Faculty Profiles in Excellence

I am a neuro-oncologist in the department of neurology. I work in the cancer center and care for patients with brain tumors that have started in the brain and patients who have cancers from other parts of their body that have gone to brain or spinal cord. I also see patients whose treatment is affecting their nervous system. At Stanford I have found the cancer center to be an open and collaborative place to work. I made a lot of friendships and met new colleagues who drew me into parts of oncology that I didn’t know were of interest to me. I enjoy the collegiality. I am able to ask questions all the time, and people are always looking for projects to do together.

For example, I collaborate now with dermatology, and we work with patients who are being treated with a specific kind of chemotherapy that causes nerve problems. I work closely not only with thoracic oncology because a lot of lung cancer patients end up with brain metastases, but also with patients with breast cancers and primary brain tumors. I really enjoy the ability to ability to learn new things from different fields. I had one extremely memorable patient who was a young women that had a seizure during her pregnancy. We found a brain tumor and took her to the operating room. Our team removed the brain tumor and performed a cesarean section to save the baby. I thought about how she had a newborn son and wanted to make sure she was around to see him. This was a compelling thing for me to be a part of, and treating complications requires knowledge of new brain science that is always evolving. I enjoy the challenge of having to master all of these fast-moving parts.

CAP Profile