
Find a Doctor

Nader Sanai, MD
Director, Ivy Brain Tumor Center
- (602) 406-3181
- Fax: (602) 406-6110
Nader Sanai, MD, is the J.N. Harber Professor of Neurological Surgery and also holds the Francis & Dionne Najafi Chair in Neurosurgical Oncology at Barrow Neurological Institute. As an internationally recognized brain tumor surgeon, his specialty clinical practice is devoted entirely to patients with benign and malignant brain tumors, particularly those in high-risk areas. He is a world expert in using brain mapping techniques to identify and preserve areas of motor, sensory, and language function during surgery. As one of the nation’s highest volume neurosurgical oncologists, Dr. Sanai was elected, in 2016, as the youngest member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the most respected academic organization in neurosurgery.
As director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, Dr. Sanai oversees all brain tumor research at Barrow Neurological Institute. The Ivy Center includes over 50 scientists, clinicians, and clinical trial specialists and is a world leader in designing experimental treatments for brain cancer. Its precision medicine drug development program pioneered the use of Phase 0 clinical trials to accelerate new drug discovery for incurable brain tumors.
Dr. Sanai’s brain tumor research efforts are funded by over a dozen external granting agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation. Dr. Sanai is one of only a handful of neurosurgeons in the nation serving as the principal investigator for multiple NIH R01 grants. Collectively, Dr. Sanai’s published research has led to over 15,000 total citations and an h index of 47 – one of the highest for an academic neurosurgeon in the United States, where the median for a department chair is 22.
Please call (602) 406-3181 to request an appointment with Dr. Sanai.
- 2009-2010: Fellowship, Barrow Neurological Institute, Skull Base Surgery
- 2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF, Neural Stem Cell Biology
- 2004-2009: Residency, UCSF, Neurosurgery
- 2003-2004: Internship, UCSF, General Surgery
- 1998-2003: MD with thesis, UCSF
- BS with thesis, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Animal Physiology and Neuroscience, summa cum laude, 1998
- BA, UCSD, French Literature, summa cum laude, 1998
- Study Chair, Barrow 5-ALA Intraoperative Confocal Evaluation (BALANCE) Trial
- Co-Director, Brain Tumor Tissue Bank, Barrow Neurological Institute
- Member, St. Joseph’s Hospital Cancer Center Executive Council
- American Association of Cancer Research
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Society for Neuroscience
- American Brain Tumor Association
- National Brain Tumor Foundation
- Associate Editor, BMC Cancer
- Ad hoc reviewer, The New England Journal of Medicine, Neurosurgery, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology, Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Brain, Annals of Neurology, Frontiers in Neurogenesis, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Francis & Dionne Najafi Professorship in Neurosurgical Oncology, 2019
- J.N. Harber Distinguished Professorship in Neurological Surgery, 2017
- Membership, The American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2016
- American Society for Clinical Oncology Career Development Award Top Abstract, 2015
- Academy Award, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2013
- Preuss Award, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 2010
- National Brain Tumor Foundation Mahaley Award, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2010
- Honorable Mention, 2009 Academy Award, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2009
- Howard Naffziger Resident of the Year Award, UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery, 2009
- Guest Editor, Neurosurgery Clinics of North America, Neural Stem Cells Issue, 2007
- Kaiser Award for Clinical Research, San Francisco Neurological Society, 2007
- Invited Lecturer, Frye-Halloran Symposium on Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurological Surgery, 2005
- Edwin F. Boldrey Award for Basic Science Research, San Francisco Neurological Society, 2004
- Dean’s Research Prize Finalist, UCSF, 1999
- Medical Scholars Program, UCSF, 1998-2003
- Senior of the Year, UCSD, 1997
- Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, 1997-present
- Provost’s Honors, UCSD, 1994-1998
- Department of Biology Honors Program, UCSD, 1994-1998
- Thurgood Marshall College Honors Program, UCSD, 1994-1998
A Phase 0 Trial of Ceritinib in Patients with Brain Metastases and Recurrent Glioblastoma
Date: 01/2022
Authors: Shwetal Mehta, Roberto Fiorelli, Xun Bao, Chelsea Pennington-Krygier, Alanna Derogatis, Seongho Kim, Wonsuk Yoo, Jing Li, Nader Sanai
Nonredundant, isoform-specific roles of HDAC1 in glioma stem cells
Date: 09/2021
Authors: Costanza Lo Cascio, James B. McNamara, Ernesto L. Melendez, Erika M. Lewis, Matthew E. Dufault, Nader Sanai, Christopher L. Plaisier, Shwetal Mehta
Quantitative protein expression of blood-brain barrier transporters in the vasculature of brain metastases of patients with lung and breast cancer
Date: 07/2021
Authors: Xun Bao, Jianmei Wu, Jun Jiang, An-Chi Tien, Nader Sanai, Jing Li
Prognostic value of the Simpson grading scale in modern meningioma surgery: Barrow Neurological Institute experience
Date: 10/2020
Authors: Colin J. Przybylowski, Benjamin K. Hendricks, Fabio A. Frisoli, Xiaochun Zhao, Claudio Cavallo, Leandro Borba Moreira, Sirin Gandhi, Nader Sanai, Hader Sanai, Kaith K. Almefty, Kaith K Almefty, Michael T. Lawton, Andrew S. Little
Protein Expression and Functional Relevance of Efflux and Uptake Drug Transporters at the Blood-Brain Barrier of Human Brain and Glioblastoma.
Date: 05/2020
Authors: Xun Bao, Jianmei Wu, Youming Xie, Seongho Kim, Sharon Michelhaugh, Jun Jiang, Sandeep Mittal, Nader Sanai, Jing Li
- English

- (602) 406-3181
- Fax: (602) 406-6110

Nader Sanai, MD
Director, Ivy Brain Tumor Center
- (602) 406-3181
- Fax: (602) 406-6110
Nader Sanai, MD, is the J.N. Harber Professor of Neurological Surgery and also holds the Francis & Dionne Najafi Chair in Neurosurgical Oncology at Barrow Neurological Institute. As an internationally recognized brain tumor surgeon, his specialty clinical practice is devoted entirely to patients with benign and malignant brain tumors, particularly those in high-risk areas. He is a world expert in using brain mapping techniques to identify and preserve areas of motor, sensory, and language function during surgery. As one of the nation’s highest volume neurosurgical oncologists, Dr. Sanai was elected, in 2016, as the youngest member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the most respected academic organization in neurosurgery.
As director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, Dr. Sanai oversees all brain tumor research at Barrow Neurological Institute. The Ivy Center includes over 50 scientists, clinicians, and clinical trial specialists and is a world leader in designing experimental treatments for brain cancer. Its precision medicine drug development program pioneered the use of Phase 0 clinical trials to accelerate new drug discovery for incurable brain tumors.
Dr. Sanai’s brain tumor research efforts are funded by over a dozen external granting agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation. Dr. Sanai is one of only a handful of neurosurgeons in the nation serving as the principal investigator for multiple NIH R01 grants. Collectively, Dr. Sanai’s published research has led to over 15,000 total citations and an h index of 47 – one of the highest for an academic neurosurgeon in the United States, where the median for a department chair is 22.
Please call (602) 406-3181 to request an appointment with Dr. Sanai.

- (602) 406-3181
- Fax: (602) 406-6110
- 2009-2010: Fellowship, Barrow Neurological Institute, Skull Base Surgery
- 2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF, Neural Stem Cell Biology
- 2004-2009: Residency, UCSF, Neurosurgery
- 2003-2004: Internship, UCSF, General Surgery
- 1998-2003: MD with thesis, UCSF
- BS with thesis, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Animal Physiology and Neuroscience, summa cum laude, 1998
- BA, UCSD, French Literature, summa cum laude, 1998
- Study Chair, Barrow 5-ALA Intraoperative Confocal Evaluation (BALANCE) Trial
- Co-Director, Brain Tumor Tissue Bank, Barrow Neurological Institute
- Member, St. Joseph’s Hospital Cancer Center Executive Council
- American Association of Cancer Research
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Society for Neuroscience
- American Brain Tumor Association
- National Brain Tumor Foundation
- Associate Editor, BMC Cancer
- Ad hoc reviewer, The New England Journal of Medicine, Neurosurgery, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology, Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Brain, Annals of Neurology, Frontiers in Neurogenesis, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Francis & Dionne Najafi Professorship in Neurosurgical Oncology, 2019
- J.N. Harber Distinguished Professorship in Neurological Surgery, 2017
- Membership, The American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2016
- American Society for Clinical Oncology Career Development Award Top Abstract, 2015
- Academy Award, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2013
- Preuss Award, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 2010
- National Brain Tumor Foundation Mahaley Award, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2010
- Honorable Mention, 2009 Academy Award, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, 2009
- Howard Naffziger Resident of the Year Award, UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery, 2009
- Guest Editor, Neurosurgery Clinics of North America, Neural Stem Cells Issue, 2007
- Kaiser Award for Clinical Research, San Francisco Neurological Society, 2007
- Invited Lecturer, Frye-Halloran Symposium on Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurological Surgery, 2005
- Edwin F. Boldrey Award for Basic Science Research, San Francisco Neurological Society, 2004
- Dean’s Research Prize Finalist, UCSF, 1999
- Medical Scholars Program, UCSF, 1998-2003
- Senior of the Year, UCSD, 1997
- Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, 1997-present
- Provost’s Honors, UCSD, 1994-1998
- Department of Biology Honors Program, UCSD, 1994-1998
- Thurgood Marshall College Honors Program, UCSD, 1994-1998
A Phase 0 Trial of Ceritinib in Patients with Brain Metastases and Recurrent Glioblastoma
Date: 01/2022
Authors: Shwetal Mehta, Roberto Fiorelli, Xun Bao, Chelsea Pennington-Krygier, Alanna Derogatis, Seongho Kim, Wonsuk Yoo, Jing Li, Nader Sanai
Nonredundant, isoform-specific roles of HDAC1 in glioma stem cells
Date: 09/2021
Authors: Costanza Lo Cascio, James B. McNamara, Ernesto L. Melendez, Erika M. Lewis, Matthew E. Dufault, Nader Sanai, Christopher L. Plaisier, Shwetal Mehta
Quantitative protein expression of blood-brain barrier transporters in the vasculature of brain metastases of patients with lung and breast cancer
Date: 07/2021
Authors: Xun Bao, Jianmei Wu, Jun Jiang, An-Chi Tien, Nader Sanai, Jing Li
Prognostic value of the Simpson grading scale in modern meningioma surgery: Barrow Neurological Institute experience
Date: 10/2020
Authors: Colin J. Przybylowski, Benjamin K. Hendricks, Fabio A. Frisoli, Xiaochun Zhao, Claudio Cavallo, Leandro Borba Moreira, Sirin Gandhi, Nader Sanai, Hader Sanai, Kaith K. Almefty, Kaith K Almefty, Michael T. Lawton, Andrew S. Little
Protein Expression and Functional Relevance of Efflux and Uptake Drug Transporters at the Blood-Brain Barrier of Human Brain and Glioblastoma.
Date: 05/2020
Authors: Xun Bao, Jianmei Wu, Youming Xie, Seongho Kim, Sharon Michelhaugh, Jun Jiang, Sandeep Mittal, Nader Sanai, Jing Li
- English