Clinical Investigator Joins the Rapidly Expanding Cellular Therapies Program at TGH Cancer Institute

Dr. Megan Melody specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphomas and in the design of innovative clinical trials for cellular therapies.

 

Tampa, FL (March 6. 2025) – As it continues to grow its Cellular Therapy program for the treatment of blood cancers and non-malignant diseases, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has recruited Dr. Megan Melody to the TGH Cancer Institute Cellular Therapy team. She joins Tampa General from the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago.

 

Melody is a hematologist-oncologist specializing in blood cancers and cellular therapy. She is actively involved in clinical research, focusing on new immunotherapeutic strategies such as cellular therapies and bispecific antibodies for patients with lymphomas. Immunotherapeutics are treatments that use the body’s own immune system to fight disease and bispecific antibodies are designed to bridge two immune cells or target two different cells in the body. Tampa General’s Cellular Therapy program includes advanced treatments such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which uses the body’s own immune T cells to identify and kill cancer cells.

 

“Bringing Dr. Melody, a rising star in the field of cellular therapies, is another step forward as we continue to build an innovative cancer institute that in just over three years has positioned itself among the top 50 cancer centers in the nation said Dr. Eduardo Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute. “Her interest in clinical research and commitment to provide state-of-the art treatment for every patient aligns well with our shared purpose of innovating cancer care with compassion and healing.”

Melody’s research focuses on lymphoma (primarily Hodgkin’s and large B-cell lymphoma), CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies. During her fellowship training at Northwestern she was extremely productive with several peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, book chapters and presentations of her research, which is of the highest caliber at regional, national and international platforms, including coveted oral presentations at the 2024 American Society of Hematology meeting and the 2025 Tandem American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and the Center for International Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Research meetings.

 

“Dr. Melody is an essential component as we continue to rapidly grow our program for the care we provide to patients fighting blood cancers,” said Dr. Ivan Borrello, a specialist in multiple myeloma and director of the Multiple Myeloma, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies programs at the TGH Cancer Institute. Our team of dedicated cell therapy nurses, practitioners and social workers cares for patients in two settings — the inpatient unit and the outpatient Cellular-Immunotherapy Transplant Unit (CTU). Dr. Melody’s passion for patient care as well as her scientific and clinical acumen make her an excellent addition.” Borrello joined the TGH Cancer Institute in 2022 from the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore, where he established a highly effective translational cell therapy program.

 

Throughout her career, Melody has been dedicated to advancing the care of patients with blood cancers. “I’m thrilled to be part of the TGH Cancer Institute’s mission and to offer patients not only the best care possible, but to provide them with the compassion they need on their journey to recovery,’’ she said.

 

“My dad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was 6 and with acute myeloid leukemia when I was 11,’’ Melody said. “Having a parent who was ill and ultimately died sparked my interest in medicine. I took time between college and medical school to make sure my interest in medicine and patient care was strong and not solely motivated by my childhood experience. The hours and time commitment a career in medicine requires necessitates that the decision to pursue it can’t be based on sentiment alone.’’

 

Melody earned her medical degree in 2018 from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, where she developed a deep interest in blood cancers. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, before finishing her fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, she gained specialized training in the treatment of complex blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, with a particular focus in cellular therapy.

 

“As the TGH Cancer Institute continues to expand and gain national and international recognition, clinical investigators such as Dr. Melody create a strong network of experts who can offer a wide variety of cancer treatments at many levels to patients across the state and beyond,’’ said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, executive vice president, chief of Oncology, president of Tampa General Provider Network, Tampa General and co-vice president, Clinical and Translational Research of the TGH | USF Health Office of Clinical Research.

 

One of the few Florida cancer centers backed by academic medicine, the TGH Cancer Institute ranks among the nation’s top 50 cancer centers in U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 Best Hospitals and No. 3 in Florida. The institute provides comprehensive care via groundbreaking therapies, advanced diagnostic imaging tools and a highly coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to world-class patient care. It is certified by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Accreditation and by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for meeting the strict standards required by the society’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) program and has been named among America's Best Cancer Hospitals by Newsweek. For more information about the TGH Cancer Institute, visit www.tgh.org/cancer.