The Stanford Division of Child Neurology News & Events

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.

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 50^th 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.

Learn more about Dr. Baumer's research

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".

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.