Carl E. Allen, MD, PhD

Dr. Carl Allen is the Milton and Allene Nirken Chair in Pediatric Oncology at Texas Children's Hospital and co-director of the Texas Children’s Cancer Center Histiocytosis and Lymphoma Programs, where he leads a team of over 30 clinicians and scientists dedicated to improving the outcomes of children and adults with histiocytic disorders, lymphoma and lymphoproliferative disorders.

After completing his MD and PhD at Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2002, Dr. Allen went on to a pediatrics residency at Columbus Children’s Hospital. He completed his fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. It was during this fellowship at Texas Children’s that Dr. Allen developed his clinical and research interests in rare pediatric blood disorders. The Histiocytosis Program is dedicated to care of patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and the more rare histiocytic disorders (Rosai-Dorfman disease, Erdheim Chester disease, juvenile xanthogranuloma). The Fayez Sarofim Lymphoma Program is dedicated to care of children with lymphoma and lymphoproliferative disorders. Together with Dr. Forbes (Allergy and Immunology Division), Dr. Allen has created the Immune Dysregulation and Lymphoproliferation (iLEAD) clinic with focus on the unmet needs of children with complex hematologic and immunologic disorders. At the Histiocytosis and Lymphoma Programs, rare blood disorders are not rare. In addition to serving the greater Houston community, these teams care for patients from around Texas and around the world.

Dr. Allen holds leadership positions in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Histiocyte Society, the American Society for Hematology and the Children’s Oncology Group. He is co-founder and co-director of the North American Consortium for Histiocytosis (NACHO). Most recently, he was appointed to lead the Research Division for Texas Children’s Global Hematology and Oncology Pediatric Excellence program, which is developing pediatric hematology and oncology services with partners in Uganda, Malawi and Botswana.

His clinical special interests include: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), lymphoma, lymphoproliferative disorders, stem cell transplantation and global pediatric hematology and oncology.