Research is funded by Ivy Foundation
Scottsdale, Ariz. (Dec. 9, 2015) – Nicholas Butowski, M.D., has been selected to serve as the principal investigator of the Ivy Foundation Early Phase Clinical Trials Consortium from the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Neurological Surgery. Previously, the position was held by Michael Prados, M.D., who retired in October.
The consortium’s varied clinical trials and preclinical molecular sequencing and imaging projects are funded by The Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation (Ivy Foundation), which is the largest privately funded brain cancer research foundation in North America. Catherine Ivy is the founder and president of the Ivy Foundation.
Butowski specializes in novel therapeutic approaches to brain tumors, clinical trials, neuro-imaging, cognitive and rehabilitative neurology, medical education, and complementary therapy. He serves as the Director of Translational Research at UCSF where his ultimate goal is to develop novel and effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with primary brain tumors. The most direct research application is novel preclinical projects and the design and conduct of phase I, II, and III clinical trials.
As a member of the Brain Tumor Research Center at UCSF, his research goals also include the evaluation of novel imaging techniques and molecular profiling methods that may influence the selection of patients for treatment. His research interests also include methods and/or treatments to ensure good quality of life for patients with brain tumors and methods and/or treatments that may assist patients in recovering from or coping with brain injury.
“We are excited to have someone of Nicholas’s caliber working to move the needle on brain cancer research,” Ivy said. “We will certainly miss Dr. Prados and are grateful for his contributions. Dr. Prados’ leadership created this collaboration that has accomplished so much in seven years. Dr. Butowski does have big shoes to fill and he has the capacity to fill them well– we are excited and welcome him wholeheartedly.”
Butowski received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Northwestern University and his Doctor of Medicine degree at University of Illinois at Chicago.
About the Depart of Neurological Surgery at UCSF
The Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF is home to leading physicians and scientists dedicated to treating patients with neurosurgical disorders and to the search for better therapies and cures. Our primary commitment is to our patients and we are ranked in the top five of US News & World Report’s list of best neurosurgery services in the country — and best on the West Coast. We have neurosurgery services at all major hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing a full range of neurosurgical subspecialty care. For more information: http://neurosurgery.ucsf.edu.
About The Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation
The Ivy Foundation is the nation’s largest privately funded foundation with a mission of improving survival and quality of life for people diagnosed with a brain tumor. The Ivy Foundation’s approach is to fund Patient Focused Research (PFR) in gliomas to improve diagnostics and treatments for patients. In its inception year, 2008, the Ivy Foundation supported $10 million in research, which embodied the concept of Patient-Focused Research. Patient-Focused Research (PFR) keeps the patient and relevant clinical issues at the center of every research project. More information about the Ivy Foundation can be found at www.IvyFoundation.org, www.IvyFoundation.wordpress.com, www.facebook.IvyFoundation, or @IvyFoundation.