When I first decided to become a doctor, I knew I wanted to be a cardiac surgeon. But once I started medical school, I developed a passion for analyzing disease, specifically cancer. This led me to specialize in neuropathology, the study of nervous system diseases.

As a neuropathologist at NYU Langone, I diagnose brain tumors and other brain diseases in children and adults. As director of molecular pathology, I oversee molecular and genomic profiling, a laboratory method that allows our team to accurately diagnose all types of brain tumors.

I believe that knowledge is our strength. The more we know about cancer, the better we can treat it. At Perlmutter Cancer Center, I collaborate with several medical specialists, including Dr. Diane M. Simeone, Dr. Kwok-Kin Wong, Dr. Harvey I. Pass, Dr. Arjun V. Balar, Dr. Erik P. Sulman, and Dr. Sylvia Adams.

My clinical research focuses on identifying novel biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy. My laboratory at NYU Langone studies cancer genetics and epigenetics and examines the molecular differences between tumors at the cellular level.

Our team discovered several novel molecularly defined subtypes of brain tumors and contributed to the development of DNA methylation–based classification of brain tumors, an approach that uses machine learning and epigenetic signatures to more effectively diagnose brain tumors. My laboratory is the first in the United States to provide this test to people with brain tumors.

I am a member of several professional societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Neuropathologists. I also received the Lucien Rubinstein Award for my research in neuro-oncology.