Andrew B. Lassman, M.D., is the John Harris Associate Professor of Neurology and the Chief of Neuro-oncology at Columbia University. After earning B.S. and M.S. degrees in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry as part of a combined 4-year program at Yale University, he received his M.D. from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Lassman subsequently completed his residency at the Neurological Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he then joined the faculty and served as fellowship director.

In November 2011, Dr. Lassman became Chief of Neuro-Oncology at Columbia University Medical Center, and also serves as the Medical Director for the Clinical Protocol Data Management Office of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Dr. Lassman received the Preuss Award in Neuro-Oncology from the American Academy of Neurology, the Boyer Clinical Research Award from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer.

Lisa M. DeAngelis, M.D., is the Physician-In-Chief of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where she holds the Lillian Rojtman Berkman Chair in honor of Dr. Jerome Posner and is also the co-executive director of the MSKCC Brain Tumor Center. Dr. DeAngelis received her M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, completed her residency at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), and fellowships in Neuro-Oncology at CUMC and MSKCC. In 1997, Dr. DeAngelis became the Chair of the Department of Neurology at MSKCC.

Dr. DeAngelis has been a major contributor to therapeutic trials of glioma patients. Studying all grades and subtypes, she has investigated the role of small molecule inhibitors, anti-angiogenic therapy and molecular profiling in gliomas. Dr. DeAngelis also pioneered the study of primary CNS lymphoma, studying its biology, clinical features, response to treatment and its optimal therapy.

Dr. DeAngelis is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and of the American Neurological Association where she served as the first vice president. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the AAN and recently completed two terms as vice-president. She has been the chair of the Science Committee since 2011 and continues to serve in that capacity. Dr. DeAngelis has received awards for her work, including the 2009 Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer. In 2012, Dr. DeAngelis was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Jody M. Mason, B.Sc., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, U.K. His research interests center on the employment of peptide-based libraries to identify stable and specific antagonists of key protein-protein interactions that are implicated in disease pathways. Dr. Mason has authored over 40 papers as well as book chapters and patents in the area of protein folding and interaction.

Dr. Mason earned his degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol, U.K. in 1997. In 2001, he completed a Ph.D. in protein folding at the Department of Biochemistry, the University of Bristol under the supervision of the late Professor Tony Clarke. Postdoctoral research at the University of Manchester focused on amyloid aggregation inhibitors with Professor Andrew Doig. He has since worked at the Universities of Freiburg, Germany and Essex, U.K. Since 2015, Dr. Mason is an Associate Professor at the University of Bath. Funding towards Dr. Mason's research has included a Career Establishment Award from Cancer Research UK, in addition to major funding from the Wellcome Trust, and Alzheimer's Research U.K. He is a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) pool of experts and the Alzheimer's Research U.K. Grant Review Board.

Praveen B. Raju, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and the Caryl & Israel A. Englander Clinical Scholar in Children's Health at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Pediatrician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is board-certified in Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology.

Dr. Raju completed his M.D. in 2001 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he also completed his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology / Genetics. He served as a resident in Pediatrics at Babies & Children's Hospital of New York / Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and subsequently finished his Pediatric Neurology Fellowship training at Children's Hospital, Boston / Harvard Medical School in 2006 where he served as Chief Fellow during his final year. Prior to joining the Weill Cornell Medical College faculty, Dr. Raju was a Fellow of the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Raju directs the Laboratory for Childhood Brain Tumor Research at Weill Cornell Medical College and studies the developmental origins of pediatric brain tumors including medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), pediatric glioma, and brainstem glioma and their respective relationships to developmental signal transduction pathways. Through the utilization of sophisticated mouse genetics techniques, Dr. Raju and his team are creating new and improved preclinical models of these childhood brain tumors to better understand their biology, investigate novel treatment approaches, and identify treatment resistance mechanisms that can be translated back for use in patients.