Rayne H. Rouce, MD
- Cancer and Blood Disorders

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine
Associate Director, Community Engagement, Baylor College of Medicine
Office location:
1102 Bates Avenue
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know Rayne H. Rouce, MD
Dr. Rayne Rouce is a pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine whose research and clinical interests focus on refractory hematologic malignancies, specifically on harnessing the immune system to recognize and attack cancers. She is a member of the Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Teams, and is a Clinical Member of the Cancer Cell and Gene Therapy Program within the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC) at Baylor College of Medicine.
Since, 2014, Dr. Rouce has worked in the translational research laboratories of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT) at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), leading a translational and clinical research program creating novel early-phase cell and gene therapy products and translating them to first-in-human immunotherapy trials. She has significant experience in every aspect of translation and clinical trial development, from study conception to preclinical laboratory-based validation and, ultimately, clinical practice.
She leads numerous clinical trials of innovative cell therapies at Texas Children's Hospital—the majority of which are investigator-initiated. She served as Project Leader on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Lymphoma Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE), Leukemia & Lymphoma (LLS) Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) Program, the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) T-Cell Dream Team, and received a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. She has received continued research funding since 2014 and also serves as the Medical Director for the Commercial CAR T-Cell Program at Texas Children's Hospital.
To address health disparities, she leads task forces for health equity in clinical trials within Texas Children's Cancer Center and the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and has presented on this important topic to Cancer Centers, patient advocacy groups, and scientific organizations nationwide, while also leading these efforts within the American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT).
Integrating her passion for science and advocacy, she is active in national multiple stakeholder working groups to enhance access to novel cell therapies and cancer clinical trials (ASGCT Policy Summit on Access Barriers to Cell Therapy and ASTCT/National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Access Policy Group), and has presented on cancer therapy access to Congress.
She is the Principal Investigator of a newly funded NIH P20 titled “BCM-TSU Collaborative Union for Cancer Research, Education and Disparities (CURED)”, which closely aligns with the priorities of the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She also serves as Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role, her primary goal is to ensure that all communities within the catchment area across the age spectrum benefit from innovative cancer outreach, education, screening, primary prevention strategies, and research within the Center.
Additionally, as an Associate Director of Community Engagement within the Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement at Baylor College of Medicine, she leads institutional, national, and community initiatives to provide a clear pathway for to excel in STEM careers, particularly academic research.
Education
School | Education | Degree | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Baylor College of Medicine | Fellowship | Pediatric Hematology Oncology | 2014 |
University of Texas Medical Branch | Residency | Pediatrics | 2011 |
University of Texas Medical Branch | Internship | Pediatrics | 2008 |
University of Texas Medical Branch | Medical School | Doctor of Medicine | 2007 |
Organizations
Organization Name | Role |
---|---|
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | Member |
American Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) | Member |
American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) | Member |
American Society of Hematology (ASH) | Member |
Children's Oncology Group (COG) | Member |
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society | Member, Board of Directors |
Texas Pediatric Society (TPS) | Member |
Board Certification
American Board of Pediatrics - Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Honors and awards
- 2021
-
Young Investigator Award, Baylor College of Medicine
- 2020
-
Research Mentor Award, Texas Children's Hospital
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Highlights
Research Area:
Immunotherapy
Based on her clinical interests in leukemia and lymphoma, specifically how to harness the immune system to recognize and attack tumors, during fellowship Dr. Rouce embarked on a laboratory project that identified a previously undescribed mechanism of ALL immune evasion from NK cell surveillance. She has spent several years in the translational research laboratories of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT) in order to achieve her goal of becoming a clinical investigator conducting immunotherapy trials.