Ivy Blog

The day after his graduation from San Diego State University, Nick was diagnosed with a recurrence of his malignant meningioma. Nick knew he wasn’t going to have a lot of options, but the Ivy Center had just opened a Phase 0 clinical trial for this exact indication.

Artak Tovmasyan, PharmD, PhD, joined our team two years ago from Duke University with an extensive background in pharmaceutical chemistry making him a fierce asset to the Ivy Center's Phase 0 clinical trials program. As the director of the Ivy Center's Pharmacokinetics core, Dr. Tovmasyan is leading his laboratory in providing data to enable the most efficient treatment regimens for brain tumor patients.

When Patricia's glioblastoma came back after her first surgery, both she and her husband knew it was time to start looking at alternative treatment options. After extensive research, they discovered the hope they were looking for was actually right in their backyard at the Ivy Center in Phoenix.

As a neurosurgical resident, Charuta is paving the way for women in her field. At the age of seven, Charuta’s mother was diagnosed with a glioma. Since that moment, Charuta has committed her life to helping others who have been diagnosed with brain cancer.

For Terra, a research nurse at the Ivy Center, brain cancer became all too personal after learning that her brother-in-law was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

Brain cancer can impact the very fabric of one's existence, the role of caregiver to this patient population can be isolating and unimaginably difficult. In honor of National #FamilyCaregiversMonth, we're sharing the perspectives and advice of caregivers to give a voice to the many who have stepped into this selfless and sometimes forgotten role

As an Ivy Navigator, Lynnea is a Phase 0 patient's first point of contact when they begin the initial process of enrolling in a study. Patients are guided by her as she helps to explain next steps and ease their stress as they prepare to meet the rest of their treatment team. Learn more about Lynnea and how she landed at the Ivy Center.

It was in the middle of his residency at Barrow Neurological Institute when Dr. Zaman Mirzadeh found out that his mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Looking back now, Dr. Mirzadeh recalls the pain from that experience and the invaluable life lesson his mother left him with which he continues to apply to his work at Barrow and the Ivy Center.

In this year's World Edition of The International Brain Tumour Alliance's Brain Tumour magazine, Dr. Nader Sanai explains the barriers faced by researchers when it comes to treating aggressive brain tumors and how the Ivy Center is tackling those challenges by re-thinking drug discovery with Phase 0 clinical trials.

Ivy Center Chief Operating Officer, Shwetal Mehta Ph.D., and Head for the Cure's executive director, Jenna Heilman teamed up on Instagram Live for the second episode in our #BrainTumorTalk series. Check out the replay here.