William Slayton, M.D.

My patients and colleagues call me Dr. Bill, and I joined the division of pediatric hematology and oncology in 2002, with a focus on platelet disorders and leukemia. I received my bachelor’s degree in biology from Oberlin College and my medical degree from the University of Florida. I also completed a pediatric internship, pediatric residency and pediatric fellowship at UF.

I was inspired to go into medicine by my father, who was a pioneer in adult oncology. I always admired him for his work but could not imagine how he could work with such sick people. When I was in medical school and as a resident, I was always most comfortable working with patients with cancer, and I am sure this is because of my father’s influence. I am naturally a pediatrician as I love to work with children. I have spent my career working to improve the cure rates and quality of life of children with leukemia and lymphoma. I chaired the Children’s Oncology Group clinical trial AALL0622, Improved Targeted Tyrosine Kinase Therapy for Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

As a pediatric oncologist, I have worked hard to improve the treatments for children with leukemia. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work on and then lead clinical trials using new targeted therapies for children with high-risk leukemia. My laboratory focused on how normal and leukemic stem cell interact with the bone marrow microenvironment.

My strive to be a great teacher and lead my division and my department to provide the best care for our patients. My experiences with my own parents’ illnesses has instilled in me a fierce allegiance with my patients. I have assembled a team of like-minded providers who want to do the very best for our kids. We move mountains for kids.

In my free time, I frequently volunteer at Camp Boggy Creek, and my wife is currently the medical director there. I sing in three a cappella groups, am a writer (substack Heroes Heartwork and Healing) and am publishing my memoir about my experiences growing up with undiagnosed depression. I’ve also organized wilderness river trips for children who have completed their cancer treatment. I have three amazing children with my wife, Dr. Marci Slayton who is a pediatrician and in my free time I enjoy spending time gardening, bird-watching and cooking.