UVA Hematologist's Personal Loss Drives Mission to Expand Life-Saving Cancer Care

For Dr. Indumathy Varadarajan, a hematologist-oncologist at UVA Health, the fight against leukemia is deeply personal. After losing her grandmother to acute leukemia due to lack of transplant access in India, Dr. Varadarajan has dedicated her career to ensuring that race, geography, or income never determine who receives life-saving cancer care. Through clinical innovation, education, and leadership at the Virginia Hematology Conference, she is bridging gaps in access and transforming how cellular immunotherapy reaches patients across diverse communities.

An article based on this story was published on the University of Virginia Health page.

"She was only 66 and in excellent shape, but we did not have access to a transplant in India," said Dr. Indumathy Varadarajan, recalling the loss that continues to shape her work today.

Now a hematologist-oncologist specializing in cellular immunotherapy and myeloid malignancies at UVA Health, Dr. Varadarajan traces her path back to a deeply personal tragedy: the death of her maternal grandmother from acute leukemia. “She was incredibly close to me and raised me during my childhood,” she said. That experience drives Dr. Varadarajan’s commitment to expanding access to cutting-edge treatments like cellular immunotherapy, so more families do not have to face the same barriers.

Tackling Disparities in Stem Cell Transplant Referrals

Today, as a part of the bone marrow transplantation team at UVA Cancer Center, Dr. Varadarajan has dedicated her career to ensuring that geographic location, race, or socioeconomic status do not determine a patient's access to curative cancer treatments.

Dr. Varadarajan's research and clinical practice directly tackle some of the most persistent inequities in cancer care. "Unfortunately, what we see is there is a huge disparity in the referral nature of stem cell transplant based on social capacity and race as well," she noted. "Traditionally, the non-Caucasian race has not been referred to the transplant clinic because they do not have matched donors. The challenge stems from the fact that major donor registries predominantly comprise Caucasians, meaning African Americans, Indians, and Native Americans often lack completely matched donors. People may not refer them to a stem cell transplant simply because they may not have the social resources or the donors available," Dr. Varadarajan explained.

However, recent advances are changing this landscape dramatically. "In the last five years, we have had multiple studies that show that you do not need a complete match to perform a transplant. You can perform it even if you have a 60 or 70% match," she said. "That opens up a lot of doors for the ethnic minorities and racially diverse population, and gives them an opportunity for curative therapy."

Advances in Cellular Immunotherapy: Expanding Access for All

Understanding that innovative treatments mean little if they do not reach patients who need them, Dr. Varadarajan has embraced a collaborative approach to cancer care education. Through her partnership with Binaytara, she co-chairs the Virginia Hematology Conference alongside Dr. Keri Maher from VCU Massey Cancer Center.

"Coming from India and finishing my primary medical education there and coming here to complete residency and pursuing a medical career here, I am very well aware of the gap between what you can actually give patients and what you're actually able to do," Dr. Varadarajan reflected. The Virginia Hematology Conference, titled "Practical Perspectives for Patient-Centered Care," reflects Dr. Varadarajan's belief that academic advances must translate into real-world applications. "We as physicians are so focused on providing the most accurate and up-to-date care that we often may not pay as much attention to what the patient is seeking out of the whole care," she noted.

A Shared Mission: Collaboration Between UVA, VCU, and Binaytara

The conference is designed specifically to bridge the gap between academic centers and community practice. "What is available in an academic center, the resources, are not often available in the community," Dr. Varadarajan explained. "In academic centers, most physicians are disease-specific experts, so if I have a question on benign hematology, I can reach out to my hematology expert. But our community colleague may not have that kind of resource on a day-to-day basis." By chairing this conference, Dr. Varadarajan aims to offer practical strategies that community clinicians can apply in everyday patient care, particularly how to translate the latest phase III data into real-world clinical practice.

Currently, Dr. Varadarajan is leading a cutting-edge clinical trial at UVA, including the Alpha 3 study, which incorporates special minimal residual disease (MRD) testing after patients complete first-line lymphoma treatment. "If they are positive, these patients can receive a novel off-the-shelf CAR T," she explained, welcoming referrals from community colleagues across Virginia.