In this episode, Dr. Kesari talks about his 20 years of working with patients suffering a deadly disease. He speaks about how his patients and their families are like his own and how his connection to them gave him a deep understanding of living and dying.
Dr. Santosh Kesari is a board-certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist and is currently Chair and Professor, Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics, Saint John’s Cancer Institute.
He is also Director of Neuro-oncology at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Providence Saint John’s Health Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance and leads the Pacific Neuroscience Research Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute.
Dr. Kesari is ranked among the top 1% of neuro-oncologists and neurologists in the nation, according to Castle Connolly Medical Ltd and an internationally recognized scientist and clinician.
He is a winner of an Innovation Award by the San Diego Business Journal. He is on the advisory board of American Brain Tumor Association, San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation, Chris Elliott Fund, Nicolas Conor Institute, Voices Against Brain Cancer, and Philippine Brain Tumor Alliance. He has been the author of over 250 scientific publications, reviews, or books.
He is the inventor on several patents and patent applications, and founder and advisor to many cancer and neurosciences focused biotech startups. In addition, he is a member of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute.
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.
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.
Highlights
Dr. Kesari graduated from University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences in 1992 and earned a PhD degree in molecular biology and a MD from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.
He completed his residency in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and his neuro-oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
He was previously assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and then professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego.
He is a member of the Society of Neuro-Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Indian Society of Neuro-Oncology, American Neurological Association, and American Academy of Neurology.
