Find an MSK Doctor or Cancer Specialist
Memorial Sloan Kettering pediatric hematologic oncologist Jaap-Jan Boelens

Jaap-Jan Boelens, MD, PhD

Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist & Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Cord Blood-Derived Cell Therapies, Rare Pediatric Blood Diseases, Lysosomal Storage Diseases, Immune-Reconstitution, and Pharmaco-Kinetics/Dynamics
View all
Dr. Boelens's Office Information
Languages: English & Dutch

Request an Appointment

Our Care Advisors can answer many of your questions. They will connect you with the best healthcare provider for your needs.
Back to top
English
Share

About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Chief, Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Service (TCT)
  • Richard J. O’Reilly Chair in Honor of Kevin Zoltan Merszei
Get To Know Me

I am a pediatric hematologic oncologist and Chief of the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Service (TCT). I specialize in bone marrow and cord blood transplantation to treat blood diseases in children and young adults. I have particular expertise caring for people with rare diseases, such as lysosomal storage disorders like Hurler’s disease and leukodystrophies like metachromatic leukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy, and Krabbe disease. I am also part of a dedicated team of experts working to develop new treatments for our young patients. At MSK Kids, our goal is to better control children’s disease while improving their well-being, as well as that of their families.

Read more

Before coming to Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2018, I spent a decade developing an umbilical cord blood transplant program in the Netherlands that is now the largest in Europe. Cord blood transplants are a promising treatment for people who don’t have a suitable bone marrow match. I am continuing to build on this work by looking for ways to combine transplants with new cellular therapies. My goal is to raise the chance of eliminating disease while having less of an impact on my patients’ quality of life.

In my lab research, I feel passionate about finding better ways to help young people with blood disorders lead longer, healthier lives. We are developing advanced therapies made from cord blood that will target blood disorders at the cellular level. We are also creating mathematical models that can help us predict how a young person’s immune system will respond to these treatments. I want to take discoveries out of the lab and to the bedside to help my patients.

When I meet with patients and their families, they are often dealing with a lot of uncertainty. They have received a life-changing diagnosis and face questions about treatment, possible complications, the chance of responding to treatment, and how this experience will affect their family. I guide my patients and their families through these unknowns by giving them the time and space they need to ask me questions and process the information they hear. I try to be completely open and honest so my patients feel heard, respected, and cared for. We spend as much time together as needed to make sure this happens.

My Role at MSK

A pediatric hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who treats cancers of the blood in children and adolescents. This doctor is a hematologist (HEE-muh-TAH-loh-jist) who diagnoses and treats blood disorders. They also are an oncologist (cancer doctor).

A bone marrow transplant specialist is a doctor with special training in bone marrow transplants.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Cord Blood-Derived Cell Therapies, Rare Pediatric Blood Diseases, Lysosomal Storage Diseases, Immune-Reconstitution, and Pharmaco-Kinetics/Dynamics
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands
  • PhD, University of Amsterdam/Academic Medical Center

Residencies

  • Pediatrics - Leiden University Medical Center/Juliana Kinderziekenhuis, Leiden, The Hague, Netherlands

Awards and Honors

  • Swammerdam Prize for Innovation in Cell Therapy/Oncology, The Dutch Society of Hematology (2015)

Fellowships

  • Immunology – University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands
  • Oncology – Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands

Board Certifications

  • Pediatrics
  • Oncology (Netherlands)

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Aetna

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (MTA retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

MSK has a tentative agreement with Cigna to continue coverage in 2024.

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Magnacare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

MVP

In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

Oscar

In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO

Oxford

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Qualcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

UMR

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS

United Healthcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

Make an Appointment

Women talking

New Patients

Scheduling an appointment is easy. Click or call 212-639-8478— we’re available Monday through Friday, to (Eastern time)
Make an Appointment

Current Patients

Request an appointment by logging on to MyMSK or calling your doctor’s office. If you aren’t registered for MyMSK, call 646-227-2593 for your Enrollment ID.

Contact and Location

Dr. Boelens sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
Get Directions

Looking to see a doctor at a different location? See all MSK locations.

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Bone Marrow Transplant Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Read more
Smiling doctors in the lab
Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

Search clinical trials

Research and Publications

Admiraal R, Nierkens S, de Witte MA, Petersen EJ, Fleurke GJ, Verrest L, Belitser SV, Bredius RG, Raymakers RA, Knibbe CA, Minnema MC, van Kesteren C, Kuball J, Boelens JJ. Association between anti-thymocyte globulin exposure and survival outcomes in adult unrelated haemopoietic cell transplantation: a retrospective, pharmacodynamic cohort analysis. Lancet Haematol. 2017 Apr;4(4):e183-e191. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(17)30029-7

Admiraal R, de Koning C, Lindemans CA, Bierings MB, Wensing AM, Versluys AB, Wolfs TF, Nierkens S, Boelens JJ. Viral Reactivations and Associated Outcomes in Context of Immune Reconstitution after Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017 Apr 6. pii: S0091-6749(17)30571-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.12.992.

Admiraal R, Lindemans CA, van Kesteren C, Bierings MB, Versluys AB, Nierkens S, Boelens JJ. Excellent T-cell reconstitution and survival provided ATG exposure is low or absent after pediatric cord blood transplantation. Blood 2016 Oct 4. pii: blood-2016-06-721936. PubMed PMID: 27702800.

Read more

Admiraal R, van Kesteren C, Jol-van der Zijde CM, Lankester AC, van Tol MJ, Knibbe CA, Bredius RG, Boelens JJ. Association between anti-thymocyte globulin exposure and CD4+ immune reconstitution in paediatric haemopoietic cell transplantation: a multicentre, retrospective pharmacodynamics cohort analysis. Lancet Haematol. 2015;2(5):e194-203

Bartelink I, Lalmohamed A, Elisabeth M van Reij, Christopher C Dvorak,Rada M Savic, Juliette Zwaveling, Robbert G Bredius, Antoine C Egberts, Marc Bierings, Peter Shaw, Christa E Nath, George Hempel, Marc Ansari,Maja Krajinovic, Yves Theoret, Michel Duval, MD; Ron J Keizer, PhD, Henrique Bittencourt, Moustapha Hassan, Tayfun Güng.r, Robert F Wynn, Paul Veys, Geoff D Cuvelier, Sarah Marktel, Robert Chiesa, Morton J Cowan, Mary A Slatter, Melisa K Stricherz, Cathryn Jennissen, Morris Kletzel, Janel R Long-Boyle, Jaap J Boelens, Association of Busulfan exposure with survival and toxicity after HCT  in Children and Young Adults: a Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Analysis Lancet Hematology 2016; 10.1016/S2352-3026(16)30114-4.

Spel L, Boelens JJ, van der Steen DM et al, Natural killer cells facilitate PRAME-specific T-cell reactivity against neuroblastoma. Oncotarget. 2015 Nov 3;6(34):35770-81.

Aldenhoven M, Wynn RF, Orchard PJ, O’Meara A, Veys P, Fischer A, Valayannopoulos V, Neven B, Rovelli A, Prasad VK, Tolar J, Allewelt H, Jones SA,  Parini R, Renard M, Bordon V, Wulffraat NM, de Koning TJ, Shapiro EG, Kurtzberg J, Boelens JJ. Long-term outcome of Hurler syndrome patients after hematopoietic  cell transplantation: an international multicenter study. Blood 2015 Mar 26;125(13):2164-72.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Boelens’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Jaap-Jan Boelens discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Advanced Clinical
    Professional Services and Activities
  • BlueRock Therapeutics
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Bluebird Bio
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Omeros
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Sanofi US Services Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Smart Immune SAS
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Sobi - Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB
    Professional Services and Activities

If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2022 through disclosure submission in spring 2023). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


View all disclosures

Related topics: