Current Environment: Production

Medical Services

Specialties

Programs & Services

Languages

  • English

Education

Medical School

Temple University School of Medicine

2003, Philadelphia, PA

Internship

Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital

2006, Lebanon, NH

Fellowship

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

2010, Memphis, TN

Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics (General)

Professional History

The diagnosis of cancer is incredibly difficult for anyone, but when it’s your child, it’s particularly devastating. I make sure to reassure patients, parents, families and caregivers that this is a partnership and a journey we will weather together. Part of my job is to teach them about the tumor, the treatment, and expected side effects of that treatment, but what they don’t initially realize is how much they will teach me in return. I’ve had years of training to prepare for this; they have had but a few weeks. Yet one of the most rewarding parts of my job is to watch my patients, their families and caregivers transition from students to teachers. I think it’s important to also acknowledge that although we may not cure every patient with a brain tumor, we will help patients to live as long and as well as possible with current therapies and supportive care.

Publications

  1. Treatment Approach for Metastatic Intracranial Germinoma: A Multi-Institutional Experience. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 May; 72(5):e31628. View Abstract

  2. A comparative analysis of IDH-mutant glioma in pediatric, young adult, and older adult patients. Neuro Oncol. 2024 Dec 05; 26(12):2364-2376. View Abstract

  3. Author Correction: Molecular profiling of 888 pediatric tumors informs future precision trials and data-sharing initiatives in pediatric cancer. Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 22; 15(1):7218. View Abstract

  4. Molecular profiling of 888 pediatric tumors informs future precision trials and data-sharing initiatives in pediatric cancer. Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 11; 15(1):5837. View Abstract

  5. Clinical utility of DNA methylation profiling for choroid plexus tumors. Neurooncol Adv. 2024 Jan-Dec; 6(1):vdae097. View Abstract

  6. Development of Chromosome 1q+ Specific Treatment for Highest Risk Pediatric Posterior Fossa Ependymoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Apr 15; 30(8):1544-1554. View Abstract

  7. High-grade glioma in infants and young children is histologically, molecularly, and clinically diverse: Results from the SJYC07 trial and institutional experience. Neuro Oncol. 2024 01 05; 26(1):178-190. View Abstract

  8. Advances in Treatment of Diffuse Midline Gliomas. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2023 12; 23(12):849-856. View Abstract

  9. Multi-institutional study of the frequency, genomic landscape, and outcome of IDH-mutant glioma in pediatrics. Neuro Oncol. 2023 01 05; 25(1):199-210. View Abstract

  10. Upfront molecular targeted therapy for the treatment of BRAF-mutant pediatric high-grade glioma. Neuro Oncol. 2022 11 02; 24(11):1964-1975. View Abstract

  11. Molecular classification and outcome of children with rare CNS embryonal tumors: results from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital including the multi-center SJYC07 and SJMB03 clinical trials. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 10; 144(4):733-746. View Abstract

  12. Liquid biopsy detection of genomic alterations in pediatric brain tumors from cell-free DNA in peripheral blood, CSF, and urine. Neuro Oncol. 2022 08 01; 24(8):1352-1363. View Abstract

  13. Structural variants shape driver combinations and outcomes in pediatric high-grade glioma. Nat Cancer. 2022 08; 3(8):994-1011. View Abstract

  14. Outcomes after first relapse of childhood intracranial ependymoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 08; 68(8):e28930. View Abstract

  15. A POETIC Phase II study of continuous oral everolimus in recurrent, radiographically progressive pediatric low-grade glioma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 02; 68(2):e28787. View Abstract

  16. Anaplastic Astrocytoma in a Child With Coffin-Siris Syndrome and a Germline SMARCE1 Mutation: A Case Report. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2020 04; 42(3):e177-e180. View Abstract

  17. Increasing value of autopsies in patients with brain tumors in the molecular era. J Neurooncol. 2019 Nov; 145(2):349-355. View Abstract

  18. Revisiting the Role of Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma. J Clin Oncol. 2019 12 10; 37(35):3335-3339. View Abstract

  19. Cutaneous reactions to targeted therapies in children with CNS tumors: A cross-sectional study. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2019 06; 66(6):e27682. View Abstract

  20. Prospective feasibility and safety assessment of surgical biopsy for patients with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. Neuro Oncol. 2018 10 09; 20(11):1547-1555. View Abstract

  21. Establishing a Preclinical Multidisciplinary Board for Brain Tumors. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 04 01; 24(7):1654-1666. View Abstract

  22. Irreversible growth plate fusions in children with medulloblastoma treated with a targeted hedgehog pathway inhibitor. Oncotarget. 2017 Sep 19; 8(41):69295-69302. View Abstract

  23. Rethinking childhood ependymoma: a retrospective, multi-center analysis reveals poor long-term overall survival. J Neurooncol. 2017 Oct; 135(1):201-211. View Abstract

  24. Clinical targeted exome-based sequencing in combination with genome-wide copy number profiling: precision medicine analysis of 203 pediatric brain tumors. Neuro Oncol. 2017 Jul 01; 19(7):986-996. View Abstract

  25. The current consensus on the clinical management of intracranial ependymoma and its distinct molecular variants. Acta Neuropathol. 2017 01; 133(1):5-12. View Abstract

  26. Translational Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling and Simulation: Optimizing 5-Fluorouracil Dosing in Children With Pediatric Ependymoma. CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol. 2016 04; 5(4):211-221. View Abstract

  27. Vismodegib and Physeal Closure in a Pediatric Patient. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2016 11; 63(11):2058. View Abstract

  28. A 2-Year-Old Girl with Dysmetria and Ataxia. Brain Pathol. 2016 Jan; 26(1):126-7. View Abstract

  29. Phase I study of 5-fluorouracil in children and young adults with recurrent ependymoma. Neuro Oncol. 2015 Dec; 17(12):1620-7. View Abstract

  30. Response to: comment on "Delayed methotrexate excretion in infants and young children with primary central nervous system tumors and postoperative fluid collections". Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2015 Apr; 75(4):877-8. View Abstract

  31. Incidental diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 Jun; 62(6):1081-3. View Abstract

  32. Delayed methotrexate excretion in infants and young children with primary central nervous system tumors and postoperative fluid collections. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2015 Jan; 75(1):27-35. View Abstract

  33. Pubertal development and primary ovarian insufficiency in female survivors of embryonal brain tumors following risk-adapted craniospinal irradiation and adjuvant chemotherapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 02; 62(2):329-334. View Abstract

  34. Successful treatment of pediatric plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumors with a contemporary regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2013 Jul; 60(7):E38-41. View Abstract

  35. Current treatment options for pediatric and adult patients with ependymoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2012 Dec; 13(4):465-77. View Abstract

  36. What goes around comes around? Wernicke encephalopathy and the nationwide shortage of intravenous multivitamins revisited. J Clin Oncol. 2012 Nov 01; 30(31):e318-20. View Abstract

  37. Necrosis after craniospinal irradiation: results from a prospective series of children with central nervous system embryonal tumors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Aug 01; 83(5):e655-60. View Abstract

  38. Distinct disease-risk groups in pediatric supratentorial and posterior fossa ependymomas. Acta Neuropathol. 2012 Aug; 124(2):247-57. View Abstract

  39. Isochromosome 17q, MYC amplification and large cell/anaplastic phenotype in a case of medullomyoblastoma with extracranial metastases. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2012 Sep; 59(3):561-4. View Abstract

  40. A procedure to statistically evaluate agreement of differential expression for cross-species genomics. Bioinformatics. 2011 Aug 01; 27(15):2098-103. View Abstract

  41. Sequencing of local therapy affects the pattern of treatment failure and survival in children with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors of the central nervous system. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Apr 01; 82(5):1756-63. View Abstract

  42. Successful treatment of early detected trilateral retinoblastoma using standard infant brain tumor therapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010 Sep; 55(3):570-2. View Abstract

  43. Cross-species genomics matches driver mutations and cell compartments to model ependymoma. Nature. 2010 Jul 29; 466(7306):632-6. View Abstract

  44. To infinium, and beyond! Cancer Cell. 2010 May 18; 17(5):419-20. View Abstract

  45. Late effects of treatment for wilms tumor. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2009 Sep; 26(6):407-13. View Abstract

  46. New chemotherapy strategies and biological agents in the treatment of childhood ependymoma. Childs Nerv Syst. 2009 Oct; 25(10):1275-82. View Abstract

  47. Molecular profiling of pediatric brain tumors: insight into biology and treatment. Curr Oncol Rep. 2009 Jan; 11(1):68-72. View Abstract

  48. Congenital rubella syndrome in a child born to Liberian refugees: clinical and public health perspectives. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2007 May; 46(4):349-55. View Abstract
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