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    Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD

    Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)
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    Additional Titles

    Chief, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

    About

    Titles

    Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)

    Chief, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

    Biography

    Dr. Lakshmanan Krishnamurti is Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant and Leader of the Smilow Cancer Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program. Dr. Krishnamurti is an accomplished pediatric hematologist oncologist and an international leader in bone marrow transplant and the treatment of hemoglobinopathies. Prior to joining Yale, he was a professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and director of the bone marrow transplantation program where he holds the Joseph Kuechenmeister Aflac Field Force Chair at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

    Dr. Krishnamurti received his MBBS from University of Poona, Armed Forces Medical College, India and completed a pediatrics residency at University of Bombay, India. He attended University of Minnesota for his pediatric residency and fellowship in pediatric hematology, oncology and BMT.

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    Education & Training

    MD
    University of Poona, Armed Forces Medical College (1980)

    Research

    Overview

    My main areas of interest are clinical research in hemoglobinopathies, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and systems approach to the delivery of care including newborn screening, international outreach, community outreach and the use of informatics to enhance care. I am the PI on and NHLBI funded R34 for BMT for adults with sickle cell disease and on two separate PCORI-funded projects, one developing a decision aid for treatment of patients with sickle cell disease with hydroxyurea and stem cell transplant and the second evaluating improvement of adherence to hydroxyurea therapy directly observed via cell phone camera.

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Lakshmanan Krishnamurti's published research.

    Publications

    2024

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    Clinical Trials

    Current Trials

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    Clinical Care

    Overview

    Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD, is chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and specializes in bone marrow transplant and treating sickle cell disease and other inherited red blood cell disorders.

    Dr. Krishnamurti says he decided in second grade that he would become a physician.

    “I read something about doctors helping people and I just knew that was what I was going to do. Nobody ever dissuaded me,” he says.

    Pediatrics, he adds, was an obvious fit because of the joy he finds working with children.

    “Children have such an original view of the world. They aren’t weighed down by burdens, and they see life as an unending horizon in front of them. They are confident in their perspective and they are unfiltered,” he says. “You can look at a child and know if they are doing well or not.”

    Still, it takes a special set of communication skills to draw them out, Dr. Krishnamurti says. “Children often have concrete anxieties and fears. They aren’t worried about global warming, but if something is going to hurt and if you are someone they can trust,” he says. “They might not have the eloquence to say that, but you can read their body language.”

    To connect with children and their families, Dr. Krishnamurti says he makes a point to sit down when he enters the exam room. Naturally, much of his job also entails working with family members, too.

    “You have to be at ease for people to be at ease with you. And you have to radiate that they have your time and attention,” he says. “And then I talk to the child right away, on their level. The most important aspect of these encounters is reassurance. It can be a minor thing, but you can’t reassure people enough.”

    Dr. Krishnamurti says he was drawn to hematology because it combines pathology, procedures, and the cognitive aspects of medicine. “I am fascinated by red cell disorders and genetic disorders,” he says. “And I love working with underserved populations, which is how I got interested in sickle cell disease. I became acutely aware of the burden of this disease and the stigma of all genetic diseases, as well as the hopelessness and despair people can feel around them.

    His research focuses on curative therapies, including gene therapy and how people make medical decisions, including what motivates them to take (or not take) medications, particularly with transplant patients.

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    Board Certifications

    • Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

      Certification Organization
      AB of Pediatrics
      Original Certification Date
      2000

    • Pediatrics

      Certification Organization
      AB of Pediatrics
      Original Certification Date
      1998

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    Locations

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