.

Education:

• BA in Biochemistry from University of Pennsylvania (2004)
• MD from Stanford University School of Medicine (2009)
• Pediatrics Residency at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (2012)
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2016)
• MSHP in Health Policy Research from Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (2016)
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training from University of California San Francisco (2020)

Dr. Winestone's research program centers on understanding and addressing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in pediatric cancer care. Her work examines access to care across the entire continuum of pediatric cancer treatment - from diagnosis and clinical trial enrollment through treatment and relapse to salvage therapies. She has demonstrated that African American children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and mature B cell lymphoma are two times more likely to present with organ failure at cancer diagnosis. Her ongoing research investigates access to highly specialized therapies including stem cell transplant, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and MIBG therapy, with a focus on how social determinants of health impact outcomes.

Dr. Winestone's recent publications reveal a strong focus on neighborhood effects, historical redlining, and social determinants of health as critical factors influencing pediatric cancer outcomes. Her work combines epidemiological analysis with qualitative methods to identify systemic barriers to equitable care, particularly examining how geographic and socioeconomic factors affect access to advanced treatments like CAR T-cell therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Winestone has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to addressing disparities in pediatric oncology. These include the ASCO Conquer Cancer Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award (2025-2028), the BMSF Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award (2022-2024), and the American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Development Grant (2022-2026), among others.

As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Winestone supervises UCSF students and residents on research projects and career development. She currently leads multiple research grants including an NIH R01 grant on 'Multisite Implementation of COMPRENDO to improve participation of Hispanic children in cancer clinical trials' and an American Cancer Society/ASH grant on 'Barriers to Care Questionnaire for Pediatric Patients with Leukemia.' Her work combines clinical expertise with health services research to identify and address systemic barriers to equitable cancer care for children.

Dr. Winestone directs the Child Health Equity Research in Oncology Lab (Winestone Lab), which focuses on understanding how social determinants of health impact pediatric cancer outcomes. Her team employs mixed-methods approaches including epidemiological analyses, qualitative interviews, and health services research to identify actionable targets for intervention. Current projects examine neighborhood effects on cancer outcomes, financial toxicity in pediatric cancer families, and strategies to improve clinical trial access for underrepresented populations.