Jill de Jong, MD, PhD
Jill de Jong, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Cancer Risk and Bone Marrow Failure Clinic
Director, Pediatric Hematology
Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
Specialties
- Pediatric Hematology & Oncology (Pediatric Cancer)
Locations
- Chicago - Comer Children's Hospital
- About
- Specialties & Areas of Expertise
- Locations & Patient Information
- Education & Research
- Accepted Insurance
- External Professional Relationships
[MUSIC PLAYING] My name is Dr. Jill de Jong. I'm a pediatric hematologist oncologist and the Director of Pediatric Hematology at Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago. My main practice area is hematology, meaning blood diseases. So that includes red blood cells and white blood cells and platelets, bleeding problems, clotting problems, and all aspects of that, including hematologic malignancies like leukemia.
I was mostly inspired by my father, who was a scientist. So I worked in my father's lab when I was in high school and loved talking about science, loved talking about biology and how the body works and what can go wrong and what can cause disease.
And because of that love of science but also a desire to take care of people and help to heal disease, I was inspired to do an M.D. PhD program when I was-- after I graduated from college. So I have training in cancer biology, which is my PhD, and also expertise in hematology.
Comer is a really amazing place filled with people at all levels, doctors, nurses, parking staff, people at the front desk, who really are passionate about caring for children. I find at the University of Chicago, there's this inherent curiosity in people, which I love because I love being in this environment of just trying to understand what's going on and how we can try and make somebody's disease better.
Sometimes that's really easy. And sometimes it's really difficult. And being surrounded with people who are also curious and also interested in trying to move forward knowledge about medicine is really inspiring.
I love caring for children. When I was in medical school, I knew I wanted to be a cancer doctor. But I didn't know for sure if I wanted to do medicine or pediatrics, adult medicine or pediatrics. And my friends said when I chose pediatrics, oh, we always knew you were going to be a pediatrician.
So I think part of it is my personality, that I love taking care of children. I love taking care of children who are ill so that they can become better but also taking care of their whole family and recognizing that a child is not just an isolated patient. They are in the context of their parents and their siblings and their grandparents and their school. And I want them to be living their life to the fullest. But I love their energy. I love how they are kids even when they're sick. Kids are kids even when they're sick.
Jill de Jong, MD, PhD, treats children with all types of cancers and blood diseases, as well as hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. She has specialized expertise in: hematology, including disorders of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets; autoimmune blood diseases; bleeding and clotting disorders; and genetic (inherited) blood diseases.
Dr. de Jong's research focuses on understanding genetic syndromes that predispose patients to bone marrow failure and/or cancer. By studying known genetic mutations that lead to cancer and uncovering new cancer predisposition syndromes, her work examines the mechanisms that cause cancer in order to improve cancer therapies. Through her research, she aims to optimize early detection, treatment, and, ultimately, prevention of cancer and bone marrow disorders.
Locations
Areas of Expertise
- Hemoglobinopathies
- Bleeding Disorders
- Autoimmune Blood Diseases
- Immunodeficiency
- Anemias
- Coagulation Disorders
- Pediatric Hematology
Board Certifications
- Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
- Pediatrics
Practicing Since
- 1999
Languages Spoken
- English
Medical Education
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Residency
- Children's Hospital Boston
Fellowship
- Children's Hospital Boston
Other Grad Education
- University of Wisconsin,PhD
Memberships & Medical Societies
- Association of Pediatric Program Directors
- American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- American Society of Hematology
News & Research
Insurance
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If you have questions regarding your insurance benefits at UChicago Medicine, please contact our financial counseling team at OPSFinancialCounseling@uchospitals.edu.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.