The Stanford Neuro-Oncology Program Team

Paul Graham Fisher, MD, MHS
Professor of Neurology and Neurologial Sciences
Director, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology

Dr. Paul Graham Fisher is Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and by courtesy, Neurosurgery and Human Biology; Division Chief of Child Neurology; the Beirne Family Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology; The Bing Director of the Program in Human Biology; and Director of the Center for Brain and Behavior at Stanford University and Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. Dr. Fisher received his B.A. at Stanford and M.D. at the University of California, San Francisco, before completing residencies in pediatrics and neurology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and then a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Johns Hopkins. He also obtained a master’s degree in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.

After starting out on the faculty at Hopkins, Dr. Fisher was recruited back to Palo Alto in 1997, where he started the pediatric neuro-oncology program at Stanford University. He directs the program, and in 2012 guided the program to become a member of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, for which he is the site Principal Investigator.  His research focuses on epidemiology, therapy, and late effects of childhood brain tumors, and he has authored over 140 scholarly publications on these and other neurology topics. At Stanford he directs the popular undergraduate class “Cancer Epidemiology” in Human Biology.

Dr. Fisher is an active member of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, Children's Oncology Group, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Neuro-Oncology, and Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium, for which he serves as Secretary.  He is an editorial board member of Journal of Neuro-Oncology and Frontiers in Pediatric Oncology, and previously Journal of Clinical Oncology.  He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Oncology Cancer Prevention Committee.

Michelle Monje, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurologial Sciences and Neuro-Oncology

Michelle Monje, MD PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neuro-Oncology at Stanford University. Dr. Monje received her BA from Vassar College and her MD and PhD from Stanford University. She completed her residency training in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School Partners program. Dr. Monje then returned to Stanford to complete a clinical fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology and a post-doctoral fellowship. Dr Monje now balances clinical practice with a robust research program. She is actively involved in the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and serves as the Chair for the Brainstem Glioma Working Group. Her laboratory focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment in health and disease. Dr Monje is particularly interested in the roles for neural precursor cell function and dysfunction in the origins of pediatric brain tumors and the consequences of cancer treatment.

Sonia Partap, MD, MS
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences and Neuro-Oncology

Dr. Partap received both her B.A. and M.D. at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, before completing residencies in pediatrics and neurology at Brown University and University of Washington, respectively. She then came to Stanford in 2006 as the first Beverly and Bernard Wolfe Fellow in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology.

After fellowship, Dr. Partap was awarded a K12 Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award (NSADA) through the NIH/NINDS and completed  her master’s in Epidemiology at Stanford. Her research interests include epidemiology, international health, neuro-oncology drug trials, and late effects of therapy. Dr. Partap is the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Director and attends in both child neurology and pediatric neuro-oncology.  She an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, Children’s Oncology Group, Society for Neuro-Oncology, and is Treasurer for the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium.

Cynthia Campen, MD, MS
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences

Dr. Campen received her B.S. from University of California, Davis, and her M.D. from University of California, San Francisco, where she completed her residency in pediatrics. She then left the sunny Bay Area for three years in Philadelphia at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she completed her child neurology residency. She gladly returned to California for her fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, during which she also completed a master’s degree in Epidemiology. Dr. Campen now attends in child neurology and pediatric neuro-oncology.  She is also the Assistant Residency Director for Child Neurology. Dr. Campen’s research interests include epidemiology of childhood brain tumors, late effects of brain tumor treatments, and intracranial vasculopathy. She is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Children’s Oncology Group, and Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Tabitha Cooney

Laurence Katznelson, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery and Medicine
Director, Endocrinology Fellowship Training Program
Medical Director, Stanford Pituitary Center

Laurence Katznelson, MD received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and performed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.  He then performed a fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.  Dr. Katznelson is currently the Medical Director of the Pituitary Center at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California.  Dr. Katznelson is a Professor of Neurosurgery and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.  At Stanford University, he is the Program Director for the Endocrinology fellowship training program.  He is a member of the Editorial Boards for Frontiers in Medicine, and  Pituitary, and is an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.  In the Endocrine Society, Dr. Katznelson has served as Chair of the Special Programs Committee and member of the Scientific and Educational Programs Core Committee. He has served as Chair of the Task Forces for writing clinical guidelines for the approach to acromegaly for both the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and The Endocrine Society. He has served as an ad hoc member of NIH study sections.  Dr. Katznelson has a long standing clinical and research interest in the pathophysiology and treatment of pituitary disease.

Lawrence M. Shuer, MD, FAAS
Professor of Neurosurgery, Vice Chair for Quality of the Neurosurgery Department at Stanford University

Dr. Lawrence M. Shuer received his medical degree from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He completed his training as a Resident in Neurosurgery at Stanford University. He then joined the faculty of Stanford Neurosurgery and has been caring for patients with Brain, Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nerve tumors for almost 30 years. He has served as Acting Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, Chief of Staff of Stanford Hospital and Clinics and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Affairs in the past. He participates actively in the Neuro-oncology tumor board.

Griffith R. Harsh, MD, MA, MBA
Professor of Neurosurgery

Griff Harsh, MD, MA, MBA, is Professor of Neurological Surgery and Associate Dean for Education (CME) at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He directs the Stanford Brain Tumor Center and the Neurosurgery Residency Training Program. His research focuses on innovative treatments and the molecular biology of tumors of the brain, pituitary gland, and skull base.

Steven D. Chang, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery
Rober C and Jeannette Powel Neurosciences Professor

Dr. Steven Chang received his medical degree from Stanford University. He completed his neurosurgical training at Stanford with a focus on stereotactic radiosurgery, cerebrovascular disease, and brain and spinal tumors. He is recognized as an expert in Cyberknife radiosurgery and surgical resection of brain tumors. Dr. Chang is a research interest in neurogenetics and protenomics.

John Ratliff, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Dr. Ratliff received his medical degree from Tulane University. He is fellowship trained in complex spinal reconstructive surgery and completed a research fellowship in neural regeneration and peripheral nerve repair at the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health. His area of research focuses upon outcomes assessment in spine surgery; his areas of clinical focus are primary and metastatic spinal tumors, spinal reconstruction procedures, and spinal radiosurgery.

Robert Dodd, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Dr. Dodd received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he also earned a PhD in Neurosciences from the Department of Neurobiology. His neurosurgery training also took place at Stanford, where he recently completed an endovascular fellowship. His research interests have been in cerebral blood vessel reactivity and stroke.

Dr. Dodd's clinical interests include endovascular and microsurgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations; percutaneous and surgical interventions for both extracranial and intracranial carotid artery occlusive disease; and minimally invasive neurosurgery though the use of neuroendoscopy and keyhole approaches.

Gordon Li, MD
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Gordon Li graduated from Brown University with honors in neuroscience and received his MD at UC Davis School of Medicine.  He completed his neurosurgical residency at Stanford University School of Medicine and was hired on to help build the brain tumor center at Stanford University School of Medicine.  His clinical interests include improving surgical techniques for brain tumor surgery, immunotherapy for the treatment of brain cancer, and novel uses for stereotactic radiosurgery.  His research laboratory studies the biology of brain tumors with the goal of developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of malignant brain tumors and translating that research into clinical trials.

Melanie G Hayden Gephart, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Melanie Hayden Gephart, MD, MAS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Hayden Gephart’s research and clinical expertise in the treatment of central nervous system tumors and conditions is an important addition to Stanford Health Care. Her translational research focuses on understanding and halting the mechanisms driving tumor growth in the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Hayden Gephart’s work as a neurosurgeon and scientist help to develop and implement new treatments for patients with brain tumors.

Dr. Hayden Gephart received her medical and masters degrees from University of California at San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. She completed her residency and served as Chief Resident in Neurosurgery at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Hayden Gephart finished her Research Fellowship from the Departments of Developmental Biology, Genetics, Bioengineering, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University.

Michael S. B. Edwards, MD
Emeritus Faculty, Neurosurgery

Samuel Cheshier, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar

Dr. Cheshier is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He has practiced at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford for 3 years.  His surgical practice includes a strong emphasis on pediatric tumors of the brain and spine. Dr. Cheshier performed his undergraduate studies at University of California Los Angeles, where he graduated with a degree in psychologybiology, summa cum laude, phi beta kappa. Afterward, Dr. Cheshier attended medical school at Stanford University enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program.  During this time he earned a Ph.D. conducting basic science research on how stem cells grow. He performed his neurosurgical residency at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics.  After his residency, Dr. Cheshier studied mid-brain stem cells and embryonic stem cells at Lund University in Sweden as part of a Van Wagenen Fellowship, which is the most prestigious research fellowship awarded to a graduating neurosurgeon. He then performed a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.  Since joining the faculty, Dr. Cheshier has performed numerous surgeries on children with brain and spinal cord tumors. He also conducts basic science research, with the goal of translating experiments into therapies for malignant-pediatric brain tumors.

Gerald Grant, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Dr. Grant received his MD from Stanford University in 1994 and trained as a resident in neurosurgery at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Seattle Children's Hospital. He entered active duty with the US Air Force and became Director of Surgical Epilepsy at Wilford Hall Medical Center and UT San Antonio. After his deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dr. Grant moved back to his alma mater at Duke University in 2006. He remained there on the faculty for 7 years as Director of Pediatric Surgical Epilepsy. He was recruited back to Stanford in 2013. Dr. Grant is committed to the treatment of children with intractable epilepsy and is an expert at state-of-the-art brain mapping techniques and awake language mapping in epilepsy patients.

Olivia Chu, NP

Olivia is a family nurse practitioner providing care for patients in the Pituitary Center of Stanford's neurosurgery department since 2006. She obtained her undergraduate degree at University of California, Berkeley, and completed a bachelors and masters degree at Johns Hopkins University. Currently she specializes in neuro-endocrine cases, predominately pituitary tumors.

Alisa Kearney, MSN, NP-C

Alisa Kearney, a certified family nurse practitioner, joined the neurosurgery department in 2012. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2004 and her Master of Science in nursing in 2011 at Seattle Pacific University. She currently provides care for patients in neuro-oncology and spine neurosurgery.

Elizabeth Lee, RN, NP, MSN

Elizabeth Lee joined the neurosurgery department in 1996 working as an inpatient and outpatient nurse practitioner. She obtained her bachelors degree in nursing in 1993, and her master's degree in geriatric and family nurse practitioner degree in 1996 from University of California Los Angeles. She has worked in all fields of neurosurgery including spine, neuro-oncology, cerebrovascular, and functional neurosurgery.

Candice Osuga Lin, MSN, APRN, BC, ACNP

Candice earned her undegraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. She is certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and is a member of the American Association of Neurosciences Nursing, American Association of Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau.

She has been active in the care of adult neurosurgery patients. Her interests include neuro-oncology and degenerative spine disease.

Jocelyn Malott, MSN, NP-C

Jocelyn joined Stanford in 1987 as a Critical Care Staff Nurse. She obtained her Master’s Degree and Family Nurse Practitioner Certification at San Jose State University. She worked five years at the Cancer Center in Surgical Oncology  and joined the Neurosurgery Department in 2010 as a Nurse Practitioner  where she actively works with diverse patient population groups in Neuro-Oncology, Neurogenetics and Cyberkife Programs

Joy Sabig, RN, CCRN, MSN, Adult NP- BC

Joy Sabig earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of St. La Salle in the Philippines and her Masters of Science Degree as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from Florida International University.  Joy came to Stanford Hospital in 2003 and worked in the Cardiovascular ICU as an RN and relief Charge Nurse before working as a Nurse Practitioner in the Pre-Op Anesthesia Department in 2007.   In 2010, she transferred to Vascular Surgery and worked there for 2 years before joining the Neurosurgery Team in November of 2012.  Her experiences as an NP include working in the Anticoagulation Clinic at UCSF and Cardiology at SFGH.

Iris C. Gibbs, MD, FACR
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy

Dr. Gibbs is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of CNS tumors. Her research focuses on developing new radiation techniques to manage brain and spinal tumors in adults and children. Dr. Gibbs has gained worldwide acclaim for her expertise in Cyberknife robotic radiosurgery.

Scott G. Soltys, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy

Dr. Scott Soltys earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan, completing his residency in Radiation Oncology at Stanford University.  His clinical and research interests focus on the development of new treatments involving radiotherapy and radiosurgery for tumors of the brain and spine, as well as functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia.  His current clinical trials are investigating how to optimize the radiosurgical treatment of patients with large brain metastases and how to improve the quality of life of patients receiving radiotherapy for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM).

Sarah S. Donaldson, MD
Professor of Radiation Oncology

Dr. Sarah S. Donaldson is the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and Associate Program Director in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford.  She also serves as the Chief of the Radiation Oncology service at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.  She is an established clinical investigator and educator with special interests in malignancies of the central nervous system, eye/orbit, sarcoma, breast, lymphoma, and pediatric radiation therapy. She has a long time interest in the late effects of cancer and its treatment.  Dr. Donaldson received her undergraduate and nursing degrees from the University of Oregon and her MD from Harvard Medical School.  She joined the Department of Radiation Oncology for residency training at Stanford in 1969, was appointed to the faculty in 1973, and has served Stanford continuously since her initial appointment.  
A member of many professional organizations, Dr. Donaldson has held numerous national leadership roles.  She has served as president of both the American Board of Radiology the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the Radiological Society of North America.  She also has served the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and their Foundation, as well as The Board of Trustees of the Radiological Society of North America Foundation.

Dr. Donaldson has received numerous honors and awards including the Marie Curie Award of the American Association for Women Radiologists, the Janeway Medal of the American Radium Society, and the Henry S Kaplan Memorial Prize for teaching at Stanford.  She has received gold medals from the del Regato Foundation, the American College of Radiology (ACR), and ASTRO.  She is a fellow of ASTRO, ACR, and AAAS, and a member of The National Academies Institute of Medicine.

Nancy Fischbein, MD
Professor of Radiology - Diagnostic Radiology

Dr. Fischbein earned her medical degree at Harvard Medical School and completed her training in Diagnostic Radiology and her neuroradiology fellowship at the University of California-San Francisco. She is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Neuroradiology. Dr. Fischbein's research interests include imaging of brain tumors using advanced MR-based modalities, as well as imaging of processes that affect the skull base and cranial nervesThis is example text for the text & image component. Too add or edit text here, double or right-click to bring up the editor.

Patrick Barnes, MD
Professor of Radiology

His research interests focus on the development and use of new technology with an emphasis on neuro-oncology, perinatal injury and child abuse. Barnes serves as chief of pediatric neuroradiology, as well as the director of pediatric MRI and CT at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

Kristen Yeom, MD
Associate Professor of Radiology -Pediatric Radiology

Dr. Yeom obtained her medical degree from University of Michigan.  She completed her radiology residency training at UCLA and neuroradiology fellowship at Stanford University.  She is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology and also holds Certificate of Added Qualification in Neuroradiology.  Her primary interest is pediatric neurological diseases.  Her research also includes the use of advanced MRI techniques to improve detection, surgical navigation, as well as image-based monitoring of pediatric brain tumors and associated therapeutic sequelae.

Hannes Vogel, MD
Professor of Pathology
Associate Chair of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology

Dr. Vogel’s research interests include nerve and muscle pathology, mitochondrial diseases, pediatric neurooncology, and transgenic mouse pathology.  Dr. Vogel is the Associate Chair for Neuropathology, Department of Pathology at Stanford from 2005 to the present.

Edward D. Plowey, MD
Assistant Professor of Pathology

Dr. Plowey earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology and fellowship training in Neuropathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.  He is board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Neuropathology by the American Board of Pathology.  Dr. Plowey’s primary research interest is the role of autophagy in the protection of neurons from stressors associated with aging, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.

Martin Brown, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Radiation Oncology - Radiation and Cancer Biology

My lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms responsible for the resistance GBM to cancer therapies and to develop strategies to overcome these resistances. Our main project is on investigating the role of bone marrow derived cells in restoring the tumor vasculature after radiotherapy (which destroys local angiogenesis). This process is known as vasculogenesis. In particular we seek to improve tumor cure rates by radiotherapy by inhibiting the repair of the tumor vasculature in GBM by circulating cells following radiation to the tumors by selective inhibition of the chemokine pathway(s) responsive for the mobilization and capture in the tumor of the circulating proangiogenic cells. 

We are also investigating the ways to overcome the resistance of hypoxic cells in GBM to irradiation including nitroimidazole hypoxic cell radiosensitizers and perfluorocarbon compounds that carry large amounts of oxygen.

Steven Chang, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery

The Stanford Neurogenetic Innovation Program (SNIP) brings together clinical experts with the goal of developing new technologies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients affected by neurological conditions. Dr. Steven D. Chang, M.D., Professor of Neurosurgery, is leading SNIP’s research efforts, which can be divided into three broad categories: (1) Neural Stem Cells, (2) New Blood Vessel Growth and Response to Radiosurgery, and (3) Nanotechnology and Microfluidic Biochips.

Samuel Cheshier, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar

As a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Cheshier witnesses first hand the devastation that pediatric malignant brain tumors cause both the patients and families. The desire to help these people motivates him to conduct basic science research, with the goal of translating experiments into therapies.

Preclinical and Clinical Science:  Dr. Cheshier’s laboratory performs highly sophisticated, pediatric specific, preclinical animal studies in order to eventually conduct a phase I clinical trial in children with malignant brain tumors including medulloblastoma, pediatric glioblastoma, and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. His group is utilizing a monoclonal antibody to stimulate immune cell macrophages to specifically target and remove these brain cancers with an emphasis on removal of the cancer stem cells.

This project is the culmination of at least three decades of basic science research at Stanford, starting with blood stem cells, and ending with a potential treatment for a wide range of cancers. Dr. Cheshier’s collaborators include basic scientist, physicians, and physician-scientists from across Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and the School of Medicine. The group is taking the lead in attempting to bring this therapy to pediatric brain tumor patients upfront, rather than waiting for trials to be finished in adults, and then applying to pediatric patients in an “off label” manner.

Basic Neuro-Oncology Science: The laboratory utilizes novel combinations of cell surface molecules to isolate pure populations of normal neural stem cells/progenitors and determines their relationships to purified malignant-brain tumor stem cells/progenitors; including the stage of development malignant transformation occurs, as well as, the genetic and epigenetic events that differentiate cancer progenitors from their normal cellular counterparts.  Dr. Cheshier’s current research emphasis is on adult and pediatric high-grade brain malignancies including medulloblastoma and glioblastoma. The group has also recently developed lenti-viral reporter constructs capable of marking cell populations on the basis of biochemical pathway activation such as Wnt, Notch, and SHh.  The laboratory has developed robust in vitro methods to study the developmental fates of neural and cancer cells including single-cell analysis. Cancer cell populations, including cancer stem cells, are regularly analyzed by orthotropic xenograft transplantation into immune-compromised mice.  Their hope is to gain insights into the events that transform normal stem cells into cancer stem cells which will lead to targeted therapies against these highly malignant cancers. This research is supported by the extensive infrastructure for translational research at Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.  Dr. Cheshier and his collaborators are all fully dedicated to achieving their goals through continuous collaboration, novel research discoveries, and excellent patient care.

Frederick T. Chin, PhD
Assistant Professor (Research), Radiology - Diagnostic Radiology

Our laboratory focuses on advancing radiopharmaceutical sciences for the expanding field of molecular imaging. We design and synthesize novel radioligands/radiotracers that bind to molecular targets related to specific nervous system (central and peripheral) disorders and cancer biology. In addition, new radiolabeling techniques and methodologies will be created in our lab for emerging radiopharmaceutical development as well as for the general radiochemistry community. These radiochemistry approaches will be coupled with innovative chemical engineering to further investigate new molecular imaging strategies such as simultaneous PET-MR imaging. Successful imaging agents will be extended towards future human clinical applications specifically related to glioblastoma, neurodegeneration, pain, and addiction. Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Facility

Paul Fisher, MD
Professor of Neurology and Neurologial Sciences
Director, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology

My clinical Neuro-oncology research explores the epidemiology, natural history, and disease patterns of brain tumors and other cancers in childhood, as well as prospective clinical trials for treating these neoplasms. Other research interests also include neurologic effects of cancer and its therapies.

Sam Gambgir, MD, PhD
Professor, Radiology - Diagnostic Radiology

My laboratory focuses on merging advances in molecular biology with those in biomedical imaging to advance the new field of molecular imaging. Methods to image gene expression in living subjects have been developed. Newer approaches to image fundamental cellular events with optical and radiolabeled probes are under active investigation. These imaging approaches are expected to have a fundamental impact in the study of cancer biology, as well as in molecular therapeutics including gene/cell therapies.

Iris Gibbs, MD
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy

Dr. Gibbs is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of CNS tumors. Her research focuses on developing new radiation techniques to manage brain and spinal tumors in adults and children. Dr. Gibbs has gained worldwide acclaim for her expertise in Cyberknife robotic radiosurgery.

Melanie G Hayden Gephart, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery

As a practicing neurosurgeon, my daily interactions with neuro-oncology patients uniquely positions our lab to focus on translational neuro-oncology research, combining basic neuroscience, genetics, and tumor biology, with an unique insight into the pressing clinical questions facing patients with brain tumors. My postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Matthew Scott focused on the cellular mechanisms underlying the genetics and tumor biology of medulloblastoma. My masters degree in clinical research provides insight into the translation potential of newly identified treatments through development of clinical trials. In this way, we bridge laboratory bench research into viable therapeutics for patients with brain tumors. Our ongoing investigations into tumor cell biology, developmental neuroscience, cell signal transduction, and translational preliminary studies of novel therapeutics each feedback into and exponentially advance the field of neuro-oncology. Our discoveries in the lab will develop into hypotheses about novel treatment and diagnostic development, and working with patients and primary samples develops questions for the lab regarding tumor cell biology and normal neurodevelopment.

Griffith R. Harsh, MD, MA, MBA
Professor, Neurosurgery

Dr. Harsh is interested in the microsurgical treatment of tumors of the brain, spinal cord, pituitary gland and skull base. Other clinical interests include Radiosurgery of tumors. Dr. Harsh has received numerous grants to study the genomics and molecular biology of malignant gliomas. In addition, he is the principle investigator of an NIH grant that funds the research education of Neurosurgery Residents at Stanford.

Andrei Iagaru, MD
Assistant Professor, Radiology - Nuclear Medicine

Current research projects include: 1) Whole-Body MRI and PET/CT for Early Cancer Detection; 2) Targeted Radionuclide Therapy; 3) Clinical Translation of Novel PET Radiopharmaceuticals; 4) Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging and 5) PET/CT Imaging for Thyroid/Breast/Lung/Prostate Cancer, Melanoma, and Sarcoma.

Laurence Katznelson, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery and Medicine
Director, Endocrinology Fellowship Training Program
Medical Director, Stanford Pituitary Center

My clinical and research interests in neuroendocrinology include investigations into the effects of brain injury on pituitary function, with emphasis on the impact of hypopituitarism on rehabilitation, as well as research on the effects of neuroendocrine factors, including growth hormone and glucocorticoids on neurocognitive function. I'm also involved in investigations into novel therapeutic modalities for acromegaly and hypopituitarism and research into the effects of anabolic hormones such as gonadal steroids and growth hormone on body composition.

Gordon Li, MD
Associate Professor, Neurosurgery

My laboratory studies the biology of brain tumors with the goal of developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of malignant brain tumors and translating that research into clinical trials. Currently we are studying a variety of different protein pathways that we hypothesize to be important players in glioblastoma formation and growth. Using retrovirus to modulate gene expression in both primary and immortalized glial tumor cells we have identified a group of kinases that are important in glial tumorigenesis called casein kinase 2 (CK2). In particular we demonstrated that one isoform, CK2alpha, can enhance tumorigenic phenotypes as well as maintain glial cancer stem cells making it an important player in brain tumor biology.  In addition, we are studying tumor suppressors that be used to help treat gliblastoma patients. One interesting candidate we have identified is Ikaros (IKZF1). IKZF1 was previously found to be involved in leukemia, but we demonstrate for the first time that it may be involved in other cancers including brain tumors. By understanding the biology behind how brain tumors occur we will help develop novel and more efficacious treatments for treating this deadly disease.

My clinical interests include improving surgical techniques for brain tumor surgery, immunotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma, and novel uses for stereotactic radiosurgery. In the operating room, we are looking at ways of intraoperatively visualizing the tumor with fluorescence as well as minimizing brain retraction with more minimally invasive tumor resection techniques. With clinical trials I am interested in treating glioblastoma with the EGFRvIII vaccine and other combinatorial immune therapy approaches. At the Stanford Cyberknife center, our physicians are continually looking for improved ways to treat brain cancer with stereotactic radiosurgery or other non surgical devices like the focused ultrasound machine.

Tarik Massoud, MD, PhD
Professor, Radiology - Diagnostic Radiology

My current general interests are in molecular and translational imaging of the brain especially in neuro-oncology, experimental aspects of neuroimaging, clinical neuroradiology, and neuroradiological anatomy. Specific interests include animal modeling, new glioma radiotracer development, molecular imaging of glioma invasion, imaging of protein-protein interactions, studying the p53 transcriptional network, and development of new drug formulations and other therapeutic strategies for endovascular neuro-oncology.

Erik Mittra, MD, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor, Radiology - Nuclear Medicine

My clinical interests are in imaging and therapy of a variety of different types of cancer, including brain cancer, using functional/molecular approaches. Some of these approaches include gamma camera imaging, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, targeted radioisotopes, and radioimmunotherapy.

My research interest is in developing techniques to image brain cancer using novel functional/molecular approaches. The goal is to identify and therefore be able to treat, brain cancer more accurately and at an early time-point. These techniques can ultimately be used for diagnosis, staging, response assessment, and surveillance of patients with cancer.  I have done various small animal imaging projects on novel radiotracers for brain cancer, as well as lead or assist in a number of translational projects on new radiotracers, which are available for the first time in humans, for brain imaging. Lastly, several of these new radiotracers can be linked directly to new chemotherapy and radiation therapy options, thereby making those therapies potentially more effective as well.

Michelle Monje, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurologial Sciences

Michelle Monje, MD PhD joined the faculty in 2011 as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Monje received her MD and PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford in 2004, completed her medical internship at Stanford in 2005, and then moved to Harvard to complete neurology residency in the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School program. She returned to Stanford in 2008 for a pediatric neuro-oncology fellowship and a postdoctoral fellowship. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment in health and disease.

As a PhD student under the mentorship of Dr. Theo Palmer at Stanford, Dr. Monje studied microenvironmental determinants of neural stem cell fate choice. She discovered that brain inflammation prevents neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells, work that has proven seminal in understanding the behavior of neural stem cells in disease states and the potential of neural stem cells in regenerative medicine. During her postdoctoral work with Philip Beachy, Dr. Monje focused on the neurodevelopmental origins of a devastating pediatric brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) – the leading cause of cancer death in children. Her work on this topic resulted in identifying a previously unrecognized brainstem neural precursor cell population that is the putative cell of origin for DIPG as well as the establishment of new in vitro and in vivo models for studying the disease.

As a practicing neurologist and neuro-oncologist, Dr Monje is particularly interested in the roles for neural precursor cell function and dysfunction in the origins of pediatric brain tumors and the neurological consequences of cancer treatment. Dr Monje’s present research program encompasses the molecular determinants of neural precursor cell fate, neuronal instruction of gliogenesis, and the role of neural precursor cells in oncogenesis and repair mechanisms. Her present efforts are focused on developing an effective treatment strategy for DIPG and similarly devastating brain cancers of childhood, as well as mitigating the deleterious effects of cancer therapy on normal neural stem cells critical for brain development and health.

Seema Nagpal, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurologial Sciences

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer with limited options for therapy. Currently, our group is looking to bring at least 2 new trials for treatment at the time of diagnosis and at recurrence to Stanford.

The spread of systemic cancer, like lung and breast cancers, to the covering of the brain, is adevastating and often lethal complication. I am working to bring a trials for early detection and treatment to Stanford, with the and making this a unique focus of our new brain tumor center.

Lawrence Recht, MD
Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Our laboratory views malignant brain tumor (and cancer in general) from the perspective of a wound that does not heal. It is therefore focused on better understanding whether modifying the organism’s response to the cancer process can modify its natural history. This involves a two pronged approach: in the first, we are trying to modify the normal tissue contribution to glioblastoma through manipulating molecules called chemokines. In addition, we are using a state of the art MR imaging technique (in conjunction with our colleagues in the Department of Radiology) to study tumor metabolism in the intact animal. Insights from each of these projects are currently in the process of being translated to the clinic.

Matthew P. Scott, PhD
Professor, Developmental Biology (Emeritus)

Early embryonic development is governed by an exquisite interplay of genes that organizes cells as they proliferate. Signals flow between cells to control their fates; information inherited by the cells influences their responses to the signals. Transcription factors necessary for forming particular parts of the body—such as head-to-tail differences, heart, eyes, or nervous system—have remained dedicated to those tasks through evolution. Similarly, the genes and proteins that code for signals, signal receptors, and information transfer within the cell have been preserved. We study evolutionarily conserved regulators in flies and in mice to learn how the embryo is constructed and how pattern-organizing genetic programs arose, function, and change. Genetic damage to developmental regulators can lead to cancer, birth defects, and neurodegeneration; we study all of these processes in the context of the development of the mammalian cerebellum.

Stephen Skirboll, MD
Associate Professor, Neurosurgery

My research focuses on screening strategies to identify and characterize cancer stem cells (CSCs) in human gliomas. We are pursuing this in several ways: 1) a novel colony-forming antibody live cell array to identify distinct CSC surface phenotypes, 2) RNAi screens to identify kinases critical for CSC tumorigenicity, 3) high throughput small molecule and chemical screens to identify compounds that selectively kill or target CSCs, and 4) identifying CSCs using the tumor specific EGFRvIII.

Scott Gerard Soltys, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy

Dr. Soltys is investigating how to optimize the tumor control outcomes and maximize the quality of life of patients treated for brain tumors. His current trials are investigating the safety of a shortened overall treatment time for patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) as well as the optimal radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases. Additionally, in collaboration with laboratory investigators, he is exploring the clinical translation of novel drugs that can overcome the resistance of GBM to radiotherapy.

Reena Thomas, MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology

Dr. Reena Thomas received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC and her PhD from the City of Hope Graduate School in Duarte, California. She completed her training as a resident in Neurology as well as her fellowship training in Neuro-Oncology at Stanford University Hospital. Her research background and interests are focused on immune based cancer therapies and chemokine signaling in glioblastoma brain tumors. She has also been involved in advanced imaging studies of glioblastoma. She is the Director of the Adult Neuro Oncology Fellowship at Stanford.

Albert J. Wong, MD
Professor, Neurosurgery

Our laboratory is focused on understanding the causes and developing novel therapies for glioblastoma. We have discovered a tumor specific variant of the EGF receptor called EGFRvIII. Our work has shown that this receptor plays a role in the formation of cancer stem cells and can be used to isolate and target this cell population. We have developed a unique recombinant antibody to potentially treat glioblastoma which is currently undergoing testing. An anti-cancer vaccine that is based on the tumor specific sequences in EGFRvIII has already been developed and is now being tested in a Phase III international trial for the treatment of recently diagnosed glioblastoma patients. A Phase II trial to evaluate this vaccine in patients with recurrent glioblastoma is also underway.

Kristen Yeom, MD
Associate Professor, Radiology - Pediatric Radiology

Dr. Yeom obtained her medical degree from University of Michigan.  She completed her radiology residency training at UCLA and neuroradiology fellowship at Stanford University.  She is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology and also holds Certificate of Added Qualification in Neuroradiology.  Her primary interest is pediatric neurological diseases.  Her research also includes the use of advanced MRI techniques to improve detection, surgical navigation, as well as image-based monitoring of pediatric brain tumors and associated therapeutic sequelae.