Dr. James Geiger helps cure children of cancer by surgically removing tumors in the operating room. But sometimes surgery isn’t enough, leaving Dr. Geiger wanting to do more for his young patients. So in addition to his role as a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Geiger is a cancer researcher, working in the lab and with patients to find better treatments.

He grows close to his patients and their families, and marvels at the incredible courage and positive outlook of children with cancer. Dr. Geiger has been with families at their child’s time of death, and has attended their funerals. “These experiences have affected me greatly and have motivated me to go beyond being just a skilled surgeon and to help find a cure for cancer,” Dr. Geiger says.

His research focus is immunotherapy, using the body’s own defense mechanisms to fight cancer cells. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Geiger completed a small anti-tumor vaccine clinical trial that showed promise and had little side effects for the patients.

Approaching cancer treatment both in the operating room and in the laboratory allows Dr. Geiger to help patients today and to have an impact on children who will face cancer in the future. Childhood cancer cure rates have improved over the years, and Dr. Geiger attributes that success to widespread participation in pediatric clinical trials. “This progress serves as a model for the power of clinical trials for advancing cancer treatment for all ages,” he says.

Cancer has touched Dr. Geiger personally. His mother is a cancer survivor and she now runs the Geiger Cancer Foundation, founded by Dr. Geiger’s father who lost his mother to breast cancer when he was only 15. “Losing her had a huge impact on his life,” Dr. Geiger says.

Riding as a member of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ Team to share his passion for cancer research is yet another way Dr. Geiger can help his young patients. “I will honor all of the children that I have cared for over the years and will carry with me all of those who have left this world,” he says. “We are curing more and more patients with cancer each day. If we keep investing in clinical trials and encouraging people to participate, we will see people live with cancer instead of dying from it.”