UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery

02/18/2026

People living with Parkinson’s often experience problems with walking that fluctuate as they go about their everyday activities.

In a new Science Advances study, UCSF Health neurosurgeon Doris Wang, MD, PhD and her team showed for the first time that brain activity recorded from fully implanted DBS devices while patients are at home can be used to reliably determine whether a person is walking or not.

The findings are an important step towards developing improved DBS therapy to address one of Parkinson’s most disabling symptoms.

“We identified personalized neural biomarkers associated with gait and demonstrated that these signals can be used for real-time movement state classification within the constraints of an implanted device,” Wang said. “This establishes a framework for future adaptive DBS systems that could adjust stimulation in response to a patient’s activity state.”

Learn more about the research here: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/02/431491/decoding-parkinsons-patients-movements-real-world

02/17/2026

Join us next month for a four-week yoga and meditation program developed by a member of our brain tumor peer support community!

Gentle hatha yoga is a slow-paced yoga practice that mindfully honors one’s body, not pushing or striving for a particular outcome. In clinical trials, both yoga and meditation have been shown to reduce stress in patients living with brain cancer.

Virtual sessions will be held on Wednesdays at noon starting March 4.

Register here: https://calendar.ucsf.edu/event/copy-of-4-week-yoga-meditation-program-for-ucsf-brain-tumor-patients

02/13/2026

02/06/2026

Congratulations to neurosurgeons Blake Taylor, Nalin Gupta, and Tarun Arora on being named Marin Magazine's 2026 Top Doctors.

This recognition reflects their commitment to delivering high-quality neurosurgical care to patients and families across Marin and the Bay Area.

02/03/2026

We’re pleased to welcome Martin van den Bent, MD, PhD to the team!

Dr. van den Bent is an internationally-recognized neuro-oncologist based in Rotterdam who has led numerous phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials in Europe that have shaped the way low and high-grade gliomas are treated.

In his new role as an adjunct professor, he teaches and mentors faculty and residents and is helping increase UCSF’s participation in multicenter, international clinical trials.

Read our Q&A with Dr. van den Bent to learn more about his research and approach to designing clinical trials: https://braintumorcenter.ucsf.edu/news/new-neuro-oncologist-strengthens-ucsfs-international-collaborations

01/22/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Adam Clar Neuro-Oncology Nursing Lecture!

The lectureship, which educates nurses and allied health professionals on the latest in caring for patients with brain tumors and their families, focused this year on the role of molecular testing. UCSF Health neuropathologist Melike Pekmezci, MD, discussed how molecular tests are changing the way brain tumors are diagnosed and guiding treatment decisions.

And congratulations to Mary Lovely, PhD, this year’s Adam Clar Neuro-Oncology Nursing Award winner! This award, presented annually at the lecture, recognizes the exemplary hard work and dedication of a neuro-oncology nurse.

Contribute to the fund that supports this lecture, which was established in Adam’s honor: https://givingtogether.ucsf.edu/fundraiser/2035329

📸: Todd Dubnicoff

01/21/2026

We’re proud of the contributions that Mitchel Berger, MD, a UCSF Health neurosurgeon and the director of the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, has made to the national effort towards reducing the burden of cancer! As a member of the President's Cancer Panel, he co-authored a new report out today with recommendations for building a stronger cancer workforce that is ready to meet the current and future needs of people affected by cancer.

Read more about the Panel’s recommendations: https://prescancerpanel.cancer.gov/reports-meetings/cancer-workforce-2026.

01/21/2026

Congratulations to UCSF physician-scientist David Raleigh, MD, PhD, on his appointment as Translational Science Co-Vice Chair of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee! 🎉 This NRG Oncology leadership position recognizes his work to improve outcomes for patients by integrating new insights about the biology of brain tumors and their therapeutic vulnerabilities into national clinical trials: https://www.nrgoncology.org/Home/News/Post/nrg-oncology-adds-new-leadership-members-to-brain-tumor-breast-cancer-genitourinary-cancer-lung-cancer-medical-oncology-medical-physics-protocol-operations-monitoring-publications-and-translat/

01/15/2026

Congratulations to UCSF Health neurosurgeon scientist Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD, on being elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation! 🎉 His election recognizes the significant research contributions he has made towards our understanding of glioblastoma.

01/08/2026

Join John de Groot, MD, the chief of the UCSF Health Division of Neuro-Oncology, next month for an educational webinar highlighting the biggest takeaways from the 2025 Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO) meeting. Thousands of researchers and clinicians from around the world gathered at this conference to present their latest research findings in the field of neuro-oncology.

Register now: https://calendar.ucsf.edu/event/updates-from-the-2025-society-for-neuro-oncology-meeting

01/06/2026

Please join us in congratulating Cronutt the sea lion! In 2020, he was suffering the effects of domoic acid poisoning from oceanic algal blooms. This neurotoxin damages the hippocampus, leading to seizures like those in human temporal lobe epilepsy.

With Cronutt’s seizures becoming more severe, his veterinarian Claire Simeone, DVM, reached out to UCSF researcher Scott Baraban, PhD. His NIH-funded lab had shown in preclinical studies that transplanting inhibitory progenitor cells could stop seizures in mice by restoring the appropriate balance between excitatory and inhibitory electrical activity. Thanks to a team of veterinarians and UCSF neurosurgeons and scientists, Cronutt became the first pinniped patient to receive this experimental therapy.

More than five years later, he remains seizure-free and is living his best life Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Watch the full video of Cronutt’s remarkable story: https://youtu.be/hZpFH5J5lbo

🎥: Rapt Productions.

01/06/2026

Start out the new year with a commitment to improving cognitive brain health through exercise! Join us every Wednesday next month as UCSF Health physical therapist Jordan LaBrec leads exercise classes for UCSF neuro-oncology patients and caregivers. These free virtual sessions will focus on balance, strength, aerobic training,and flexibility training specific for brain tumor patients.

Register here: https://calendar.ucsf.edu/event/workout-for-wellness-headstrong-exercise-classes-4871