Ivy Blog

As a Nurse Navigator, Kendall Felix is the primary point of contact for patients, playing an essential role in guiding them through the clinical trial process. She focuses on streamlining their experience, making it as smooth and understandable as possible. Kendall ensures that every patient feels supported and comfortable at each step of their treatment journey.

As a communications specialist, Jennifer Keeler will write content and work with media outlets to bring awareness to brain cancer and the research conducted at the Ivy Center.

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.

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.

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

As a PhD candidate in our preclinical lab, Costanza Lo Cascio has dedicated years towards studying glioblastoma. Costanza's research paper was recently published and identified a specific enzyme that can be exploited to develop more targeted therapies when treating this deadly cancer.

As a research technician in our preclinical lab, Ernesto Luna Melendez assists in the analysis of a patient's tumor and evaluates whether novel treatment regiments are effective in killing glioblastoma cells. Learn more about Ernesto's work at the Ivy Center and his inspirations for joining the neuroscience field.

As a neurosurgical oncologist at Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Kris Smith was determined to improve the outcome for brain tumor patients. But when his father was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the battle against brain cancer became all the more personal.

Dr. Nader Sanai is an internationally recognized neurosurgical oncologist, but his experience with brain cancer doesn't date back to the start of his career. It began at a young age when his Aunt Zhilla was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Years later, Dr. Sanai found himself inspired to follow a similar path of the neurosurgeon who cared for his aunt.

As a research technician in our Preclinical Lab, Connor White plays an important role in ensuring that only new promising targets with excellent brain penetration properties move into our Phase 0 trials.