Dr. Roger Packer

Karisa Schreck is co-director of the BRAF Brain Tumor Center at Johns Hopkins. Her research focuses on the development of small-molecule targeted therapies for patients with primary brain tumors. Dr. Schreck has specific expertise in the treatment of BRAF gene mutations. As such, she works with Christine Pratilas’ laboratory to investigate resistance mechanisms to BRAF-targeted therapy. Dr. Schreck also writes and runs clinical trials for novel targeted agents through the Comprehensive Brain Tumor Center and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Dr. Schreck is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Pineoblastoma. Her top areas of expertise are Glioma, Brain Tumor, Astrocytoma, and Glioblastoma.

Bardia Nourbakhsh, M.D., M.A.S., is an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He practices out of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Nourbakhsh has expertise in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology. Dr. Nourbakhsh earned his medical degree from the Tehran University School of Medical Sciences and completed a residency in neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He studied epidemiology, study design, and biostatistics, obtaining a Master of Advanced Studies degree in clinical research from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where he also completed a fellowship in MS and neuroimmunology. In 2014, Dr. Nourbakhsh earned the American Brain Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship in MS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Sylvia Lawry Clinical Research Fellowship, the Fred Baskin Young Investigator Award, and the Teva Neuroscience Award for Academic Excellence. In 2022, he was named a Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Dr. Nourbakhsh's research training focused on the design and execution of clinical trials and the use of biomarkers in MS. His current research interests include the comparative effectiveness studies of symptomatic and disease-modifying therapies in MS, as well as identifying new pathophysiologic mechanisms and therapeutic targets for MS-related fatigue. Dr. Nourbakhsh is the principal investigator of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial funded by the Department of Defense, which tests whether ketamine could be a treatment for MS fatigue. He has contributed to numerous publications, journal articles, abstracts and posters, and lectures. He is an ad hoc reviewer for Lancet Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Neurology, Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, Multiple Sclerosis Journal, and other journals. Dr. Nourbakhsh is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Pineoblastoma. His top areas of expertise are Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS), Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease, and Meningocele.

Dr. Jaishri Blakeley is the Marjorie Bloomberg Tiven Professor of Neurofibromatosis in Neurology, Oncology, and Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Center and director of the Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Acceleration Program (NTAP). She is an active clinician-scientist specializing in the care of people with NF1, NF2, LZTR1, SMARC1 schwannomatoses, and primary brain tumors. Her research expertise in the development of clinical trials for nervous system tumors and specifically, early clinical-translational studies including tumor pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations, imaging biomarkers for rare nervous system tumors, and incorporation of patient-focused, functional endpoints into efficacy studies. She has been the national or international leader of 7 clinical trials focused on therapies for glioblastoma, NF1 and NF2. In 2012 she cofounded the NTAP to dramatically shift the landscape of NF1 via necessary, efficient, and expert discovery, translational and clinical research. NTAP focuses on therapeutics, fosters collaboration, facilitates open and timely sharing of results, and streamlines the research process to accelerate therapies for plexiform and cutaneous neurofibromas. Through NTAP, Dr. Blakeley has supported and collaborated with more than 80 laboratories and research teams across the globe enabling meaningful therapeutic development for NF1-associated neoplasms and supporting the development of an exceptional community of clinician scientists focused on NF1 via the Francis S. Collins Scholars Program in Neurofibromatosis Clinical and Translational Research. Her research and programmatic efforts are all in the service of improving outcomes for the patients with NF1, NF2, schwannomatosis, and primary brain cancer for whom she is honored to provide care. Dr. Blakeley is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Pineoblastoma. Her top areas of expertise are Neurofibromatosis, Schwannomatosis, Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), and Laminectomy.