The American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH) is a $100 million facility located in Madison, WI which provides world-class medical care to children and young adults in a comforting and friendly environment. The 111-bed facility was constructed in 2007 and houses a level 1 trauma center, surgical pavilion, pediatric sedation program, nationally recognized transplant program, and a Children’s Cancer Center which includes an 131I-MIBG treatment suite. AFCH employs 262 physicians and is part of UW Health, the integrated health system of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, which ranks among the finest academic medical centers in the United States. AFCH is also part of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC), the only NCI-designated cancer center in the state of Wisconsin. UWCCC encompasses approximately 390,000 square feet of contiguous space which includes the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research and the McArdle Research Laboratories, and provides consultation, treatment, and follow-up care for 30,000 patients annually.

The Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant provides compassionate, state-of the art, family-centered care to children and young adults with a wide variety of oncologic, hematologic and vascular disorders. The Division includes 10 board-certified pediatric hematologists/oncologists, 3 advanced practice nurses, 6 clinical research associates and a research RN. Our program is ranked by USNWR, and has been designated 1 of 10 U.S. Centers of Excellence for the treatment of neuroblastoma. Our faculty are active members of the UWCCC, the Program for Advanced Cellular Therapy (a GMP facility), and the Wisconsin Blood Cancer Research Institute. Our faculty’s clinical and translational research programs are focused on the development of novel CAR T cell, monoclonal antibody, and ex-vivo activated/expanded natural killer cell therapies. We are also investigating the combined use of immunotherapy and molecular-targeted radiotherapeutics, such as 131I-MIBG and 90Y-NM600.

Dr. Richards is the POETIC site PI from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant. She completed her Residency in Pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital/University of Washington, and her Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Stanford University. Her clinical focus includes high-risk leukemia, immunotherapy, and bone marrow transplant. She runs a research lab with a focus on developing CAR T cells for patients with acute myeloid leukemia, and is passionate about translating these discoveries to the clinic so more patients can benefit from immunotherapies. She is part of the Immunotherapy Working Group within POETIC.

Dr. Austin J. Stuckert earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Wellesley College and went on to attend medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Texas, followed by a pediatric residency and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. She then spent the early faculty years on a K12 Faculty Fellowship in Pediatric Oncology Clinical Research Training, and during this time, also completed a Master of Clinical Science degree.

Dr. Stuckert began her academic career at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital in 2017 as a Faculty Instructor and later served as an Assistant Professor. In 2024, she joined the University of Wisconsin/American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, WI, as an Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant. She is board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology.