Dr. Christine Pratilas is a pediatric medical oncologist at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Oncology, Pediatrics & Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She joined the Hopkins pediatric sarcoma team in 2014. Dr. Pratilas received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Drew University in New Jersey and her medical degree from UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (now Rutgers University), where she also completed her internship and residency from 1999 to 2002. From 2002 to 2005 she was a fellow in hematology and oncology in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) Department of Pediatrics, and in the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. She was a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Neal Rosen’s Molecular Oncogenesis Laboratory at MSKCC. From 2006 to 2014 she was attending in Pediatric Oncology at MSKCC, specializing in developmental therapeutics & sarcoma. She has been the director of the pediatric sarcoma program at Hopkins since 2018. Dr. Pratilas focuses her research on cancer-associated pathways and signal transduction, which involves figuring out how a cell’s internal molecular pathways work, and how those pathways can be molecularly controlled. This knowledge is the basis for developing promising new molecularly targeted cancer therapies, which is the focus of Dr. Pratilas’s research. Among her important scientific contributions is advancing our understanding of how certain proteins that can be mutated in cancer, known as RAF kinases (specifically BRAF), affect a cancer cell’s behavior. The research in Dr. Pratilas' laboratory is focused on RAS signal transduction pathways, concentrating on pediatric sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, in order to develop novel therapeutics for children with these tumors. Dr. Pratilas is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis, Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, and Osteotomy.

Brigitte Widemann is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncology provider in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Widemann is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis, Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, and Thyroidectomy.

Dr. Kathryn Lemberg is an Assistant Professor of Oncology and Pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research, conducted with Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, focuses on tumor metabolism and the development of new metabolic inhibitors to treat cancer. She has investigated novel glutamine antagonists in preclinical models of RAS-driven solid tumors. She is also interested in the effects of tumor metabolism on patient growth and development. Dr. Lemberg completed pediatrics residency training at Johns Hopkins and pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship training in the joint Johns Hopkins/National Cancer Institute program. She received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Medical Scientist Training Program at Columbia University in New York, where her graduate research focused on ferroptosis, a novel oxidative cell death in cancer models. Dr. Lemberg sees pediatric and young adult sarcoma patients as part of the sarcoma team and has additional clinical focus on neurofibromatosis type I related solid tumors. Dr. Lemberg is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis, and Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Dr. Meyer will serve as the lead medical oncologist for adult sarcoma patients, and will focus on building the Adult Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology Program. In collaboration with pediatric oncologist David Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., and orthopaedic surgeon Kristy Weber, M.D., Meyer will bring novel therapies to the clinic for sarcoma patients. Meyer received his bachelors and masters degrees in cell and molecular biology from Stanford University. From there, he joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine and earned his medical degree followed by a doctorate in immunology. Meyer completed his residency at the University of Maryland and served as chief resident in medicine from 2004-2005. Afterward, he joined our fellowship program in medical oncology and has been working in the laboratory of Jonathan Powell, M.D., Ph.D., on projects relating to the characterization of molecular regulatory pathways involved in T-cell activation and energy. As a third-year fellow, Meyer served as the chief fellow for our Training Programs in Hematology and Medical Oncology and he received a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2010. Dr. Meyer is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Mesenchymoma, Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma, Bone Tumor, and Ganglioneuroblastoma.

Aerang Kim is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncology provider in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Kim is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis, and Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Lindy Zhang is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncology provider in Middle River, Maryland. Dr. Zhang has been practicing medicine for over 10 years and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Neurofibromatosis, and Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Ross Puffer is a Neurosurgery provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Puffer is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Traumatic Brain Injury, Femoral Nerve Dysfunction, Posterior Fossa Decompression, and Spinal Fusion.

Dr. Allan Belzberg is a neurosurgeon specializing in surgery of the peripheral nervous system. As Director of Peripheral Nerve Surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, he treats tumors including schwannoma, neurofibroma and nerve sheath tumor. Dr. Belzberg performs surgical repair of nerve damage caused by trauma as well as neurosurgery on carpal tunnel, peroneal nerve and other peripheral nerve conditions. Dr. Belzberg also directs the Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and co-directs the Neurosurgery Pain Research Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Belzberg currently sees patients at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center located in Baltimore on Wednesdays and the Green Spring Station location on Fridays. Dr. Belzberg is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Schwannomatosis, Neurofibromatosis, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Osteotomy, and Rhizotomy.

Brock Lindsey, M.D., is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in orthopaedic oncology. He treats children and adults with all types of bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Dr. Lindsey has expertise in nanoparticle delivery of immunotherapy, immunodiagnostics as a novel treatment for osteosarcoma, as well as complex reconstruction after amputation, including osseointegration. Dr. Lindsey earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. He then completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at West Virginia University’s (WVU) J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, becoming the department’s first to complete a research fellowship during residency. Dr. Lindsey also pursued a fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and UPMC Children’s Hospital before returning to WVU Medicine as an attending physician. During his 12 years at WVU Medicine, Dr. Lindsey created programs in musculoskeletal oncology and adult reconstruction as well as a multidisciplinary amputation clinic. He also led a musculoskeletal research laboratory into the national rankings for federal funding for orthopaedic surgery departments. His research focuses on improving treatment strategies for metastatic osteosarcoma and exploring human/machine interfaces for amputees. His work has been published in local, national and international basic science and clinical research journals. Dr. Lindsey has experience mentoring and training students at all levels from undergraduate and graduate students to postdoctoral positions. He won Press Ganey’s “Top Provider” award every year between 2013 and 2018. He also founded ICaPath, a biotech startup derived from his laboratory research that is currently working toward a first in-human clinical trial. Videos Brock Lindsey, M.D.Orthopaedic Oncologist OsseointegrationQ&A with Dr. Brock Lindsey. Dr. Lindsey is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Bone Tumor, Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Hip Replacement, and Knee Replacement.

As instructor of oncology and pediatrics, Llosa’s research focus is the immunotherapy of sarcomas. My research focuses on understanding how the immune system interacts with cancer cells from sarcoma tumors. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can occur in various locations in the body. Sarcoma is the general term for a broad group of cancers that includes tumors that form in the bones and in the soft (also called connective) tissues. Sarcomas affect people of all ages and some, such as Rhabdomyosarcoma, Neuroblastoma, Ewings sarcoma and Osteosarcoma, are more common in children and young adults. Treatments for sarcoma vary depending on tumor type, location and other factors. I concentrate in the immunotherapy of sarcomas. Immunotherapy (also called biologic therapy or biotherapy) is a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defenses to fight the cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, stopping cancer from spreading to other parts of the body, or helping the immune system increase its effectiveness at eliminating cancer cells. There are several types of immunotherapy, including monoclonal antibodies, non-specific immunotherapies, and cancer vaccines. My specific area of interest is the use of drugs that target immune system checkpoints. The immune system has checkpoints to keep itself from attacking other normal cells in the body. Cancer cells sometimes take advantage of these checkpoints to avoid being attacked by the immune system. CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 are checkpoint molecules found on immune system cells (T cells) that can be blocked with drugs leading to a general raise in the immune system of the patients which helps it attack cancer cells. These types of drugs are currently being given to patients with melanoma (skin cancer), lung cancer and kidney cancer with great success and they have been found to shrink advanced tumors in many people. The best part of the treatment is that many of these tumor responses have been long-lasting so far, and the side effects are generally less serious than when using chemotherapy. Larger clinical trials are now studying both drugs, both alone and/or in combination with other treatments. My task is and will continue to be using the same type of approach for attacking sarcomas and hopefully obtained the very promising results and long lasting responses observed with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in other types of cancer. Dr. Llosa is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, Ewing Sarcoma, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Dr. Michael Kraut is a Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. Dr. Kraut received his undergraduate degree in B.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California, and M.D., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in neuroscience from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After a residency in diagnostic radiology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, MA, he completed a fellowship in neuroradiology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and joined the Johns Hopkins faculty thereafter. Dr. Kraut’s research interests include functional neuroimaging, especially as a tool to investigate cognitive operations and issues of visual and somatomotor function. A special interest, reflecting his background in neurophysiology, is the use of functional imaging techniques in concert with electrophysiologic measures in order to elucidate the temporal sequence as well as spatial distribution of neural activation. In addition to his roles at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kraut serves as the Medical Director at F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging. Dr. Kraut is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG), Meningioma, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, and Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor.

Carl Schluederberg is a primary care provider, practicing in Family Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Schluederberg is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Vitamin D Deficiency, Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, Familial Hypertension, and Hypertension. Dr. Schluederberg is currently accepting new patients.

Lee Helman is an Oncologist in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Helman is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Ewing Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, and Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Javed Khan is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncology provider in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Khan is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Rhabdomyosarcoma, Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Neuroblastoma, and Embryonal Tumor with Multilayered Rosettes.

Petr Hausner is an Oncologist and a Hematologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Hausner is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, Colorectal Cancer, Familial Colorectal Cancer, and Anal Cancer. Dr. Hausner is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Rima Jean Couzi is a cancer specialist in Towson, Maryland, caring for patients with breast cancer. Dr. Couzi earned her medical degree at the National University of Ireland. She completed residencies at St. Laurence's Hospital/Beaumont Hospitals and Galway Regional in Dublin, as well as Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore. She performed a fellowship in medical oncology at St. Vincent's Hospital and St. James's Hospital in Dublin, and an additional fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore. She also earned a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Couzi joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2004. Dr. Couzi is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. Selected Publications Antonarakis ES, Fradin JM, Petronis JD, Couzi RJ. “Not What It Seems.” Am J Med. 2007;120:408-411 Holdhoff M, Wung PK, Petronis J, Couzi R. “Persistent PET-positive liver lesions after successful chemotherapy in a patient with mediastinal seminoma.” J. Clin Oncol. 2007;25:2482-4. Li S, Couzi RJ, Thomas GH, Friedman AD, Borowitz MJ. “A novel variant three-way translocation of inversion 16 in a case of AML-M4eo following low dose methotrexate therapy.” Cancer Genet Cytogenet. 2001; 125:74-7. Schultz MJ, Tabb RD, Eagan JW, Citron JR, Couzi RJ. “Treating a male breast cancer patient with moderately differentiated, infiltrating ductal cancer of the breast.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Cancer Care. 2009 September – October. Siegelbaum MH, Citron JR, Eagan JW, Couzi RJ. “Treating a patient with Unfavorable-risk prostate cancer.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Cancer Care. 2009; July – August. Dr. Couzi is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Breast Cancer, Paget Disease of the Breast, Angiosarcoma, and Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Adam Levin, MD, joined the Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an assistant professor in orthopaedic oncology. Dr. Levin comes to Johns Hopkins after working as an orthopaedic oncologist at the North Shore/LIJ Health System in New York. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and a fellowship in orthopaedic oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Levin offers care and consultations for adults and children with bone and soft tissue tumors of the pelvis and extremities. He has extensive experience in performing limb-sparing and complex extremity reconstruction surgeries. Dr. Levin has a special interest in surgical palliation and biologic reconstruction. Dr. Levin is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. Dr. Levin is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Ollier Disease, Hip Replacement, and Osteotomy.

Chetan Bettegowda is the director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurosurgery. He offers comprehensive treatments for adult patients with benign and malignant brain tumors, specializing in the treatment of patients with primary brain tumors such as gliomas, meningiomas and pituitary tumors. He performs both open surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with metastatic tumors to the brain, and also provides stereotactic radiosurgery for other neurological disorders, including spinal tumors, trigeminal neuralgia and skull-base tumors. Dr. Bettegowda is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Trigeminal Neuralgia, Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma, Rhizotomy, and Microvascular Decompression.

Eric Raabe, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Raabe majored in neural science at Brown University and received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After spending a year working in Africa as part of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Dr. Raabe joined Johns Hopkins as a pediatric oncology fellow. Working in the laboratory of Charles Eberhart in Neuropathology, Dr. Raabe established a neural stem cell system to create genetically accurate models of pediatric brain tumors. In collaboration with patients and families, he has also developed multiple pediatric brain tumor cell lines that are some of the key models used for pre-clinical testing. Dr. Raabe sees patients in the pediatric oncology outpatient clinic at Johns Hopkins, with a focus on pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Raabe is also the point person in oncology for retinoblastoma care. He continues his research in the new Smith Building of the Wilmer Eye Institute in the Neuropathology Division, in collaboration with Charles Eberhart. Dr. Raabe is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Rhabdoid Tumor, Diffuse Midline Glioma H3 K27M-Mutant, Glioma, and Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG).

Dr. Ahlawat earned a Bachelor of Arts with magna cum laude at New York University. She completed both her Medical Degree as well as residency training in diagnostic radiology at Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Ahlawat completed her Pediatric Radiology Fellowship at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC and went on to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD to do a Fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology. After completion of her fellowship, Dr. Ahlawat joined as faculty in the Diagnostic Division of the department of Radiology at the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Johns Hopkins University Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. Dr. Ahlawat’s expertise is Diagnostic Radiology with additional training in pediatric and musculoskeletal radiology. Dr. Ahlawat specializes in high resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of peripheral nerves, specifically detection and characterization of peripheral nerve injury; MR imaging of peripheral nerve tumors and peripheral nerve tumor syndromes; whole body MR imaging in the setting of peripheral nerve tumor syndromes; and advanced MR techniques such as quantitative diffusion weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient mapping in characterization of bone and soft tissue tumors. Dr. Shivani Ahlawat also serves as the Director of the Musculoskeletal Fellowship Program. Dr. Ahlawat is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Schwannomatosis, Neurofibromatosis, Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), and Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2).