Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation

After an extensive national search, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has proudly selected Rolla Abu-Arja, MD as Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) Program in the Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT.

Dr. Abu-Arja brings a wealth of strategic insight and expertise to this role, having served as Nationwide’s Interim Director of the BMT Program for the past two years. With 10 years of experience in  the BMT program in the Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT, she possesses a deep and broad understanding of the program and will develop and implement a compelling vision in alignment with hospital leadership.

As a strong advocate for both patients and families as well as the entire BMT team, Dr. Abu-Arja is Clinical Associate Professor and currently serves as Clinical Director of the BMT Clinical Team and as its Fellowship Director. Her primary clinical interests are in blood and marrow transplant for malignant and non-malignant disorders, with a focus on transplants for immune and metabolic disorders. During her tenure as Interim Director, Dr. Abu-Arja has achieved numerous accomplishments, including the successful application for FACT reaccreditation; contributing to the partnership with Dayton Children’s Hospital; increasing international ties with hospitals and health systems in the United Arab Emirates, and assisting in launching ex vivo gene therapy trials.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Abu-Arja take on this role after having so successfully carried the interim role. We know she will continue to provide and apply her excellent leadership skills and experience in moving the Program forward.” – Division Chief, Tim Cripe

Dr. Abu Arja earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, as well as her multi-specialty internship, at the University of Jordan in Amman. She completed her pediatric residency, becoming chief resident at the Jersey City Medical Center/Mount Sinai School of Medicine program in New Jersey. Dr. Abu-Arja furthered her education, completing a three-year pediatric hematology and oncology fellowship at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and a year as a fellow associate in Immunology and Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT). 

Patricia Hastie led this search with Berkley Burke and Ibaad Nazeer, supported by Caroline Corry.