Dr. Tanhehco is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She has been a faculty member and attending physician in the Division of Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapy since 2012. She is the Director of the Cellular Therapy Laboratory and Assistant Director of Transfusion Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Tanhehco received her BA degree in Biological Sciences with concentrations in Microbiology and Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell University in 1999. She then pursued graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she earned her PhD degree in Viral Oncology in 2004. Her interest in clinical care and medicine led her to the University of Pittsburgh where she obtained her MD degree in 2008. She subsequently pursued residency training in Clinical Pathology (2008-2011) and fellowship training in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (2011-2012) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she also obtained a MS degree in Translational Research (2010-2012). She is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in both Clinical Pathology and Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine.

Dr. Tanhehco's clinical and research interests focus on cellular and gene therapies for malignant and non-malignant disease particularly sickle cell disease. She is interested in strategies to optimize patients and procedures for apheresis collections of mononuclear cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells to minimize patient adverse events and improve cell yields for drug product manufacturing. She is also interested in methods to improve processing and cryopreservation of mononuclear cell and peripheral blood stem cell products.

Dr. Tanhehco is an active member of several professional societies including the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, American Society for Apheresis, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy, Blood Bank Association of New York State and College of American Pathologists. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Email: yct2103@cumc.columbia.edu