Dr. Nader Sanai
| Director, Neurosurgical Oncology Director, Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center Dr. Nader Sanai is now seeing patients in Phoenix Specialty: Neurosurgery Subspecialty: Skull base surgery; neurosurgical oncology; brain tumor research Education: University of California, San Francisco Residency & Fellowships: Neurosurgery Residency at the University of California, San Francisco, Fellowship in Skull Base Surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute Curriculum Vitae |
 Appointment Articles: Balance Study Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center Brain GPS |
A native of Tehran, Iran, Nader Sanai, M.D. grew up in Palo Alto, California. At the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Dr. Sanai double-majored in Animal Physiology & Neuroscience and French Literature, earning a Bachelors Degree in 1997. In 1998, Dr. Sanai entered the UC San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where he focused on patients in the treatment of brain tumors, simultaneously conducting laboratory work on the role of stem cells in brain tumor development. Since the beginning of neurosurgical training at UCSF in 2004, Dr. Sanai’s commitment to caring for brain tumor patients has not wavered. He conducted numerous studies focusing on surgical neuro-oncology, intraoperative language mapping and the biology of glioma formation. In 2009, Dr. Sanai completed a Fellowship in Skull-Base Surgery with Dr. Robert Spetzler at the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI). As Director of Neurosurgical Oncology for the BNI, Dr. Sanai’s main clinical interests are surgical and radiosurgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors, as well as complex tumors of the skull-base. He has extensive expertise in intraoperative mapping of the brain to preserve motor and language function during tumor removal. Dr. Sanai also serves as Director of the Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center (BBTRC), which conducts clinically-directed scientific research designed to pioneer clinical trials for brain tumors, and also directs the Laboratory for Stem Cell Neuro-Oncology, one of 5 independent brain tumor laboratories within the BBTRC. Dr. Sanai is a member of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program within the Arizona Cancer Center. |
