Research Summary

Dr. Berger's main clinical interests are the treatment of brain tumors in adults and children and of epilepsy related to brain tumors. He has extensive expertise in intraoperative mapping of the brain to identify the sites of motor, sensory, and language function and thereby avoid their involvement or injury during surgery.

Dr. Berger is Director of the Neuro-Oncology Surgery Program. His current research interests involve identifying molecular markers in gliomas as correlates of tumor progression and prognosis. He also works in conjunction with Dr. Krys Bankiewicz to test small molecule inhibitors in brain tumors using convection enhanced delivery. Other collaborations include functional mapping localization of language pathways in the brain in conjunction with Dr. Robert Knight and the Cognitive Neuroscience Graduate Program at UC Berkeley. Dr. Berger is currently the Principal Investigator of UCSF's SPORE Brain Tumor Program. He is also the Principal Investigator of a Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Institute award to study the origins and treatment of pediatric brain tumors. "

Research Funding

  • December 1, 2005 - July 31, 2024 - Noninvasive Metabolic Signatures to Improve Management of Molecular Subtypes of Glioma , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P01CA118816
  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • August 5, 1999 - May 31, 2023 - Cancer Center Support Grant , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P30CA082103
  • April 1, 1979 - February 28, 2007 - PROGRAMS FOR TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMORS , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P01NS042927

Education

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, A.B., 1975, Social Psychology
University of Miami, Miami, FL, M.D., 1979, Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, CA (UCSF), Dept. of Neurological Surgery, Brain Tumor Research Center (BTRC) Research Fellow 1983 - 1984 Neurosurgery
UCSF, BTRC, Neuro-Oncology Service, Clinical Fellow, 7/85 - 12/85, Neurosurgery
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow, 1/86 - 6/86, Neurosurgery

Honors & Awards

  • 1997-Present
    Joint Section on Tumors Advisory Council, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons
  • 1997-1999
    Vice-President, Congress of Neurological Surgeons; President, Society for Neuro-Oncology
  • 2002-Present
    America’s Top Doctors, peer-nominated referral index from Castle Connolly
  • 2006
    Tumor Section, 2006 Ronald L. Bittner Lecturer; 2006 Farber Award Winner
  • 2007–Present
    Board of Directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • 2007–Present
    Member of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons
  • 2010
    Vice-President, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • 2011
    President Elect, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • 2012
    President, American Association of Neurological Surgeons

Selected Publications

  1. Young JS, Al-Adli N, Scotford K, Cha S, Berger MS. Pseudoprogression versus true progression in glioblastoma: what neurosurgeons need to know. J Neurosurg. 2023 Feb 10; 1-12.  View on PubMed
  2. Morshed RA, Saggi S, Cummins DD, Molinaro AM, Young JS, Viner JA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Goldschmidt E, Boreta L, Braunstein SE, Chang EF, McDermott MW, Berger MS, Theodosopoulos PV, Hervey-Jumper SL, Aghi MK, Daras M. Identification of risk factors associated with leptomeningeal disease after resection of brain metastases. J Neurosurg. 2023 Jan 13; 1-12.  View on PubMed
  3. Miller JJ, Gonzalez Castro LN, McBrayer S, Weller M, Cloughesy T, Portnow J, Andronesi O, Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Baumert BG, Berger MS, Bi WL, Bindra R, Cahill DP, Chang SM, Costello JF, Horbinski C, Huang RY, Jenkins RB, Ligon KL, Mellinghoff IK, Nabors LB, Platten M, Reardon DA, Shi DD, Schiff D, Wick W, Yan H, von Deimling A, van den Bent M, Kaelin WG, Wen PY. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutant gliomas: A Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) consensus review on diagnosis, management, and future directions. Neuro Oncol. 2023 Jan 05; 25(1):4-25.  View on PubMed
  4. Hervey-Jumper SL, Zhang Y, Phillips JJ, Morshed RA, Young JS, McCoy L, Lafontaine M, Luks T, Ammanuel S, Kakaizada S, Egladyous A, Gogos A, Villanueva-Meyer J, Shai A, Warrier G, Rice T, Crane J, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Daras M, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Butowski N, Clarke J, Chang S, Chang E, Aghi M, Theodosopoulos P, McDermott M, Jakola AS, Kavouridis VK, Nawabi N, Solheim O, Smith T, Berger MS, Molinaro AM. Interactive Effects of Molecular, Therapeutic, and Patient Factors on Outcome of Diffuse Low-Grade Glioma. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Jan 04; JCO2102929.  View on PubMed
  5. Patel A, Mummaneni PV, Zheng J, Rosner BI, Thombley R, Sorour O, Theodosopoulos PV, Aghi MK, Berger MS, Chang EF, Chou D, Manley GT, DiGiorgio AM. On-Call Junior Neurosurgery Residents Spend 9 hours of Their On-Call Shift Actively Using the Electronic Health Record. Neurosurgery. 2022 Dec 12.  View on PubMed
  6. Young JS, Al-Adli N, Sibih YE, Scotford KL, Casey M, James S, Berger MS. Recognizing the psychological impact of a glioma diagnosis on mental and behavioral health: a systematic review of what neurosurgeons need to know. J Neurosurg. 2022 Nov 04; 1-9.  View on PubMed
  7. Zhang JJY, Lee KS, Wang DD, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS. Seizure outcome after resection of insular glioma: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and institutional experience. J Neurosurg. 2022 Oct 14; 1-12.  View on PubMed
  8. Riva M, Wilson SM, Cai R, Castellano A, Jordan KM, Henry RG, Gorno Tempini ML, Berger MS, Chang EF. Evaluating syntactic comprehension during awake intraoperative cortical stimulation mapping. J Neurosurg. 2022 Oct 07; 1-8.  View on PubMed
  9. Zhang Y, Lucas CG, Young JS, Morshed RA, McCoy L, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Daras M, Butowski NA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Cha S, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Lee JC, Pekmezci M, Phillips JJ, Perry A, Bollen AW, Aghi MK, Theodosopoulos P, Chang EF, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS, Clarke JL, Chang SM, Molinaro AM, Solomon DA. Prospective genomically guided identification of "early/evolving" and "undersampled" IDH-wildtype glioblastoma leads to improved clinical outcomes. Neuro Oncol. 2022 10 03; 24(10):1749-1762.  View on PubMed
  10. Karschnia P, Young JS, Dono A, H?ni L, Juenger ST, Sciortino T, Bruno F, Teske N, Morshed RA, Haddad AF, Zhang Y, Stoecklein S, Vogelbaum MA, Beck J, Tandon N, Hervey-Jumper S, Molinaro AM, Rud? R, Bello L, Schnell O, Esquenazi Y, Ruge MI, Grau SJ, van den Bent M, Weller M, Berger MS, Chang SM, Tonn JC. TERT promotor status does not add prognostic information in IDH-wildtype glioblastomas fulfilling other diagnostic WHO criteria: A report of the RANO resect group. Neurooncol Adv. 2022 Jan-Dec; 4(1):vdac158.  View on PubMed
  11. Hosmann A, Jaber M, Roetzer-Pejrimovsky T, Timelthaler G, Borkovec M, Kiesel B, Wadiura LI, Millesi M, Mercea PA, Phillips J, Hervey-Jumper S, Berghoff AS, Hainfellner JA, Berger MS, Stummer W, Widhalm G. CD34 microvascularity in low-grade glioma: correlation with 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence and patient prognosis in a multicenter study at three specialized centers. J Neurosurg. 2022 Sep 16; 1-10.  View on PubMed
  12. Mischkulnig M, Kiesel B, R?tzer-Pejrimovsky T, Borkovec M, Lang A, Millesi M, Wadiura LI, Hervey-Jumper S, Penninger JM, Berger MS, Widhalm G, Erhart F. The impact of heme biosynthesis regulation on glioma aggressiveness: Correlations with diagnostic molecular markers. Front Mol Neurosci. 2022; 15:928355.  View on PubMed
  13. Mohamed E, Kumar A, Zhang Y, Wang AS, Chen K, Lim Y, Shai A, Taylor JW, Clarke J, Hilz S, Berger MS, Solomon DA, Costello JF, Molinaro AM, Phillips JJ. PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway activity in IDH-mutant diffuse glioma and clinical implications. Neuro Oncol. 2022 09 01; 24(9):1471-1481.  View on PubMed
  14. Karschnia P, Young JS, Dono A, H?ni L, Sciortino T, Bruno F, Juenger ST, Teske N, Morshed RA, Haddad AF, Zhang Y, Stoecklein S, Weller M, Vogelbaum MA, Beck J, Tandon N, Hervey-Jumper S, Molinaro AM, Rud? R, Bello L, Schnell O, Esquenazi Y, Ruge MI, Grau SJ, Berger MS, Chang SM, van den Bent M, Tonn JC. Prognostic validation of a new classification system for extent of resection in glioblastoma: a report of the RANO resect group. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Aug 12.  View on PubMed
  15. Lucas CG, Sloan EA, Gupta R, Wu J, Pratt D, Vasudevan HN, Ravindranathan A, Barreto J, Williams EA, Shai A, Whipple NS, Bruggers CS, Maher O, Nabors B, Rodriguez M, Samuel D, Brown M, Carmichael J, Lu R, Mirchia K, Sullivan DV, Pekmezci M, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Perry A, Banerjee A, Mueller S, Gupta N, Hervey-Jumper SL, Oberheim Bush NA, Daras M, Taylor JW, Butowski NA, de Groot J, Clarke JL, Raleigh DR, Costello JF, Phillips JJ, Reddy AT, Chang SM, Berger MS, Solomon DA. Multiplatform molecular analyses refine classification of gliomas arising in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 10; 144(4):747-765.  View on PubMed
  16. Reihl SJ, Garcia JH, Morshed RA, Sankaran S, DiGiorgio A, Chou D, Theodosopoulos PV, Aghi MK, Berger MS, Chang EF, Mummaneni PV. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neurosurgical Transfers: A Single Tertiary Center Study. World Neurosurg. 2022 10; 166:e915-e923.  View on PubMed
  17. Andrews JP, Cahn N, Speidel BA, Chung JE, Levy DF, Wilson SM, Berger MS, Chang EF. Dissociation of Broca's area from Broca's aphasia in patients undergoing neurosurgical resections. J Neurosurg. 2023 Mar 01; 138(3):847-857.  View on PubMed
  18. Bouget D, Pedersen A, Jakola AS, Kavouridis V, Emblem KE, Eijgelaar RS, Kommers I, Ardon H, Barkhof F, Bello L, Berger MS, Conti Nibali M, Furtner J, Hervey-Jumper S, Idema AJS, Kiesel B, Kloet A, Mandonnet E, M?ller DMJ, Robe PA, Rossi M, Sciortino T, Van den Brink WA, Wagemakers M, Widhalm G, Witte MG, Zwinderman AH, De Witt Hamer PC, Solheim O, Reinertsen I. Preoperative Brain Tumor Imaging: Models and Software for Segmentation and Standardized Reporting. Front Neurol. 2022; 13:932219.  View on PubMed
  19. Gleason JM, Klass SH, Huang P, Ozawa T, Santos RA, Fogarty MM, Raleigh DR, Berger MS, Francis MB. Intrinsically Disordered Protein Micelles as Vehicles for Convection-Enhanced Drug Delivery to Glioblastoma Multiforme. ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2022 08 15; 5(8):3695-3702.  View on PubMed
  20. Ali MB, Bai X, Gu IY, Berger MS, Jakola AS. A Feasibility Study on Deep Learning Based Brain Tumor Segmentation Using 2D Ellipse Box Areas. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Jul 15; 22(14).  View on PubMed

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