Michael H. Kroll MD

Dr. Michael Kroll is a hematologist and oncologist practicing in Houston, Texas. In June 2008, he joined MD Anderson Cancer, where he is currently Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Benign Hematology in the Division of Internal Medicine. His basic research background is in mechanisms of platelet-dependent thrombosis, and his academic clinical niche is hemostasis and thrombosis. His group’s research activities focus on mechanisms of cancer- and stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients, and mechanisms of cancer-induced venous thrombosis.

Dr. Kroll has over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals. His earlier research activities focused on mechanisms of platelet-dependent thrombosis, and his group was among the first to demonstrate that von Willebrand factor (VWF) binding to platelet glycoprotein Ibα activates platelets. After joining MD Anderson, he began to participate in clinical research examining VTE, including studies in patients with ovarian cancer, which were among the first describing VTE risk enduring for several months after surgery, long after the typical duration of postoperative pharmacological thromboprophylaxis.

He also worked on VTE risk-factor assessment in acute leukemia patients and the development of a scoring system to predict longevity among patients receiving inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in order to select the most appropriate type of IVC filter. He continues to collaborate on basic science projects looking at the VWF/platelet/complement axis in stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathies and how platelets affect the biology of tumors. Dr. Kroll received his medical degree from Cornell. He underwent residency training in internal medicine at Brown University and completed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at Harvard Medical School–Brigham & Women's Hospital.