Avyakta Kallam, M.D.
- Hematology-Oncology
- Lymphoma
- Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
- Lymphoma
- Assistant Professor, Division of Lymphoma, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Avyakta Kallam, M.D., found her calling in medicine following in the footsteps of her mother, who is a gynecologist. Dr. Kallam’s specialty in oncology/hematology gives her the privilege of making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and families. As a physician-scientist, she embraces the chance to be part of leading-edge research and see the benefits firsthand. As an oncologist/hematologist specializing in lymphoma, she has experience and expertise in novel immunotherapies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and stem cell transplantation. Her research is focused on developing and evaluating novel immunotherapies and targeted therapies for the treatment of non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphoma.
When Dr. Kallam became part of the faculty at City of Hope® in 2023, she had co-authored 41 peer-reviewed scientific studies, was the principal investigator of four ongoing clinical trials and was a sub-investigator on 22 more. She has published articles about precision medicine and targeted therapies in the journals New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology and Expert Review of Hematology. She also contributes to care guidelines for blood cancers through her service on panels of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Before City of Hope, she was an assistant professor of hematology/oncology at the University of Nebraska.
Away from the lab and clinic, Dr. Kallam likes to travel, practice yoga, explore new cuisines and spend time with family.
Location
Duarte Cancer Center
Duarte, CA 91010
Education & Experience
Board Certifications
- 2018, Hematology, American Board of Internal Medicine, U.S.
- 2018, Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine, U.S.
- 2014, Internal Medicine; American Board of Internal Medicine, U.S.
- 2014, California Permanent Physician Licensure (License no: A133163), U.S.
- 2014 Nebraska Permanent Physician Licensure (License no: 28079), U.S.
Degrees
- 2009, Medical Degree, Osmania Medical College, India
Fellowship
- 2018, Hematology/Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Residency
- 2015, Chief, Internal Medicine: Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Creighton University Medical Center & Veterans Affairs Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska
- 2014, Internal Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska
Internship
- 2019, Internal Medicine, Creighton University Medical Center, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska
Professional Experiences
- 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, Division of Lymphoma, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
- 2018-2023, Assistant Professor, Division of Oncology/Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
- 2018-2023, Associate Partner, Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Awards & Memberships
Awards
- 2017, American Society of Hematology Abstract Achievement Award
- 2016, Conquer Cancer Foundation Oncology Trainee Award
Memberships
- American Society of Physicians
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Hematology
- Fellow of Royal College of Physicians
- Fellow of American College of Physicians
Publications
- Zain, Jasmine, and Avyakta Kallam. "Challenges in nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas: from biological advances to clinical applicability." Frontiers in Oncology 13 (2023): 1150715.
- Kallam, Avyakta, and Alex Herrera. "Bispecific Antibodies in Frontline Large B-cell Lymphoma: Can We Do Better Than Pola-R-CHP?." The Hematologist 21, no. 3 (2024).
- Kallam, Avyakta. "Current Treatments in Mantle Cell Lymphoma." Cancer Network (2023)
- Gao, Lei, Avyakta Kallam, Geoffrey Shouse, John H. Baird, Stacy Pak, Yue Qin, Joo Y. Song et al. "Polatuzumab vedotin in CNS lymphoma: proof-of-concept study for blood-brain barrier penetration." Blood Advances 9, no. 24 (2025): 6425-6431.
- Ahmed, Sairah, Avyakta Kallam, Matthew Frigault, Bradley D. Hunter, Sagar S. Patel, David Bernasconi, Soyoung Kim et al. "Real-world (RW) outcomes of lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) and secondary central nervous system (sCNS) involvement from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) registry." Blood 144 (2024): 472.
- Kambhampati, Swetha, Avyakta Kallam, Azra Borogovac, Lu Chen, Sandrine Puverel, Jennifer Johnson, Ivana Melgar et al. "A phase 2 study of loncastuximab tesirine plus mosunetuzumab in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma." Blood 144 (2024): 1742-1.
- Muir K., Kallam A, Koepsell SA, Gundabolu K. 2021. Thrombotic thrombocytopenia after Ad26. COV2. S vaccination. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(20), pp.1964-1965.
- Krishnan M, Bociek RG, Fanale M, Iyer SP, Lechowicz MJ, Bierman PJ, Armitage JO, Lunning M, Kallam A, Vose JM. 2022. Phase 1 trial of carfilzomib in relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Annals of hematology, 101(2), pp.335-340.
- Wang ML, Barrientos JC, Furman RR, Mei M, Barr PM, Choi MY, de Vos S, Kallam A, Patel K, Kipps TJ, Rule S. 2021. Zilovertamab vedotin targeting of ROR1 as therapy for lymphoid cancers. NEJM Evidence. October 2021.
- Smith AL, Eiken AP, Skupa SA, Moore DY, Kallam A, D'Angelo C, Bociek GR, Lunning MA, Vose JM, Powell B, Bollag G. 2021. BET Inhibition As a Targeted Epigenetic Approach to Reverse T Cell Dysfunction in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Blood, 138, p.3715.