Research Summary

Dr. Maya Graham is a neuro-oncologist and physician scientist who cares for patients with brain tumors, with a particular focus on gliomas.
Her research centers on developing stem cell–based models of both pediatric and adult gliomas to better understand how epigenetics (changes in how a tumor’s genetic code is organized and expressed) contributes to tumor formation, disease progression and treatment resistance. She hopes this work will uncover new targeted therapies for patients. Her research is currently funded by an NIH-NINDS K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award. During her postdoctoral training, she received funding from numerous foundations, including the Matthew Larson Foundation, the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Graham received her MD and PhD degrees from Northwestern University, followed by Neurology residency training at the Mass General Brigham program at Harvard, where she served as a chief resident. She then pursued neuro-oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she remained as junior faculty while completing postdoctoral research.

She is an active member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Neurology, where she serves on the early career leadership development subcommittee, and the Society for Neuro-Oncology, where she is a co-host of “Neuro-Oncology: The Podcast.” She is also an avid teacher, having received the Jerome B. Posner Neurology Resident Teaching Award for outstanding instruction of medical students, interns, and residents by The Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College in 2024.

Education

Fellow, 2019 - Neuro-Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Resident, 2017 - Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Intern, 2014 - Internal medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
MD, 2013 - , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
PhD, 2012 - Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
BA, 2004 - Genetics modified with Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Honors & Awards

  • Weill Award for Clinician-Scientists in the Neurosciences, UCSF, 2025
  • Jerome B. Posner Resident Teaching Award, Department of Neurology, WCM, 2024
  • Competitive Selection for Emerging Leaders Program, American Academy of Neurology, 2023
  • Competitive Selection for Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar, American Association of Medical Colleges, 2023
  • Institutional nominee for Hyundai Hope on Wheels Young Investigator Award, MSK, 2021
  • Institutional nominee for St. Baldrick's Scholar Career Development Award, MSK, 2020
  • Chief Fellow, Neuro-Oncology, MSK, 2018
  • Chief Resident, Partners Neurology, Mass General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital, 2016
  • Induction into honor medical society, Alpha Omega Alpha, 2013
  • Excellence in Neurology Medical Student Prize, American Academy of Neurology, 2013
  • Heller Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine, Medical Scientist Training Program, Northwestern University, 2013
  • Best oral presentation at annual retreat, Medical Scientist Training Program, Northwestern University, 2010
  • Induction into scientific research honors society, Sigma Xi, 2004

Selected Publications

  1. Bale TA, Mellinghoff IK, Graham MS. Liquid biopsy in the diagnosis of primary brain tumors. View on PubMed
  2. Gajecki L, Lebedeva IV, Liao YR, Ambriz D, Carter LM, Kumpf M, Lovibond S, Hachey JS, Graham MS, Postow M, Lewis JS, Andrew DP, Baca M, Schöder H, Larson SM, Veach DR, Krebs S. IL13Rα2-Targeting Antibodies for Immuno-PET in Solid Malignancies. View on PubMed
  3. Le Rhun E, Bink A, Felsberg J, Gramatzki D, Brandner S, Benhamida JK, Wick A, Tonn JC, Mohme M, Tabatabai G, Capper D, Snuderl M, Razis E, Ronellenfitsch MW, Neidert N, Ng HK, Pohl U, Bale T, Quach S, Rieger D, Schüller U, Onken J, Drüschler K, Maurage CA, Regli L, Healy E, Graham M, Hortobagyi T, Paine S, Bridges L, Lausova T, Medici V, Sievers P, Schrimpf D, Wick W, Sahm F, Reifenberger G, von Deimling A, Weller M, H3 G34 DHG Study Group. The clinical and molecular landscape of diffuse hemispheric glioma, H3 G34-mutant. View on PubMed
  4. Hickman RA, Miller AM, Holle BM, Jee J, Liu SY, Ross D, Yu H, Riely GJ, Ombres C, Gewirtz AN, Reiner AS, Nandakumar S, Price A, Kaley TJ, Graham MS, Vanderbilt C, Rana S, Hill K, Chabot K, Campos C, Nafa K, Shukla N, Karajannis M, Li B, Berger M, Ladanyi M, Pentsova E, Boire A, Brannon AR, Bale T, Mellinghoff IK, Arcila ME. Real-world experience with circulating tumor DNA in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with central nervous system tumors. View on PubMed
  5. Pasquini L, Jenabi M, Graham M, Peck KK, Schöder H, Holodny AI, Krebs S. Tumors Affect the Metabolic Connectivity of the Human Brain Measured by 18 F-FDG PET. View on PubMed
  6. Blandin AF, Giglio R, Graham MS, Garcia G, Malinowski S, Woods JK, Ramkissoon S, Ramkissoon L, Dubois F, Schoolcraft K, Tsai J, Wang D, Jones R, Vogelzang J, Pelton K, Becker S, Watkinson F, Sinai C, Cohen EF, Booker MA, Tolstorukov MY, Haemels V, Goumnerova L, Wright K, Kieran M, Fehnel K, Reardon D, Tauziede-Espariat A, Lulla R, Carcamo B, Chaleff S, Charest A, De Smet F, Ligon AH, Dubuc A, Pages M, Varlet P, Wen PY, Alexander BM, Chi S, Alexandrescu S, Kittler R, Bachoo R, Bandopadhayay P, Beroukhim R, Ligon KL. ALK Amplification and Rearrangements Are Recurrent Targetable Events in Congenital and Adult Glioblastoma. View on PubMed
  7. Diaz M, Rana S, Silva Correia CE, Reiner AS, Lin AL, Miller AM, Graham MS, Chudsky S, Bale TA, Rosenblum M, Karajannis MA, Pentsova E. Leptomeningeal disease in histone-mutant gliomas. View on PubMed
  8. Lovibond S, Gewirtz AN, Pasquini L, Krebs S, Graham MS. The promise of metabolic imaging in diffuse midline glioma. View on PubMed
  9. Sponagel J, Jones JK, Frankfater C, Zhang S, Tung O, Cho K, Tinkum KL, Gass H, Nunez E, Spitz DR, Chinnaiyan P, Schaefer J, Patti GJ, Graham MS, Mauguen A, Grkovski M, Dunphy MP, Krebs S, Luo J, Rubin JB, Ippolito JE. Sex differences in brain tumor glutamine metabolism reveal sex-specific vulnerabilities to treatment. View on PubMed
  10. Krebs S, Grommes C, McDevitt MR, Carlin SD, O'Donoghue JA, Graham MS, Young RJ, Schöder H, Gutin PH, Bander NH, Osborne JR. Correction to: [89Zr]Zr‑huJ591 immuno‑PET targeting PSMA in IDH mutant anaplastic oligodendroglioma. View on PubMed
  11. Nagle VL, Hertz CAJ, Henry KE, Graham MS, Campos C, Pillarsetty N, Schietinger A, Mellinghoff IK, Lewis JS. Noninvasive Imaging of CD4+ T Cells in Humanized Mice. View on PubMed
  12. Krebs S, Grommes C, McDevitt MR, Carlin SD, O'Donoghue JA, Graham MS, Young RJ, Schöder H, Gutin PH, Bander NH, Osborne JR. [89Zr]Zr-huJ591 immuno-PET targeting PSMA in IDH mutant anaplastic oligodendroglioma. View on PubMed
  13. Graham MS, Mellinghoff IK. Meningeal lymphatics prime tumor immunity in glioblastoma. View on PubMed
  14. Nagle VL, Henry KE, Hertz CAJ, Graham MS, Campos C, Parada LF, Pandit-Taskar N, Schietinger A, Mellinghoff IK, Lewis JS. Imaging Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Brain Tumors with [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-anti-CD8 PET. View on PubMed
  15. Graham MS, Mellinghoff IK. Histone-Mutant Glioma: Molecular Mechanisms, Preclinical Models, and Implications for Therapy. View on PubMed
  16. Graham MS, Krebs S, Bale T, Domfe K, Lobaugh SM, Zhang Z, Dunphy MP, Kaley T, Young RJ. Value of [18F]-FDG positron emission tomography in patients with recurrent glioblastoma receiving bevacizumab. View on PubMed
  17. Sachdeva R, Wu M, Johnson K, Kim H, Celebre A, Shahzad U, Graham MS, Kessler JA, Chuang JH, Karamchandani J, Bredel M, Verhaak R, Das S. BMP signaling mediates glioma stem cell quiescence and confers treatment resistance in glioblastoma. View on PubMed
  18. Tixier F, Um H, Bermudez D, Iyer A, Apte A, Graham MS, Nevel KS, Deasy JO, Young RJ, Veeraraghavan H. Preoperative MRI-radiomics features improve prediction of survival in glioblastoma patients over MGMT methylation status alone. View on PubMed
  19. Graham MS, DeAngelis LM. Improving outcomes in primary CNS lymphoma. View on PubMed
  20. Graham MS, Pudusseri A, Helgager J, Narendra DP, De Girolami U, Pinkus GS, Sanchorawala V, Miyawaki E. A Woman in Her 40s With Headache and New-Onset Seizures. View on PubMed

Go to UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI