2006 Sontag Award Recipient
"The Foundation's support of people rather than a specific idea-project is refreshing and much appreciated. As a grantee, I felt empowered to think and do things differently and also motivated to make a difference in the lives of brain cancer patients as quickly as possible. As well I try to support my employees in the same vein as Rick Sontag does."
About DSA-Funded Research
As a physician/scientist, Kesari harnesses his experience in surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and novel devices to help develop precision therapeutic strategies that will advance medicine to a new stage in the battle against brain tumors and eradicate the disease. He is the inventor on several patents and patent applications, and founder and advisor to many cancer and neurosciences focused biotech startups. Dr. Kesari has had a long-standing interest in cancer stem cells and studies their role in the formation of brain tumors and resistance to treatment. He believes that in order to cure patients with brain tumors we first need to gain a better molecular and biological understanding of the disease.
Current Appointment(s)
- Founding Medical Director, Research Clinical Institute, Providence Southern California
- Founder and Director, Neuroscience Research Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute
- Chair and Professor, Department of Translational Neuro-oncology and Neurotherapeutics, Saint John’s Cancer Institute and Pacific Neuroscience Institute
- Director of Neuro-oncology at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Providence Saint John’s Health Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance
Education
- University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Math, Biology
- University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., Molecular Biology
- University of Pennsylvania, M.D., Medicine
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Intern, Internal Medicine
- Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Resident, Neurology
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuro-Oncology