Education/Training:
Medical School: Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel
Residency: Pediatrics, Medical Center of Tel-Aviv, Israel
Fellowship: Pediatrics Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Westchester Medical Center, NY, USA
Board Certifications:
Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
Areas of Interest and Expertise:
Dr. Edo Schaefer is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine specializing in Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Westchester Medical Center (WMC), Boston Children’s Health Physicians (BCHP), and New York Medical College (NYMC). He serves as the Co-Director of the Hematology/Oncology module in NYMC Medical Doctor (MD) program.
Originally from Israel, Dr. Schaefer earned his Bachelor of Medical Sciences and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. He completed his pediatric residency at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and later relocated to New York with his family to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation at Westchester Medical Center under the mentorship of Dr. Mitchell S. Cairo.
During his fellowship, Dr. Schaefer developed expertise in translational and clinical research with a focus on bone marrow failure syndromes, immune dysregulation, and virus-specific T-cell therapies. His scientific work has centered on acquired severe aplastic anemia (aSAA), recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), and viral infections in immunocompromised pediatric patients. As an investigator on multiple NIH, FDA, and funded clinical trials, Dr. Schaefer and collaborative group has advanced rapid manufacturing of virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) using the CliniMACS Cytokine Capture System platform to treat refractory viral infections with high efficacy in post-transplant and immunodeficient populations.
Dr. Schaefer co-directs the Inborn Errors of Immunity and Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (IEI/PID) Clinic at WMC/BCHP and serves as the institutional site investigator for the NIH-funded Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC). His research and clinical efforts focus on optimizing outcomes for pediatric patients with complex immune dysregulation, including chronic granulomatous disease, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and other congenital immunodeficiencies requiring cellular therapies. Through PIDTC, Dr. Schaefer collaborates on multi-center trials aimed at advancing curative strategies such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and emerging gene therapies for IEI patients.
As Clinical Director of the Hemoglobinopathy Program, Dr. Schaefer oversees comprehensive care for children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD). He is the principal investigator for a five-year New York State Department of Health-funded initiative focused on the transition of care for adolescents and young adults with SCD in the Mid-Hudson Valley. His program integrates psychosocial, educational, and medical components to ensure a seamless transition from pediatric to adult care. Also, he is actively engaged in quality improvement and collaborative research addressing long-term complications and access disparities in this population.
Dr. Schaefer directs the Bone Marrow Failure (BMF) Program at WMC/BCHP and is a steering committee member of the North American Pediatric Aplastic Anemia Consortium (NAPAAC). He leads both institutional and multi-center efforts to improve the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of inherited and acquired BMF syndromes. His translational research in this area includes ex vivo models of immune-mediated marrow failure and novel immunomodulatory approaches targeting IL-1, IFN-γ, and JAK/STAT pathways. He is a principal investigator for several ongoing NAPAAC protocols, contributing to the development of a prospective, multicenter BMF registry to inform personalized therapeutic approaches and long-term outcome studies.
Dr. Schaefer is a dedicated educator and mentor, actively involved in training residents, fellows, and medical students. He has received multiple awards for research excellence from national societies, including the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consortium (PTCTC). He also serves as a reviewer for journals such as Frontiers in Oncology, and the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and participates in national trials through cooperative groups including the COG.
His clinical and investigative efforts continue to bridge the bench-to-bedside gap, with the overarching goal of improving outcomes for children with complex hematologic, immunologic, and oncologic conditions through innovation, collaboration, and compassion.
Office Locations:
Bradhurst
Middletown
Poughkeepsie
Select Publications
Inflammation-mediated fibroblast activation and immune dysregulation in collagen VII-deficient skin. Front Immunol. 2023 Sep 20;14:1211505
A pilot safety, feasibility and efficacy study of an oral anticoagulant, apixaban, in secondary prophylaxis of a primary venous thromboembolism in children and adolescents. Br J Haematol. 2023 Jun;201(5):e54-e57
Anemia associated with acute infection in children. Isr Med Assoc J. 2012 Aug;14(8):484-7
Intraoperative electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (IENB) to localize peripheral lung lesions: A new technique in the pediatric oncology population. J Pediatr Surg. 2022 Sep;57(9):179-182.
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is effective for p47phox chronic granulomatous disease: A Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 May;153(5):1423-1431.e2
Pubmed Search ID: Schaefer E.