Ivy Blog

As a research technician, Mariya Stavnichuk plays a fundamental role in the Ivy Center's preclinical lab. Learn more about Mariya's work at the Ivy Center and her inspirations for joining the neuroscience field.

Lanette Veres, who was first diagnosed with brain cancer 24 years ago, knows the overwhelming sense of fear and isolation when faced with a brain tumor diagnosis. As the founder of the Gray Matters Foundation and the official support partner of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, Lanette has made it her mission to support others facing the disease.

As a research technician in our preclinical lab, James McNamara assists identifying and targeting therapeutic vulnerabilities using preclinical models of GBM. Learn more about James’ work at the Ivy Center and his inspirations for joining the neuroscience field.

In honor of Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Amber Jackson, wife of brain cancer patient, Tim Jackson, recounts her husband's journey with glioblastoma and asks for your support of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center's mission to contribute to a cure for brain cancer within this decade.

In honor of Nate and his courageous battle with GBM, Dr. Tedesco has decided to bike across the country to support the innovative research at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow. Through his ride, Dr. Tedesco hopes to inspire others to do something to honor a loved one with brain cancer.

The comfort and unconditional love animals provide can be extremely soothing and healing, which is why animal-assisted therapy, particularly with dogs, is so popular for helping people cope with a variety of health conditions.

Highlighted in this month’s “Staff Spotlight" is Aja Pedersen, our new Administrative Coordinator supporting Dr. Mehta's and her team. Aja shares what it means to her to work at the Ivy Center and why she chose to work in the medical field

From launching several clinical trials to announcing a new global headquarters, 2021 was a year of progress and discovery at the Ivy Center. As we begin the new year, we take a moment to reflect on key milestones and look forward to building on the momentum in 2022.

In the spring of 2020, 29-year-old nurse and former firefighter, Ian Youngblood was on the frontlines in New York helping with the influx of COVID-19 patients. While he was there, Ian began experiencing some alarming symptoms. Within days, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Now, Ian's prognosis is stable and he is back to living a busy and active lifestyle.

The Gerner family of New York founded StacheStrong in honor of GJ Gerner who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Since 2019, StacheStrong has raised over $1.5M to fund clinical trials and research grants all going towards brain cancer research. Read about the Gerner family’s inspirational story.