The progress Dr. Talano has witnessed – and contributed to – over her twenty years of research is remarkable. When she began performing transplants, the survival rate hovered around 50%. Today, it has improved to between 80 to 95%.

Dr. Talano’s dedication to her research is driven by her passion for improving patient outcomes and survival rates. She believes that the medical field would stagnate without ongoing research, leaving patients with outdated treatment options. Her goal is to continue advancing this research until survival rates reach 100%.

Dr. Talano’s expertise is not only in treating cancer and other hematologic disorders, but also in understanding and addressing the unique emotional and psychological needs of children and their families. In turn, she is often inspired by the resilience and positivity of her patients.

Notable achievements:

Dr. Talano was instrumental in bringing the newly FDA-approved Casgevy therapy to the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Wisconsin. The therapy now is offerred to children 12 years and older who have severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Casgevy works by adding a gene that makes fetal hemoglobin, which reduces the clinical effects of sickle cell disease or thalassemia. this therapy can decrease the severe acute events associated with the disease, especially acute painful events. This new gene therapy resulted in more than 93 percent of patients having at least 12 consecutive months without a severe vaso-occlusive crisis in the two-year study time after administration. Additionally, 92 percent of patients with thalassemia were transfusion-free for more than 12 months after receiving Casgevy. What’s more, this therapy is able to achieve these results with significantly fewer serious side effects than existing therapies.

• 2006, Best Abstract, National Marrow Donor Program Council Meeting

• 2009-2020, Included in Best Doctors in America

• 2011, Included in Super Doctors

• Best Doctors in America

• Dr. Talano’s feature video from the Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Audrey Evans inspires me because she was an amazing physician who not only treated the child with cancer but additionally felt it was her obligation to alleviate some of the stress on families caring for a sick child. When a child has a complex medical condition that requires extensive medical care, the stress on the family is palpable. Families often have other children, live far from the hospital, and need a safe haven at a minimal cost to be close to the childrens’ hospital caring for their child. Dr. Evans was a cofounder of Ronald McDonald houses which offer countless families the opportunity of lodging and food next door to the hospital. Ronald McDonald houses also offer a community of families with children who require complex care and facilitates support and comfort to one another.  Additionally, Dr. Evans developed a staging system for neuroblastoma and collaborated with physicians internationally.  Pediatric oncology is a rare condition, and the scientific community needs to collaborate globally in order to combine results to improve outcomes in this vulnerable patient population. Dr. Evans recognized this and was a leader in this area. She was a true visionary who made tremendous contributions to the field of pediatric oncology. 

I want my legacy as a Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant physician is focused on the patient and improving outcomes. I have dedicated my career to advance the field of pediatric oncology/ bone marrow transplant through clinical research. Through innovative clinical trials and collaboration with cooperative groups or other institutions, we have created and participated in many clinical trials that have advanced the field of bone marrow transplantation. When I started in this field, survival rates in bone marrow transplant were approximately 50%.  Now we have reached survival rates > 75-80% depending on the disease. By putting the patient first, focusing on strategies to improve survival and working collaboratively across the globe, we have made a tremendous impact in the field. Caring for a patient undergoing a bone marrow transplant is a massive team effort. Each member of the team is crucial to take care of the patient. Leading a team of dedicated providers to care for our vulnerable patients has been a privilege and an honor. I approach my patients with "cura personalis". This is a Latin phrase that means care of the entire person.

By utilizing scientific knowledge and compassion, I have helped to advance the field of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Pediatric Oncology and improved the lives of many. However, we still have more work to do to achieve 100% survival with minimal side effects. My favorite quote, which has been my approach to our patients and bone marrow transplant is: "The greatest challenges offer the greatest rewards. How we meet them reveals the truth in all of us."