Oncologist Near Me – Guillermo Chantada: A Leading Expert in Pediatric Oncology

Welcome to OncoDaily‘s special section “Oncologist Near Me” where we introduce prominent oncologists from around the world.

Here, you can get to know the leading cancer specialists in your area, including both personal and professional details that you won’t find in their research articles.

Interested solely in research? We’ve got that covered too! Discover top research articles by the author, learn about their academic achievements, awards, and honors, watch their interviews, and memorize some quotes for much-needed inspiration!

Guillermo Chantada, MD, PhD

Professor Guillermo Chantada is a world-renowned pediatric hematologist-oncologist focusing on retinoblastoma. He currently serves as President of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and leads the Outreach Program at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. Dr. Chantada is also the Scientific Director at Fundación Pérez Scremini in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Hospital Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Early Life and Education

Dr. Guillermo Luis Chantada was born in Argentina in 1964. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine degree in 1988 from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), where he later completed his Doctor of Medicine in 2013. He pursued postgraduate training in Clinical Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Hospital JP Garrahan in Buenos Aires, where he dedicated over three decades of service, shaping the field of pediatric oncology in Latin America.

Coming from a family of medical doctors, Dr. Chantada decided early in life to pursue a career in medicine. Reflecting on that decision, he shared,

“Looking back, maybe later I realized that I like to help people and also I am quite motivated by scientific challenges, but I think I did not know that when I decided to be a doctor.”

Toward the end of medical school, he chose to specialize in pediatrics, and during his residency, he found his calling in pediatric oncology, inspired by the dedicated and generous mentors he encountered at his hospital. “They were really inspiring and generous,” he said. “I would not be a pediatric oncologist if they were not there.”

Career

Dr. Guillermo Chantada has dedicated his life to advancing pediatric cancer care, both in Argentina and globally. When asked what keeps him motivated every day to do the incredible work he does in oncology, he shared:

“Thinking of the children that were cured, remembering their faces and stories, especially when I see them later in life, when they become happy adults.”

This deep, personal connection to his patients has fueled a decades-long career marked by compassion, innovation, and international collaboration.

He is currently the President of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), a position he assumed in 2021 after being an active member since 1997. SIOP has played a key role in his career, reflecting his lifelong commitment to global collaboration in childhood cancer treatment.

His professional journey spans several continents. He trained at renowned institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Hannover Medical School in Germany. Reflecting on one particularly formative moment in his career, Dr. Chantada recalls meeting his future mentor, Dr. David Abramson, at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

“He told me that he will not teach me everything I wanted to know but he will teach me and support me to find the answers with my own research.”

This mentorship had a lasting impact, shaping his approach to science, collaboration, and education.

For more than 30 years, he worked at JP Garrahan Pediatric Hospital in Buenos Aires. Today, he is a staff physician at Hospital Universitario Austral and serves as the Scientific and Academic Director of Fundación Pérez Scremini in Uruguay.

Dr Guillermo Chantada with Mrs Julia Albajari at the Hemato-Oncology Department, Hospital JP Garrahan, Buenos Aires

In addition to SIOP, Dr. Chantada has been actively involved in various international organizations. He has been a member of the International Society for Genetic Eye Diseases and Retinoblastoma (ISGEDR) since 1998, the International Children’s Oncology Group since 2009, and the International Society of Ocular Oncology (ISOO). Since 2006, he has collaborated with the International Outreach Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, where he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Oncopedia, an educational platform within the Cure4Kids initiative.

Throughout his career, Dr. Chantada has participated in numerous international conferences, published extensively, and served as a peer reviewer for leading medical journals. His impact has reached far beyond the clinic, influencing pediatric oncology policy, education, and collaboration on a global scale.

Research

Dr. Chantada is widely recognized for his work in pediatric oncology research, particularly in the field of retinoblastoma. His research has focused on improving treatment options, understanding the unique characteristics of the disease in low- and middle-income countries, and exploring its molecular mechanisms of spread. His work has led to significant advances in care for children with retinoblastoma across Latin America and beyond.

He currently leads the Latin American retinoblastoma treatment protocol through GALOP (Grupo de América Latina de Oncología Pediátrica), where he is also a board member. He coordinates the European Retinoblastoma Group (EURbG), building bridges between regions to improve care through collaborative research. He is also actively involved in the development of an anti-idiotype vaccine for neuroblastoma as part of a Latin American clinical protocol.

Beyond retinoblastoma, his research interests include pediatric lymphomas and histiocytosis. As a member of the St. Jude Global Pediatric Medicine Department, he continues to play a key role in global pediatric cancer research and education.

Dr. Chantada has authored more than 60 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to numerous book chapters. His leadership in both clinical and translational research has made him one of the most respected voices in the field of pediatric oncology, especially in Latin America.

Selected publications

• Abramson DH, Shields CL, Munier FL, Chantada GL. Treatment of Retinoblastoma in 2015: Agreement and Disagreement. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2015 Nov;133(11):1341-7. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.3108. PMID: 26378747.
• Chantada G, Fandiño A, Manzitti J, Urrutia L, Schvartzman E. Late diagnosis of retinoblastoma in a developing country. Arch Dis Child. 1999 Feb;80(2):171-4. doi: 10.1136/adc.80.2.171. PMID: 10325735; PMCID: PMC1717843.
• Chantada G, Doz F, Antoneli CB, Grundy R, Clare Stannard FF, Dunkel IJ, Grabowski E, Leal-Leal C, Rodríguez-Galindo C, Schvartzman E, Popovic MB, Kremens B, Meadows AT, Zucker JM. A proposal for an international retinoblastoma staging system. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Nov;47(6):801-5. doi: 10.1002/pbc.20606. PMID: 16358310.
• Chantada G, Fandiño A, Casak S, Manzitti J, Raslawski E, Schvartzman E. Treatment of overt extraocular retinoblastoma. Med Pediatr Oncol. 2003 Mar;40(3):158-61. doi: 10.1002/mpo.10249. PMID: 12518344.
• Chantada GL, Qaddoumi I, Canturk S, Khetan V, Ma Z, Kimani K, Yeniad B, Sultan I, Sitorus RS, Tacyildiz N, Abramson DH. Strategies to manage retinoblastoma in developing countries. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Mar;56(3):341-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.22843. Epub 2010 Nov 11. PMID: 21225909.

Interviews with Guillermo Chantada

Mentorship and Innovations in Pediatric Oncology: Dr. Guillermo Chantada’s Perspective – OncoDaily

Interview with Guillermo Chantada, head of the outreach programme at the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center – Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona

Research and education in Childhood Cancer: Guillermo Chantada on Let´s Talk About Cancer – PAHO/WHO

Guillermo Chantada: Incoming President-Elect, International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) – Pharma Boardroom

Beyond the White Coat

When he’s not in the hospital or working on global pediatric oncology efforts, Dr. Guillermo Chantada finds peace in the simple things. He loves cooking and spending time in his garden – two activities that help him unwind and disconnect from the intensity of his work.

He also has a deep love for literature and film, often turning to stories that are thoughtful, complex, and full of emotion. Here are a few of his favorite books and movies—some that have left a mark on him, and others he just genuinely enjoys:

Books he recommends:

• The Joke by Milan Kundera
• Deaf Sentence by David Lodge
• Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Movies he enjoys:

A Night at the Opera by Marx Brothers

Husbands and Wives by Woody Allen

The Silence by Ingmar Bergman

Whether he’s planting something new, trying out a recipe, or getting lost in a good story, Dr. Chantada brings the same curiosity and thoughtfulness to his personal life as he does to his work in oncology.

A Word to Young Professionals

Dr. Guillermo Chantada sees pediatric oncology as more than just a specialty—it’s a way of life. His advice to those starting out in the field is heartfelt and impactful:

“Pediatric oncology is more than a specialty, it is a way of life. It is a complex and varied specialty where many aspects of medicine co-exist. For a pediatric oncologist, it is always important to be mindful that every time we are speaking with a family to tell them that their child has cancer, that moment will change their life forever. Their life will be split into the time before and after they met you.”

Guillermo Chantada with young doctors from Fundación Pérez Scremini. Photo credit to Guillermo Chantada/X

How to contact him?

Email:  [email protected]
Location: Pg. de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

Read the previous articles in the “Oncologist Near Me” series to explore insights into the lives and careers of leading oncologists worldwide.

We’ve curated the internet to find the most important information about them. If you have more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Written by Vahe Grigoryan