The Clinical Neuro-Oncology Lab Team

The Clinical Neuro-oncology Laboratory proudly hosts talented young clinical scientists from around the world. We believe that scientists with different background (neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, otolaryngologists) and at different stages of career (undergraduate students, residents, post-docs, faculty) create an extraordinary environment for developing new ideas in our field, and unexpected collaborations. With this aim in mind, we solicit applications for research fellowship of 1-year, minimum. For more info please contact  Antonio Meola MD, PhD.

Leadership

Antonio Meola, MD, PhD

Antonio Meola M.D. Ph.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His clinical work and research focuses on the treatment of brain tumors, skull base tumors and spine tumors.  Dr Meola graduated Summa cum Laude and Research Honors at the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2008, and completed his residency training in Neurosurgery at the same Institution in July 2015. Dr Meola attended a Ph.D. program at the University of Florence, Italy, where he discussed a doctoral thesis entitled "A New Head-Mounted Display-based Augmented Reality System in Neurosurgical Oncology: a study on phantom".  In 2015, Dr Meola completed a Research Fellowship in Neurosurgical anatomy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Then, in 2016, Dr Meola served as Clinical Fellow in Image-Guided Neurosurgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA. During the fellowship, he focused on the clinical application and integration of advanced imaging techniques, including intraoperative-MRI, intraoperative US, functional MRI, tractography. In 2017, Dr Meola completed a Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, devoting his efforts to minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques, such as Laser interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife), as well as to awake neurosurgery.  On 7/2017, Dr Meola joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford. Dr. Meola mainly focuses on conventional and innovative treatments for brain, spine and skull base tumors, including both surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery (CyberKnife).

Steven D. Chang, MD

Dr. Steven D. Chang is a Professor and Vice Chairman of Strategic Development and Innovation in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford. He is also the inaugural holder of the Robert C. And Jeannette Powell Professorship in the Neurosciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. His clinical work and research focuses on the treatment of brain tumors and cerebrovascular disease.

After receiving his Medical Degree and completing his Neurosurgery residency training at Stanford University, Dr. Chang joined Stanford’s Department of Neurosurgery in 2000. He was named full professor in 2008, and that same year was appointed as the Powell Professor in the Neurosciences. Dr. Chang has a national and international reputation as an expert in both microsurgery and radiosurgery for treatment of brain, spine, and skull base tumors, and is the Co-Director of the Surgical Neuro-Oncology Program. His radiosurgery practice focuses on the use of the Cyberknife to treat neoplasms of the brain and spine. He was instrumental in the rapid growth of the Stanford Cyberknife Radiosurgery Program and is currently Co-Director of this program. Dr. Chang also specializes in the treatment arteriovenous malformations and cavernous malformations of the brain and spine, and surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms. A fellowship trained cerebrovascular neurosurgeon, Dr. Chang specializes in multi-modality therapy for these vascular lesions. He is also an expert in both microsurgery and radiosurgery for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Dr. Chang's research focuses on clinical outcomes for radiosurgery of brain and spine tumors. His lab has active research projects involving genetic analysis of arteriovenous malformation patients. He is the Director of the Stanford Neurogenetics Oncology Program and the Director of the Stanford Neuromolecular Innovations Program. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Current Research Fellows

Nastaran Shahsavari
Teheran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran

Nastaran Shahsavari is Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She graduated from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) as a Medical Doctor in September 2016. Her research experience focuses on Neurosurgery, Radiology, and Epidemiology. In the past, she collaborated on several research projects at KUMS and Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).

Dr Shahsavari started her research activity at Stanford in the he department of Neurosurgery in November 2019.

Chuntao Li
Xiangya Hospital Central South University, China

Chuntao Li is a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He graduated from Central South University (China) with a B.S. in Clinical Medicine in 2007, and obtained his M.D. in Neurosurgery. He completed his residency training in Xiangya Hospital and continued his fellowship in Neurosurgery at Central South University. He is thrilled to join Dr. Chang’s team to focus on minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques, since December 2019.

Former Research Fellows

Hao Teng, MD, PhD
Shengjing Hospital, China

Hao Teng MD. Ph.D is a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He graduated at the China Medical University and received the master’s degree in the year of 2011. Then, he completed his residency training in Neurosurgery at the same Institution in July 2014. From 2013 to 2016, Dr Teng attended a Ph.D. program at the China Medical University, where he defended a doctoral thesis entitled: ”Role of HCP5-miR-139-RUNX1 Feedback Loop in Regulating Malignant Behavior of Glioma Cells”. Dr Hao serves as Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Shengjing hospital in Shenyang, China.  In July 2019, Dr Teng started a research fellowship at Stanford University.

Nida Fatima - Lehore, Pakistan

Alvino De Leon - Panama City, Panama

Collaborators

Radiation Oncology

Scott G. Soltys, MD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy) and, by Courtesy, of Neurosurgery

Lei Wang, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology-Radiation Physics

Erqi Liu Pollom, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy) and, by Courtesy, of Neurosurgery

Anthony Lo, MD
Clinical Instructor Radiation Oncology-Radiation Physics

Cynthia Chuang, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology-Radiation Physics

Quantitative Sciences Unit

Victoria Ding
Masters Student in Computer Science

Summer Han, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor (Research) of Neurosurgery and of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics)