Last Updated: April 27, 2026
IU School of Medicine names Douglas K. Graham, MD, PhD, as Department of Pediatrics Chair
Douglas K. Graham, MD, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Riley Children’s Health. He will assume the role effective Aug. 1, 2026.
Graham is a professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., and currently serves as chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he also leads the division of pediatric hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant. In this role, he has overseen one of the nation’s largest pediatric hematology/oncology programs, driving growth in faculty, clinical services and research programs.
A physician-scientist specializing in pediatric leukemia and cancer therapeutics, Graham leads an NIH-funded research laboratory focused on identifying and advancing novel drug targets, with discoveries that have progress into early-phase clinical trials.
“Dr. Graham is an exceptional physician-scientist and leader whose experience building large-scale clinical and research programs will be transformative for pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and Riley Children’s Health,” said Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, dean of the IU School of Medicine and executive vice president for university clinical affairs at IU.
Graham succeeds D. Wade Clapp, MD, who has served as chair of the department for nearly two decades. Clapp will remain in his role as the inaugural senior associate dean for entrepreneurial research and commercialization for the IU School of Medicine.