Our Specialists

Meet Our Team of Brain Tumor Experts
The multidisciplinary team at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center spans the entire spectrum of specialty investigators, including neuroscientists, molecular biologists, cell biologists, pharmacokinetics specialists, animal modeling experts, biostatisticians, neurosurgical oncologists, clinical neuro-oncologists, neuro-radiation oncologists, neuropathologists, neuroradiologists, neuroscience nurses, early-phase trial navigators, program managers, and regulatory specialists. Collectively, we represent the nation’s largest early-phase clinical trials team focusing exclusively on brain tumors. Each team member brings a different perspective and background, but our team works seamlessly to accomplish the same goal through cutting-edge brain cancer research and therapies.
Clinicians
Neurosurgery

Nader Sanai, MDDirector, Ivy Brain Tumor Center and Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology, Barrow Neurological Institute

Kris Smith, MDNeurosurgeon

Andrew Little, MDNeurosurgeon

Zaman Mirzadeh, MD, PhDMetabolism Core Leader Neurosurgeon

John Wanebo, MDNeurosurgeon

Kaith Almefty, MDNeurosurgeon

Randall Porter, MDNeurosurgeon

Steve Chang, MDNeurosurgeon

Michael T. Lawton, MDPresident and CEO, Barrow Neurological Institute Neurosurgeon
Neuro-Radiation Oncology
Neuro-Oncology
Medical Oncology
Neuropathology
Neuroradiology
Neuropsychology
Neuro-Oncology Nursing

Kendall Felix, RNNurse Navigator
Neuro-Rehabilitation

Sarah KeySpeech Language Pathologist
Preclinical and Translational Science
Pre-Clinical

Sonam Patel, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Gozde Uzunalli, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Susan Histed, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Doga Yangi, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Keely OrndorffGraduate Student

James McNamaraResearch Technician

Elizabeth HayesResearch Technician

Kaitlyn ChungResearch Technician

Xu HeResearch Technician

Kyria Kelley-WolfeResearch Technician

Nicole SherwoodResearch Technician

Zackariah BrownellResearch Technician
Pharmacodynamics

An-Chi Tien, PhDPharmacodynamics Core Leader

Siddhi Desai, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Hualin Zhang, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Sydney CanningResearch Technician

Jordan FakhouryResearch Technician

Tabassum HussainiResearch Technician

Brian PhamResearch Technician
Pharmacokinetics

Artak Tovmasyan, PhDPharmacokinetics Core Leader

Tigran Margaryan, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Vahuni Karapetyan, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Murugesh Kandasamy, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

William KnightResearch Technician

Brett RudolphResearch Technician
Pharmacogenomics

Charuta Furey, MDNeurosurgery Resident, Barrow Neurological Institute

Erika Lewis, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow
Cellular Metabolism

Zaman Mirzadeh, MD, PhDMetabolism Core Leader Neurosurgeon

Shilpa Kommaraju, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Chelsea Faber, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow

Arati Sridharan, PhDResearch Engineer

Elaine CabralesResearch Technician
Biostatistics
Clinical Operations

Jocelyn HarmonClinical Operations Director

David Jackson, MD, MBAGlobal Medical Director

Amy HongData Management Specialist

Jamie SandersProject Manager

Diana MaleyevaProgram Manager

Kirk RydenProgram Manager

Kristin HendricksonResearch Nurse

Jake Nighswander-WillResearch Nurse

Anastasia MishchenkoResearch Nurse

Ciara Avelina LugoClinical Research Specialist

Annalee BoyleClinical Research Specialist

Sandra ArenasClinical Research Specialist

Sarya Reid-TateRegulatory Specialist

Tearra SheidlerData Management Specialist

Audrey WongResearch Data Coordinator

Alicia NguyenPhase 0 Navigator

Valerie Rubio BonifazBilingual Phase 0 Navigator
Business Operations

Rima WooChief Administrative Officer

Cristina ParkerPersonnel Manager

Aja PedersenAdministrative Coordinator

Christine RozellExecutive Admin
Leadership

Steve Papadopoulos, MDChief Executive Officer

Tom BourChief Operating Officer

Nader Sanai, MDChief Scientific Officer

Shwetal Mehta, PhDDeputy Director and Pre-Clinical Core Leader

Yoshie Umemura, MDChief Medical Officer
Communications

Brooke BondiMarketing Coordinator
Philanthropy
