Peter Curtin, M.D.

800-826-4673
Peter Curtin, M.D.
Hematologist-Oncologist
(28 RATINGS)
Clinical Expertise
Leukemia
Research Area
Acute Leukemia
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Appointments
Professor, Division of Leukemia, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
“This man helped save my life ... he's amazing!” - Patient
Peter Curtin, M.D. gets rave reviews from his patients for his skills, his four decades experience and his compassionate care. Named a Top Doctor twice, he sees City of Hope as a perfect fit. “I want to be part of the team that provides both new and innovative therapies, and compassionate and comprehensive cancer care to the people of Southern California,” he said.
 
A Harvard graduate, Dr. Curtin earned his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical College in Syracuse, New York, and continued his training at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and University of California San Francisco. Before joining City of Hope, he served 13 years as clinical director of the Blood & Marrow Transplantation Division at University of California San Diego.
 
Dr. Curtin remembers how his father, an orthopedic surgeon, “loved to be in the clinic and in the operating room, he loved teaching residents and fellows and, most of all, he loved interacting with patients and working to get them better ... I knew, very early on, that this was what I wanted to do with my life.”
 
Dr. Curtin focuses his research on developing new and better treatments for acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. “I wanted to be part of the quest to improve the treatment of these disorders and to increase the number of patients who were cured,” he explained. “While we have made significant progress, much work remains to be done.”
Location
Education & Experience
Board Certifications

  • 1985, American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology

  • 1984, American Board of Internal Medicine, Hematology

  • 1982, American Board of Internal Medicine

Degrees

  • 1979, M.D., S.U.N.Y-Upstate Medical College, Syracuse, NY

  • 1975, A.B., English Literature, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Fellowship

  • 1984-1987, Postdoctoral fellow, Y.W. Kan laboratory, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • 1982-1985, Hematology-Oncology, Cancer Research Institute and Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Residency

  • 1979-1982, Internal Medicine, North Carolina Memorial Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC

Professional Experience

  • 2020-present, Professor, Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2007-2020, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Clinical Director,
    Blood & Marrow Transplantation Division, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

  • 2002-2007, Director, MDS Center of Excellence, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR

  • 2000-2007, Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Medicine, Portland, OR

  • 1998-2000, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR

  • 1997-1998, Associate Director, Research, Cancer Genomics, Director of Laser Capture Microscopy and Tumor Sample Bank, Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, CA

  • 1996-1997, Associate Director, Clinical Development, Project Leader: Interleukin-2 in HIV Disease, Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, CA

  • 1996-1998, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • 1993-1996, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine and Program in Genetics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

  • 1989-1993, Acting Chief, Division of Molecular Hematology and Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • 1989-1993, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  • 1987-1989, Clinical Instructor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Awards & Memberships
Awards

  • 2013, 2015, Hematology and Oncology, San Diego Magazine “Best Doctor”

  • 1987, Lita Annenberg Hazen Fellow

  • 1979, Alpha Omega Alpha, S.U.N.Y., Upstate Medical College

  • 1975, A.B. cum laude in English literature, Harvard University

Memberships

  • 1998-2007, Member, Oregon Cancer Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR

  • 1998-2007, Member, Northwest Marrow Transplant Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR

Publications
  • Nguyen JC, Kubik MJ, Broome HE, Curtin PT, Dell'Aquila ML, Wang HY. Successful treatment of both double minute of C-MYC and BCL-2 rearrangement containing large B-cell lymphoma with subsequent unfortunate development of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia with t(3;3)(q26.2;q21). Pathol Res Pract. 2015 Jul 17. pii: S0344-0338(15)00146-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2015.07.004. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 26300063.
  • Brammer JE, Stentz A, Gajewski J, Curtin P, Hayes-Lattin B, Kovacsovics T, Leis JF, Meyers G, Nemecek E, Subbiah N, Frires R, Palmbach G, Avraham GP, Slater S, Maziarz RT. Nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies using busulfan, fludarabine, and total body irradiation conditioning is effective in an elderly and infirm population. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015 Jan;21(1):89-96. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2014.09.024. Epub 2014 Oct 16.PMID: 25445641.
  • Wong-Sefdan I, Ale-Ali A, DeMoor PA, Martinez S, Curtin P, Lane T, Roeland E. Implementing inpatient, evidence-based, antihistamine-transfusion premedication guidelines at a single academic US hospital.. J Community Support Oncol. 2014 Feb;12(2):56-64. PMID: 24971406.
  • Martin PJ, Rizzo JD, Wingard JR, Ballen K, Curtin PT, Cutler C, Litzow MR, Nieto Y, Savani BN, Scriber JR, Shaughnessy PJ, Wall DA, Carpenter PA. First and Second-Line Systemic Treatment of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease: Recommendations of the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2012 Apr 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22510384.
  • Wang HY, Thorson JA, Broome HE, Rashidi HH, Curtin PT, Dell’Aquila ML. t(4:22)(q12:q11.2) involving presumptive platelet-derived growth factor receptor A and break cluster region in a patient with mixed phenotype acute leukemia. Hum Pathiol. 2011 Dec;42(12:2029-36. Epub 2011 June 14. PMID: 216767437.
  • Raza A, Galili N, Callander N, Ochoa L, Piro L, Emanuel P, Williams S, Burris H 3rd, Faderl S, Estrov Z, Curtin P, Larson RA, Keck JG, Jones M, Meng L, Brown GL. Phase 1-2a multicenter dose-escalation study of ezatiostat hydrochloride liposomes for injection (Telintra, TLK199), a novel glutathione analog prodrug in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. J Hematol Oncol. 2009 May 13;2:20.
  • Raza A, Reeves JA, Feldman EJ, Dewald GW, Bennett JM, Deeg HJ, Dreisbach L, Schiffer CA, Stone RM, Greenberg PL, Curtin PT, Klimek VM, Shammo JM, Thomas D, Knight RD, Schmidt M, Wride K, Zeldis JB, List AF. Phase 2 study of lenalidomide in transfusion-dependent, low-risk, and intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes with karyotypes other than deletion 5q.Blood. 2008 Jan 1;111(1):86-93. Epub 2007 Sep 24.
  • Laport GG, Sandmaier BM, Storer BE, Scott BL, Stuart MJ, Lange T, Maris MB, Agura ED, Chauncey TR, Wong RM, Forman SJ, Petersen FB, Wade JC, Epner E, Bruno B, Bethge WA, Curtin PT, Maloney DG, Blume KG, Storb RF. Reduced-intensity conditioning followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for adult patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative disorders. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2008 Feb;14(2):246-55.
  • List A, Dewald G, Bennett J, Giagounidis A, Raza A, Feldman E, Powell B, Greenberg P, Thomas D, Stone R, Reeder C, Wride K, Patin J, Schmidt M, Zeldis J, Knight R. Myelodysplastic Syndrome-003 Study Investigators. Lenalidomide in the myelodysplastic syndrome with chromosome 5q deletion. N Engl J Med. 2006 Oct 5;355(14):1456-65. Journal of Medicine.
  • DeAngelo DJ, Stone RM, Heaney ML, Nimer SD, Paquette RL, Klisovic RB, Caligiuri MA, Cooper MR, Lecerf JM, Karol MD, Sheng S, Holford N, Curtin PT, Druker BJ, Heinrich MC. Phase 1 clinical results with tandutinib (MLN518), a novel FLT3 antagonist, in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. Blood. 2006 Dec 1;108(12):3674-81. Epub 2006 Aug 10.
Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews below are gathered from the Press Ganey Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG CAHPS) survey. CG CAHPS is a standardized survey that is used to measure a patient's experience in the physician office setting. Ratings are an average of all responses to questions about a provider's care, with 5 stars being the highest.