DHART SPORE Mentors

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Indiana University School of Medicine

EXPERTISE

Expertise in kinome-wide profiling including analyzing the responses and adaptability of tumors to anti-cancer drugs.

Email: sangus@iu.edu

Pathologist

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

EXPERTISE

Neuropathology; Anatomic Pathology; Cytology. Analysis of tissue samples taken during brain and spinal cord surgery in order to classify tumors

Email: balet@mskcc.org

Director, The Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Center.

Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Neuro-oncology, expertise in clinical trials incorporating biologic and patient centric endpoints. Dr. Blakeley directs of NTAP, focused on therapies for plexiform and cutaneous neurofibromas and the Comprehensive NF Center at Johns Hopkins.

Email: jblakel3@jhmi.edu

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)

University of California San Francisco

EXPERTISE

Pediatric oncology, hematopoiesis and leukemia stem cells, GEM models of hematologic cancers, preclinical therapeutics.

Email: Ben.Braun@ucsf.edu

Richard L. Schreiner Professor, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Distinguished Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine

^DHART SPORE Consortium Principal Investigator

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Basic and translational research in NF1. Dr. Clapp has conducted research on the role of NF1 in modulating carcinogenesis the hematopoietic system and in PNF for 20 years. He is experienced in translating preclinical therapeutics to phase 1-II clinical trials.

Email: dclapp@iu.edu

Section Chief of Neuro-Oncology and Director of the Neurofibromatosis Program

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

EXPERTISE

Chief of the Section of Neuro-Oncology and Director of the Neurofibromatosis Program at CHOP. Expertise in optic pathway gliomas, low-grade gliomas, plexiform neurofibromas and creating clinical trials with functional endpoints.

Email: fisherm@email.chop.edu

Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs

Indiana University School of Medicine

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Population and statistical genetics; expertise in managing national cell and tissue repositories involving the coordination of receipt, storage and sending tissues from multiple institutions.

Email: tforoud@iu.edu

Chair, Department of Biostatistics & Health Data Science

Indiana University School of Medicine

EXPERTISE

Deep expertise in bioinformatics and computing, specifically, translational bioinformatics and integrative genomics tools for precision health, algorithms and software for mining and visualizing large and complex biomedical data, computer vision, machine learning, medical imaging and computational biology.

Email: kunhuang@iu.edu

Director of Biostatistics Core, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Professor in Residence, Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

University of California San Francisco

EXPERTISE

Biostatiscian with a focus on studying optimal handling of complex data structure both in the treatment selection decision process and the outcome analysis in order to minimize bias and maximize efficiency of the causal inference.

Email: Miok.Kim@ucsf.edu

Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs

Indiana University School of Medicine

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Hematopathologist with research interest in the molecular pathogenesis and diagnostic classification of leukemia in human patients and mouse models.

Email: Scott.Kogan@ucsf.edu

Thomas L. Shields M.D. Professorship in Dermatology

Department of Dermatology, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Dermatologist who cares for NF1 patients amd conducts research in mouse models of NF1. Dr. Le investigates initiating genetic events and the role of the TME in tumorigenesis with a specific focus on, PNF pathogenesis and evolution to MPNST.

Email: Lu.Le@UTSouthwestern.edu

Director, Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

Indiana University School of Medicine

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Expertise in bioinformatic analysis of high throughput functional genomic data, including microarray and next generation sequencing data analyses. Dr. Liu's research activities include designing computational algorithms for proteo-genomic studies with the focus on combining data from transcriptome sequencing and top-down mass spectrometry technologies, respectively.

Email: yunliu@iu.edu

Director, Ben Town Center for Childhood Cancer Research

Professor of Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital

Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Seattle Children’s Hospital

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Pediatric oncology, expertise and national leadership in pediatric leukemia (ALL, JMML and AML) clinical trials, human molecular genetics and genomics

Email: mignon.loh@seattlechildrens.org

Chair, Department of Neurology

Chief, Brain Tumor Service

Evnin Family Chair in Neuro-Oncology

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Medical oncology and neuro-oncology; molecular pathways regulating brain tumor growth; genomics. Dr. Mellinghoff has expertise in developing therapeutic paradigms that target specific properties of primary brain tumors, including genetic alterations in cancer signaling pathways, unique aspects of brain tumor metabolism, or interactions of tumor cells with the TME. These brain tumor models are closely linked to the evaluation of novel agents in early-phase clinical trials.

Email: MellingI@mskcc.org

Director, Brain Tumor Center

Albert C. Foster Chair

American Cancer Society Research Professor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

GEM models of cancer, neuroscience, Ras signaling, cancer stem cell biology. Dr. Parada has generated mouse models of NF1-associated cancers that are utilized throughout the world, including PNF and MPNST. He has also generated state-of-the art PDX models of MPNST. Additionally, the Parada lab has developed mouse models of GBM as well as PDX models of GBM with and without somatic NF1 loss.

Email: paradal@mskcc.org

Roma and Marvin Auerback Distinguished Professorship in Pediatric Molecular Oncology

University of California San Francisco

^DHART SPORE Consortium Principal Investigator

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Pediatric oncology, molecular genetics and Ras biology/biochemistry, discovery of Rasopathy genes, development of GEM models of hematologic cancers, preclinical therapeutics and mechanisms of drug resistance.

Email: ShannonK@peds.ucsf.edu

Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

University of California San Francisco

EXPERTISE

Pediatric oncology, expertise in clinical trials in and molecualr classification of JMML and other leukemias.

Email: Elliot.Stieglitz@ucsf.edu

Chief of the NCI Pediatric Oncology Branch

National Cancer Institute

*DHART SPORE Project Leader/Core Director

EXPERTISE

Pediatric oncology and clinical investigation. Dr. Widemann has led multiple therapeutic trials in PNF, MPNST, and other sarcomas in diverse patient populations.

Email: widemanb@mail.nih.gov

Assistant Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics

Indiana University School of Medicine

EXPERTISE

Expertise in multi-omics data analysis and tumor micro-environment. Facilitates multi-omics data integration, bioinformatics data analysis, PK/PD modeling of drug exposure, and response for animal experiments and clinical studies.

Email: czhang87@iu.edu