Ajay Major, MD, MBA

Assistant Professor, Medicine-Hematology


FacultyPhoto
Medical School
  • MD, Albany Medical College (2016)
Graduate School
  • MBA, Union Graduate College (2013)
Undergraduate School
  • BS, Union College (NY) (2012)
Residency
  • University of Colorado, Internal Medicine (2019)
Fellowships
  • University of Chicago Program, Hematology and Oncology (2022)
  • University of Chicago Program, Postdoctoral Fellow in Outcomes Research (2022)
Languages
English, Spanish
Department
Medicine-Hematology

Professional Titles

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine

Recognitions

  • Chair of the ASH Trainee Council, American Society of Hematology (2021)
  • Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Colorado School of Medicine (2018)
  • Chief Hematology/Oncology Fellow, The University of Chicago (2021)

Publications

  • Kanack AJ, Singh B, George G, Gundabolu K, Koepsell SA, Abou-Ismail MY, Moser KA, Smock KJ, Green D, Major A, Chan CW, Wool GD, Reding M, Ashrani AA, Bayas A, Grill DE, Padmanabhan A. Persistence of Ad26.COV2.S-associated vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) and specific detection of VITT antibodies. Am J Hematol. 2022 May;97(5):519-526. PubMed PMID: 35132672
  • Lo AC, Major A, Super L, Appel B, Shankar A, Constine LS, Marks LJ, Kelly KM, Metzger ML, Buhtoiarov IN, Mauz-Körholz C, Costa ARS, Binkley MS, Flerlage J. Practice patterns for the management of nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL): an international survey by the Global NLPHL One Working Group (GLOW). Leuk Lymphoma. 2022 Mar 31;:1-4. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35357263
  • Derman BA, Kansagra A, Zonder J, Stefka AT, Grinblatt DL, Anderson LD Jr, Gurbuxani S, Narula S, Rayani S, Major A, Kin A, Jiang K, Karrison T, Jasielec J, Jakubowiak AJ. Elotuzumab and Weekly Carfilzomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Without Transplant Intent: A Phase 2 Measurable Residual Disease-Adapted Study. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35862034
  • Major A, Kline J, Karrison TG, Fishkin PAS, Kimball AS, Petrich AM, Nattam S, Rao K, Sleckman BG, Cohen K, Besien KV, Rapoport AP, Smith SM. Phase I/II clinical trial of temsirolimus and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed and refractory lymphomas. Haematologica. 2022 Jul 1;107(7):1608-1618. PubMed PMID: 34320785
  • Major A, Wright R, Hlubocky FJ, Smith SM, Prochaska MT. Longitudinal assessment of quality of life in indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas managed with active surveillance. Leuk Lymphoma. 2022 Sep 18;:1-9. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 36120910
  • Major A, Palese M, Ermis E, James A, Villarroel M, Klussmann FA, Hessissen L, Geel J, Khan MS, Dalvi R, Sullivan M, Kearns P, Frazier AL, Pritchard-Jones K, Nakagawara A, Rodriguez-Galindo C, Volchenboum SL. Mapping Pediatric Oncology Clinical Trial Collaborative Groups on the Global Stage. JCO Glob Oncol. 2022 Feb;8:e2100266. PubMed PMID: 35157510
  • Orellana-Noia VM, Reed DR, McCook AA, Sen JM, Barlow CM, Malecek MK, Watkins M, Kahl BS, Spinner MA, Advani R, Voorhees TJ, Snow A, Grover NS, Ayers A, Romancik J, Liu Y, Huntington SF, Chavez JC, Saeed H, Lazaryan A, Raghunathan V, Spurgeon SE, Ollila TA, Del Prete C, Olszewski A, Ayers EC, Landsburg DJ, Echalier B, Lee J, Kamdar M, Caimi PF, Fu T, Liu J, David KA, Alharthy H, Law J, Karmali R, Shah H, Stephens DM, Major A, Rojek AE, Smith SM, Yellala A, Kallam A, Nakhoda S, Khan N, Sohail MA, Hill BT, Barrett-Campbell O, Lansigan F, Switchenko J, Cohen J, Portell CA. Single-route CNS prophylaxis for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas: real-world outcomes from 21 US academic institutions. Blood. 2022 Jan 20;139(3):413-423. PubMed PMID: 34570876
  • Major A, Carll T, Chan CW, Christenson C, Aldarweesh F, Wool GD, Cohen KS. Refractory vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) managed with delayed therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). J Clin Apher. 2022 Feb;37(1):117-121. PubMed PMID: 34672380
  • Velazquez AI, Durani U, Weeks LD, Major A, Reynolds R, Kumbamu A, Das DG, Murphy MC, Henry E, Lee AI, Marshall AL. Impact of COVID-19 on Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Programs: A Quantitative and Qualitative Survey Assessment of Fellowship Program Directors. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Apr;18(4):e551-e563. PubMed PMID: 35015586
  • Durani U, Major A, Velazquez AI, May J, Nelson M, Zheng Z, Hall AG, Alam ST, Reynolds R, Thompson JC, Kumbamu A, Das DG, Murphy MC, Henry E, Lee AI, Marshall AL, Wun T, Weeks LD. Impact of COVID-19 on Hematology-Oncology Trainees: A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Apr;18(4):e586-e599. PubMed PMID: 34990292
  • Major A, Smith SM. DA-R-EPOCH vs R-CHOP in DLBCL: How do we choose?. Clin Adv Hematol Oncol. 2021 Nov;19(11):698-709. PubMed PMID: 34807015
  • Major A, Williams JG, McGuire WC, Floyd E, Chacko K. Removing Barriers: A Confidential Opt-Out Mental Health Pilot Program for Internal Medicine Interns. Acad Med. 2021 May 1;96(5):686-689. PubMed PMID: 33538479
  • Ornoff DM, Balaban E, Major A, Berry A, Young E. The Missing Factor(s): Disseminated Amyloidosis Causing Coagulopathy Refractory to Plasma Transfusion. Am J Med. 2022 Jun;135(6):721-723. PubMed PMID: 35134365
  • Major A, Cliff ERS, Ermann DA, Durani U, Russler-Germain DA. Frontline polatuzumab vedotin for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: A survey of clinician impressions. EJHaem. 2022 Aug;3(3):930-935. PubMed PMID: 36051026
  • Major A, Williams JG, Connors GR, McBeth L, Keniston A, Naderi R. Developing a Novel Resilience Curriculum for Internal Medicine Interns Using a Survey-Based Needs Assessment. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 May;36(5):1451-1453. PubMed PMID: 32901437
  • Major A, Recklitis CJ, Bober S. Providing Effective Mental Health Support for Oncology Health-Care Workers in the COVID-19 Era: Responding Quickly but Carefully. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2021 Jun;5(3):pkab031. PubMed PMID: 34099997
  • Major A, Collins J, Craney C, Heitman AK, Bauer E, Zerante E, Stock W, Bishop MR, Jasielec J. Management of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) associated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy using anti-cytokine therapy: an illustrative case and review of the literature. Leuk Lymphoma. 2021 Jul;62(7):1765-1769. PubMed PMID: 33559517
  • Major A, Porcu P, Haverkos BM. Rational Targets of Therapy in Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Feb 21;15(5). PubMed PMID: 36900160
  • Bracken RC, Major A, Paul A, Ostherr K. Reflective Writing about Near-Peer Blogs: A Novel Method for Introducing the Medical Humanities in Premedical Education. J Med Humanit. 2021 Dec;42(4):535-569. PubMed PMID: 33871756
  • Ramesh S, Chokkara S, Shen T, Major A, Volchenboum SL, Mayampurath A, Applebaum MA. Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Oncology: A Systematic Review. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2021 Dec;5:1208-1219. PubMed PMID: 34910588
  • Major A, Polite BN. Bending Versus Transforming the Drug Cost Curve: A Matter of Political Will. Cancer J. 2020 Jul Aug;26(4):304-310. PubMed PMID: 32732673
  • Major A, Smith DE, Ghosh D, Rabinovitch R, Kamdar M. Risk and subtypes of secondary primary malignancies in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma survivors change over time based on stage at diagnosis. Cancer. 2020 Jan 1;126(1):189-201. PubMed PMID: 31509235
  • Major A, Hammes A, Schmidt MQ, Morgan R, Abbott D, Kamdar M. Evaluating Novel PET-CT Functional Parameters TLG and TMTV in Differentiating Low-grade Versus Grade 3A Follicular Lymphoma. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2020 Jan;20(1):39-46. PubMed PMID: 31761712
  • Major A, Cox SM, Volchenboum SL. Using big data in pediatric oncology: Current applications and future directions. Semin Oncol. 2020 Feb;47(1):56-64. PubMed PMID: 32229032
  • Acquaviva KD, Mugele J, Abadilla N, Adamson T, Bernstein SL, Bhayani RK, Büchi AE, Burbage D, Carroll CL, Davis SP, Dhawan N, Eaton A, English K, Grier JT, Gurney MK, Hahn ES, Haq H, Huang B, Jain S, Jun J, Kerr WT, Keyes T, Kirby AR, Leary M, Marr M, Major A, Meisel JV, Petersen EA, Raguan B, Rhodes A, Rupert DD, Sam-Agudu NA, Saul N, Shah JR, Sheldon LK, Sinclair CT, Spencer K, Strand NH, Streed CG Jr, Trudell AM. Documenting Social Media Engagement as Scholarship: A New Model for Assessing Academic Accomplishment for the Health Professions. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Dec 2;22(12):e25070. PubMed PMID: 33263554
  • Hudler A, Cataldo M, Major A, Lobo I. Needle in a Haystack: A Missed Case of Wound Botulism. Am J Med. 2019 Sep;132(9):e677-e678. PubMed PMID: 30951679
  • Major A, Jackson MW, Smith DE, Kamdar M, Rabinovitch R. Inferior outcomes and treatment disparities in elderly patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a national cancer data base analysis. Leuk Lymphoma. 2019 May;60(5):1234-1243. PubMed PMID: 30501432
  • Major A, Chacko K. Routine vaccinations as a precipitant of adrenal crisis in adrenal insufficiency. Intern Med J. 2018 Mar;48(3):360-361. PubMed PMID: 29512322
  • Knox A, Meyer M, Michener JL, Major A. The Great Imitator: Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Presenting as a Cervical Mass. Am J Med. 2023 Sep 25. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37757964
  • Major A. Bourbon. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Oct 1;3(10):1309. PubMed PMID: 28542680
  • Melani C, Major A, Schowinsky J, Roschewski M, Pittaluga S, Jaffe ES, Pack SD, Abdullaev Z, Ahlman MA, Kwak JJ, Morgan R, Rabinovitch R, Pan Z, Haverkos BM, Gutman JA, Pollyea DA, Smith CA, Wilson WH, Kamdar M. PD-1 Blockade in Mediastinal Gray-Zone Lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jul 6;377(1):89-91. PubMed PMID: 28679093
  • Major A, Pan Z, Kamdar M. Secondary CNS involvement of ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Am J Hematol. 2017 Nov;92(11):1267-1268. PubMed PMID: 28370436
  • Major A, Kamdar M. Selection of bispecific antibody therapies or CAR-T cell therapy in relapsed lymphomas. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2023 Dec 8;2023(1):370-381. PubMed PMID: 38066907
  • Major A. To bully and be bullied: harassment and mistreatment in medical education. Virtual Mentor. 2014 Mar 1;16(3):155-60. PubMed PMID: 24646841
  • Major A, Anderson M. Not Just Skin Deep: Distant Metastases from Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Am J Med. 2017 Aug;130(8):e327-e328. PubMed PMID: 28344135
  • Major A, Kamdar M. Management of Non-Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2018 May 24;19(7):33. PubMed PMID: 29797086
  • Major A, Jakubowiak A, Derman B. Longitudinal Real-World Neuropathy and Patient-Reported Outcomes With Bortezomib and Lenalidomide in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2022 Jul 11. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35922273
  • Winters AC, Minhajuddin M, Stevens BM, Major A, Bosma G, Abbott D, Miltgen N, Yuan J, Treece AL, Siegele BJ, Ewalt MD, Gutman JA, Jordan CT, Pollyea DA. Multi-gene measurable residual disease assessed by digital polymerase chain reaction has clinical and biological utility in acute myeloid leukemia patients receiving venetoclax/azacitidine. Haematologica. 2023 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38105738
  • Mian H, Wildes TM, Vij R, Pianko MJ, Major A, Fiala MA. Dynamic frailty risk assessment among older adults with multiple myeloma: A population-based cohort study. Blood Cancer J. 2023 May 10;13(1):76. PubMed PMID: 37164972
  • Major A, Yu J, Shukla N, Che Y, Karrison TG, Treitman R, Kamdar MK, Haverkos BM, Godfrey J, Babcook MA, Voorhees TJ, Carlson S, Gaut D, Oliai C, Romancik JT, Winter AM, Hill BT, Bansal R, Villasboas Bisneto JC, Nizamuddin IA, Karmali R, Fitzgerald LA, Stephens DM, Pophali PA, Trabolsi A, Schatz JH, Hu M, Bachanova V, Slade MJ, Singh N, Ahmed N, McGuirk JP, Bishop MR, Riedell PA, Kline J. Efficacy of checkpoint inhibition after CAR-T failure in aggressive B-cell lymphomas: outcomes from 15 US institutions. Blood Adv. 2023 Aug 22;7(16):4528-4538. PubMed PMID: 37026796
  • David KA, Sundaram S, Kim SH, Vaca R, Lin Y, Singer S, Malecek MK, Carter J, Zayac A, Kim MS, Reddy N, Ney D, Habib A, Strouse C, Graber J, Bachanova V, Salman S, Vendiola JA, Hossain N, Tsang M, Major A, Bond DA, Agrawal P, Mier-Hicks A, Torka P, Rajakumar P, Venugopal P, Berg S, Glantz M, Goldlust SA, Folstad M, Kumar P, Ollila TA, Cai J, Spurgeon S, Sieg A, Cleveland J, Chang J, Epperla N, Karmali R, Naik S, Martin P, Smith SM, Rubenstein J, Kahl B, Evens AM. Older patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: Survival and prognostication across 20 U.S. cancer centers. Am J Hematol. 2023 Jun;98(6):900-912. PubMed PMID: 36965007
  • Binkley MS, Flerlage JE, Savage KJ, Akhtar S, Steiner R, Zhang XY, Dickinson M, Prica A, Major A, Hendrickson PG, Hopkins D, Ng A, Casulo C, Baron J, Roberts KB, Al Kendi J, Balogh A, Ricardi U, Torka P, Specht L, De Silva R, Pickard K, Blazin LJ, Henry M, Smith CM, Halperin D, Brady J, Brennan B, Senchenko MA, Reeves M, Hoppe BS, Terezakis S, Talaulikar D, Picardi M, Kirova Y, Fergusson P, Hawkes EA, Lee D, Doo NW, Barraclough A, Cheah CY, Ku M, Hamad N, Mutsando H, Gilbertson M, Marconi T, Viiala N, Maurer MJ, Eichenauer DA, Hoppe RT. International Prognostic Score for Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2024 Jul 1;42(19):2271-2280. PubMed PMID: 38531001
  • Agrawal P, David KA, Chen Z, Sundaram S, Kim SH, Vaca R, Lin Y, Singer S, Malecek MK, Carter J, Zayac A, Kim MS, Reddy N, Ney D, Habib A, Strouse C, Graber J, Bachanova V, Salman S, Vendiola JA, Hossain N, Tsang M, Major A, Gandhi MK, Keane C, Bond DA, Folstad M, Chang J, Mier-Hicks A, Torka P, Rajakumar P, Venugopal P, Berg S, Glantz M, Goldlust SA, Matnani R, Kumar P, Ollila TA, Cai J, Spurgeon SE, Sieg AG, Cleveland J, Epperla N, Karmali R, Naik S, Smith SM, Rubenstein JL, Kahl BS, Chadburn A, Evens AM, Martin P. EBV-positive PCNSL in older patients: incidence, characteristics, tumor pathology, and outcomes across a large multicenter cohort. Leuk Lymphoma. 2023 May;64(5):1026-1034. PubMed PMID: 36960939
  • Derman BA, Zonder J, Reece D, Cole C, Berdeja J, Stefka AT, Major A, Kin A, Griffith K, Jasielec J, Jakubowiak AJ. Phase 1/2 study of carfilzomib, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone with and without daratumumab in relapsed multiple myeloma. Blood Adv. 2023 Oct 10;7(19):5703-5712. PubMed PMID: 36763537
  • Bhansali RS, Ellin F, Relander T, Cao M, Li W, Long Q, Ganesan N, Stuver R, Horwitz SM, Wudhikarn K, Hwang SR, Bennani NN, Chavez J, Sokol L, Saeed H, Duan F, Porcu P, Pullarkat P, Mehta-Shah N, Zain JM, Ruiz M, Brammer JE, Prakash R, Iyer SP, Olszewski AJ, Major A, Riedell PA, Smith SM, Goldin C, Haverkos B, Hu B, Zhuang TZ, Allen PB, Toama W, Janakiram M, Brooks TR, Jagadeesh D, Hariharan N, Goodman AM, Hartman G, Ghione P, Fayyaz F, Rhodes JM, Chong EA, Gerson JN, Landsburg DJ, Nasta SD, Schuster SJ, Svoboda J, Jerkeman M, Barta SK. The CNS relapse in T-cell lymphoma index predicts CNS relapse in patients with T- and NK-cell lymphomas. Blood Adv. 2024 Jul 9;8(13):3507-3518. PubMed PMID: 38739715
  • Weisse CS, Melekis K, Cheng A, Konda AK, Major A. Mixed-Methods Study of End-of-Life Experiences of Patients With Hematologic Malignancies in Social Hospice Residential Home Care Settings. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024 Jun;20(6):779-786. PubMed PMID: 38306585
  • Abdallah M, Akhtar OS, Major A, Mian H, Tsang M, Torka P. Perspectives on geriatric oncology research presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting: Young International Society of Geriatric Oncology report. J Geriatr Oncol. 2024 Jun;15(5):101762. PubMed PMID: 38609752
  • Kubicki T, Jamroziak K, Robak P, Czyz J, Tyczynska A, Druzd-Sitek A, Giannopoulos K, Wróbel T, Nowicki A, Szczepaniak T, Lojko-Dankowska A, Matuszak M, Gil L, Pula B, Szukalski L, Konska A, Zaucha JM, Walewski J, Mikulski D, Czabak O, Robak T, Kruk-Kwapisz D, Derman BA, Major A, Jakubowiak AJ, Dytfeld D. Health-related quality of life in patients with multiple myeloma treated in the phase 3 ATLAS trial of post-transplant maintenance with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone or lenalidomide alone. Pol Arch Intern Med. 2024 May 28;134(5). PubMed PMID: 38747414
  • Derman BA, Chari A, Zonder J, Major A, Stefka AT, Jiang K, Karrison T, Jasielec J, Jakubowiak A. A phase I study of selinexor combined with weekly carfilzomib and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Eur J Haematol. 2023 May;110(5):564-570. PubMed PMID: 36726221
  • Dytfeld D, Wróbel T, Jamroziak K, Kubicki T, Robak P, Walter-Croneck A, Czyz J, Tyczynska A, Druzd-Sitek A, Giannopoulos K, Nowicki A, Szczepaniak T, Lojko-Dankowska A, Matuszak M, Gil L, Pula B, Rybka J, Majcherek M, Usnarska-Zubkiewicz L, Szukalski L, Konska A, Zaucha JM, Walewski J, Mikulski D, Czabak O, Robak T, Lahoud OB, Zonder JA, Griffith K, Stefka A, Major A, Derman BA, Jakubowiak AJ. Carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone or lenalidomide alone as maintenance therapy after autologous stem-cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma (ATLAS): interim analysis of a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2023 Feb;24(2):139-150. PubMed PMID: 36642080
  • Major A, Dueck AC, Thanarajasingam G. SOHO State of the Art Updates and Next Questions | Measuring Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) and Treatment Tolerability in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2024 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39198102
  • Haverkos B, Zain J, Kamdar M, Neuwelt A, Davila E, Bradeen X, Major A, Bair S, Jasem J, Smith C, Abbott D, Porcu P. Frontline chemoimmunotherapy with nivolumab and dose-adjusted EPOCH in peripheral T-cell lymphoma: a phase 1 trial. Blood Adv. 2024 Feb 13;8(3):708-711. PubMed PMID: 38150586

Professional Memberships

  • American Society of Hematology (ASH), Appointed Committee Member
  • Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Member, Health Outcomes Committee
  • Global nLPHL One Working Group (GLOW), Founding Member and Chair of Patient-Reported Outcomes Working Group
  • Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), Member, Lymphoma and Symptom Control & Quality of Life Committees
  • Lymphoma-Translational Health Outcomes Researchers (L-THORs), Founding Member and Chair
  • imPROve Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) Research Working Group, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Founding Member and Chair

Practice Locations

University of Colorado Cancer Center - Anschutz Medical Campus
1665 Aurora Ct
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0300

Hospital Affiliation
  • University of Colorado Hospital

Center Affiliations

Specialty Information

Specialties
  • Hematology, Board Certification (2022)
  • Medical Oncology, Board Certification (2022)
  • Internal Medicine, Board Certification (2019)
Conditions & Treatments
  • Cancers
  • Cancers - Lymphoma
Care Philosophy
I am an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine specializing in lymphoma, with a particular interest in CLL/SLL and indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas. My research focuses on the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to measure health-related quality of life, treatment tolerability, and the short- and long-term symptom burden from lymphoma and anti-cancer therapies throughout survivorship.

Personal Interests
I play clarinet in a community orchestra and dabble at the pottery wheel.

Public Speaking
Yes
Patient-reported outcomes in lymphoid malignancies