Alan Flake MD, FACS, FAAP

Dr. Alan W. Flake is an attending surgeon in the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic, and Fetal Surgery and holds the Ruth M. and Tristram C. Colket, Jr. Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He serves as co-director of CHOP’s Center for Fetal Research and is a professor of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Flake was the Director of Fetal Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan before joining the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP in 1996. Today, he spearheads an active research laboratory focused on fetal stem cell and gene therapy. He has been at the forefront of cutting-edge studies aimed at treating genetic disorders before birth. Dr. Flake is committed to discovering ways to help children live disease-free and is currently moving toward a human clinical trial for sickle cell disease, utilizing in utero transplantation of maternal cells to the fetus. The goal is to increase the newborn’s tolerance for a successful bone marrow transplant.

Dr. Flake earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He completed his general surgery residency and fellowship in fetal biology and therapy research at the University of California, San Francisco, and served as a pediatric surgery fellow at Children’s Medical Center in Cincinnati. He is board-certified in general and pediatric surgery.