The Stanford Division of Child Neurology News
News
2024 Grant Recipients- Juliet Knowles & Zach Grinspan
Dr. Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD, and Dr. Zach Grinspan, MD, MS, were awarded a Cure LGS 365 Grant for their study "Leveraging PELHS To Identify Risk Factors For Infantile Epileptic Spasm Syndrome (IESS) To Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Progression." LGS is a severe form of epilepsy that begins in childhood and is associated with lifelong treatment-refractory seizures and disability.
NINDS K12 Child Neurology Career Development Awardee
Congratulations to Rebecca Levy MD, PhD on being named a CNCDP-K12 scholar beginning July 2024. Dr. Levy is a pediatric neurogeneticist and a physician-scientist who applies neural organoid models to understand and hopefully treat neurogenetic disorders of brain development. Her current focus is on the gene CACNA1C which codes for a calcium channel in the heart and the brain. Dr. Levy is the 5th NINDS K12 Child Neurology Career Development awardee in 7 years at Stanford. Other awardees include Juliet Knowles, Autumn Ivy, Elizabeth Mayne and Isha Srivastava. This is testimony to what an elite group of trainees and early investigators we have and how Stanford has become one of the very top programs nationally for early scholars. Congratulations!!
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Awarded Magnet® Recognition
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health announced that it has once again achieved Magnet recognition. This designation reflects its exemplary professional nursing practice, interprofessional teamwork and preeminent patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence.
2023 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award
Congratulations to Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD for receiving a McKnight Foundation 2023 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award for her work "Neuron-to-OPC synapses in adaptive and maladaptive myelination"
MacArthur Award goes to Dr. Monje
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD has been named one of the 2021 MacArthur Fellows for her pioneering work in pediatric brain cancers. Dr. Monje is opening new pathways for the study of cancer pathogenesis with the potential to transform treatment of brain cancers.
Stanford’s Rhiju Das, Michelle Monje and Kristy Red-Horse announced as Howard Hughes investigators
Stanford University researchers who study three-dimensional structures of biological molecules, aggressive brain cancers and how to heal diseased hearts are among 33 scientists from 21 institutions announced as new Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. The Stanford faculty members are Kristy Red-Horse, associate professor of biology at the School of Humanities and Sciences, Rhiju Das, associate professor of biochemistry, and Michelle Monje, associate professor of neurology.
2023 Paul Marks Prize
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD is one of the 2023 winners of The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. This prize recognizes a new generation of leaders in cancer research who are making significant contributions to the understanding of cancer or are improving the treatment of the disease through basic or clinical research. The prize is intended to encourage young investigators who have a unique opportunity to help shape the future of cancer research. Congratulations, Dr. Monje!
Identifying racial disparities in the treatment of infantile spasms
Do race, ethnicity, or insurance status impact treatments prescribed for infantile spasms? At this week’s 50th annual Child Neurology Society meeting in Boston, Dr. Fiona Baumer will present findings from her multicenter study to assess potential treatment selection bias for this catastrophic childhood epilepsy. Dr. Baumer analyzed data from 555 children enrolled in the National Infantile Spasms Consortium to identify factors associated with receipt of standard therapies, which have been proven to be more effective. After adjusting for etiology and medical variables, the analysis showed that children with public insurance were much less likely to receive standard therapy as first-line treatment as compared to children with private insurance (Odds Ratio 0.45). In cases where first-line treatment failed, Black children were less likely to receive a standard treatment as second-line therapy than white children (OR 0.36). Raising awareness of this potential bias is an important first step toward reducing disparities in care for these children.
From loss comes hope: Pediatric brain tumor treatment shows promise
Research from early clinical trials of pediatric glioma patients shows that altered immune cells can fight the deadly brainstem tumor.
Dunlevie Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education
Congratulations to Paul Graham Fisher, MD, Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences for his reappointment to another 5 year term as Dunlevie Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. Fisher teaches the popular undergraduate classes “Cancer Epidemiology” and “The Human Organism” in Human Biology. He was the Bing Director of Human Biology from 2012 through 2019.
Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation Elterman Research Grant
Congratulations to Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD, Instructor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, the 2020 PERF Elterman Research Grant Recipient for her project "Targeting Aberrant Activity-Dependent Myelination in Absence Epilepsy".
National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD was elected as a NAM member - considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health & medicine recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding professional achievement & commitment to service.
Helping a child's brain to heal
A rare genetic disorder left an infant with debilitating seizures and developmental delays. The medicines weren't working, but the family and their team of doctors at Stanford Children's Health, including Dr. Brenda Porter and Dr. Gerald Grant, refused to give up hope.
Mom’s fundraising helps advance research into deadly brain tumor
Bereaved mother Mycah Clemons raised money for a summer scholarship at Stanford for research on diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. The move sparked a series of experiments that have led to a possible treatment for the tumor.
Doctors use robotic assistant to detect source of girl’s seizures
A robotic assistant helped doctors detect seizures deep in Gracin Hahne’s brain without having to open her skull or even shave her head.
Altered immune cells clear childhood brain tumor in mice
In mice, a fatal brainstem tumor was cleared by injecting it with engineered T cells that recognized the cancer and targeted it for destruction. The Stanford discovery is moving to human trials.
Now Seizure Free, Gracin Gets Her Words Back
Gracin Hahne was just an infant when she experienced her first seizure, caused by benign tumors - called tubors - in her brain. By the time she was 3 years old, the seizures had gotten out of control, no longer responding to medication and significantly affecting her cognitive development. Her medical team at Stanford used an innovative procedure using a robot to remove the tubors and eliminate the cause of Gracin's seizures for good.