Crystal L. Mackall, MD, is the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at Stanford University. She serves as founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, associate director of Stanford Cancer Institute, leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford.  

During a 27-year tenure culminating as chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI and now through the Mackall Lab at Stanford, she has led an internationally recognized translational research program focused on immunooncology. She has conducted numerous early phase and first-in-human and first-in-child clinical trials spanning dendritic cell vaccines, cytokines and adoptive immunotherapy using NK cells and genetically modified T cells.  

Dr. Mackall’s work is credited with identifying an essential role for the thymus in human T cell regeneration and discovering IL-7 as the master regulator of T cell homeostasis. Her group was among the first to demonstrate impressive activity of CD19-CAR in pediatric leukemia, developed a novel CD22-CAR with impressive activity in leukemia and lymphoma refractory to CD19 targeting, and is leading exciting work focusing on CAR T cell therapy for brain tumors. Her group has identified T cell exhaustion as a major feature limiting the activity of CAR T cells. Recently, Dr. Mackall’s group has developed novel approaches to prevent and reverse human T cell exhaustion. Her clinical trials are notable for incorporation of deep biologic endpoints that further our understanding of the basis for success and failure of novel immunotherapeutics.  

Dr. Mackall is the recipient of numerous awards and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Physicians. She serves in numerous national leadership positions, including co-PI on the NCI Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Network (U54), leader of the NCI Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network, and co-leader of the St. Baldrick’s-StandUp2Cancer Pediatric Dream Team. She is board certified in pediatrics, pediatric hematology-oncology and internal medicine. In 2022, Dr. Mackall received the Sarcoma Foundation of America’s Nobility in Science Award.