Research Summary

Dr. Molinaro's research interest and expertise are focused on developing and implementing statistical and machine learning methods in cancer research, spanning basic research, translational, and clinical studies. In her current roles as the Director of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics for the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery and Biostatistics Core Director for both the Brain SPORE and Program Project, Dr. Molinaro advises study design and modeling, and analyzes data from all UCSF Brain Tumor Center projects in imaging, genetics, genomics, epidemiology and immunology. She is the co-PI of the Brain SPORE Project to develop immune profile markers for risk prediction in glioblastoma patients and the co-PI of the Program Project Project to use machine learning and AI to develop spatial maps of risk from anatomical, physiological, and metabolic images. Dr. Molinaro has over one-hundred and fifty publications in addition to authoring three book chapters and several freely available software packages for the analysis of high-dimensional data. Dr. Molinaro is an elected Board of Directors Member for the Society of Neuro-Oncology as well as an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, an Associate Editor for NeuroOncology Practice and Editor for the 'Series on Biostatistics for the Practicing Clinician" for NeuroOncology Practice.

Research Funding

  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • June 1, 2006 - August 31, 2017 - Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA121974
  • July 10, 2012 - April 30, 2016 - Novel Tree-based Statistical Methods for Cancer Risk Prediction, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA163687
  • July 6, 2006 - June 30, 2009 - Statistical Methods for Predicting Survival Outcomes from Genomic Data, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: K22CA123146

Education

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL BS, 05/92, Statistics
University of California, Berkeley, CA, MA, 05/00, Biostatistics
University of California, Berkeley, CA, PhD, 01/04, Biostatistics
National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, 06/04-06/05, Cancer Prevention / Biostatistics

Honors & Awards

  • 2004
    Evelyn Fix Prize, University of California, Berkeley
  • 2004
    Chin Long Chiang Biostatistics Student of the Year, University of California, Berkeley
  • 2006
    Elected as a Member of the International Statistical Institute.
  • 2008
    Teacher of the Year Award, Yale University School of Public Health
  • 2009
    Selected as a Yale Center for Clinical Investigation Scholar, Yale University School of Medicine
  • 2013
    Diane D. Ralston Clinical and Basic Neuroscience Teaching Award, UCSF
  • 2017
    Selected for the Teaching Scholars Program, UCSF

Selected Publications

  1. Muster RH, Young JS, Woo PYM, Morshed RA, Warrier G, Kakaizada S, Molinaro AM, Berger MS, Hervey-Jumper SL The Relationship Between Stimulation Current and Functional Site Localization During Brain Mapping.  View on PubMed
  2. Mueller S, Taitt JM, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Bonner ER, Nejo T, Lulla RR, Goldman S, Banerjee A, Chi SN, Whipple NS, Crawford JR, Gauvain K, Nazemi KJ, Watchmaker PB, Almeida ND, Okada K, Salazar AM, Gilbert RD, Nazarian J, Molinaro AM, Butterfield LH, Prados MD, Okada H Mass cytometry detects H3.3K27M-specific vaccine responses in diffuse midline glioma.  View on PubMed
  3. Eckel-Passow JE, Drucker KL, Kollmeyer TM, Kosel ML, Decker PA, Molinaro AM, Rice T, Praska CE, Clark L, Caron A, Abyzov A, Batzler A, Song JS, Pekmezci M, Hansen HM, McCoy LS, Bracci PM, Wiemels J, Wiencke JK, Francis S, Burns TC, Giannini C, Lachance DH, Wrensch M, Jenkins RB Adult diffuse glioma GWAS by molecular subtype identifies variants in D2HGDH and FAM20C.  View on PubMed
  4. Mathur R, Zhang Y, Grimmer MR, Hong C, Zhang M, Bollam S, Petrecca K, Clarke J, Berger MS, Phillips JJ, Oberheim-Bush NA, Molinaro AM, Chang SM, Costello JF MGMT promoter methylation level in newly diagnosed low-grade glioma is a predictor of hypermutation at recurrence.  View on PubMed
  5. Nayak L, Molinaro AM, Peters KB, Clarke JL, Jordan JT, de Groot JF, Nghiemphu PL, Kaley TJ, Colman H, McCluskey C, Gaffey S, Smith T, Cote DJ, Severgnini M, Yearley JH, Zhao Q, Blumenschein WM, Duda DG, Muzikansky A, Jain RK, Wen PY, Reardon DA Randomized phase II and biomarker study of pembrolizumab plus bevacizumab versus pembrolizumab alone for recurrent glioblastoma patients.  View on PubMed
  6. Schulte JD, Buerki RA, Lapointe S, Molinaro AM, Zhang Y, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Perry A, Phillips JJ, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Pekmezci M, Butowski N, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Chang SM, Theodosopoulos P, Aghi MK, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS, Solomon DA, Clarke JL Clinical, radiologic, and genetic characteristics of histone H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas in adults.  View on PubMed
  7. Cluceru J, Nelson SJ, Wen Q, Phillips JJ, Shai A, Molinaro AM, Alcaide-Leon P, Olson MP, Nair D, LaFontaine M, Chunduru P, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Cha S, Chang SM, Berger MS, Lupo JM Recurrent tumor and treatment-induced effects have different MR signatures in contrast enhancing and non-enhancing lesions of high-grade gliomas.  View on PubMed
  8. Mummaneni PV, Burke JF, Chan AK, Sosa JA, Lobo EP, Mummaneni VP, Antrum S, Berven SH, Conte MS, Doernberg SB, Goldberg AN, Hess CP, Hetts SW, Josephson SA, Kohi MP, Ma CB, Mahadevan VS, Molinaro AM, Murr AH, Narayana S, Roberts JP, Stoller ML, Theodosopoulos PV, Vail TP, Wienholz S, Gropper MA, Green A, Berger MS Consensus-based perioperative protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.  View on PubMed
  9. Morrison MA, Mueller S, Felton E, Jakary A, Stoller S, Avadiappan S, Yuan J, Molinaro AM, Braunstein S, Banerjee A, Hess CP, Lupo JM Rate of radiation-induced microbleed formation on 7T MRI relates to cognitive impairment in young patients treated with radiation therapy for a brain tumor.  View on PubMed
  10. Nicolaides T, Nazemi KJ, Crawford J, Kilburn L, Minturn J, Gajjar A, Gauvain K, Leary S, Dhall G, Aboian M, Robinson G, Long-Boyle J, Wang H, Molinaro AM, Mueller S, Prados M Phase I study of vemurafenib in children with recurrent or progressive BRAFV600E mutant brain tumors: Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium study (PNOC-002).  View on PubMed
  11. Morshed RA, Reihl SJ, Molinaro AM, Kakaizada S, Young JS, Schulte JD, Butowski N, Taylor J, Bush NA, Aghi MK, Berger MS, Chang S, Clarke J, Hervey-Jumper SL The influence of race and socioeconomic status on therapeutic clinical trial screening and enrollment.  View on PubMed
  12. Safaee MM, Tenorio A, Osorio JA, Choy W, Amara D, Lai L, Molinaro AM, Zhang Y, Hu SS, Tay B, Burch S, Berven SH, Deviren V, Dhall SS, Chou D, Mummaneni PV, Eichler CM, Ames CP, Clark AJ The impact of obesity on perioperative complications in patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion.  View on PubMed
  13. Molinaro AM, Hervey-Jumper S, Morshed RA, Young J, Han SJ, Chunduru P, Zhang Y, Phillips JJ, Shai A, Lafontaine M, Crane J, Chandra A, Flanigan P, Jahangiri A, Cioffi G, Ostrom Q, Anderson JE, Badve C, Barnholtz-Sloan J, Sloan AE, Erickson BJ, Decker PA, Kosel ML, LaChance D, Eckel-Passow J, Jenkins R, Villanueva-Meyer J, Rice T, Wrensch M, Wiencke JK, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor J, Butowski N, Prados M, Clarke J, Chang S, Chang E, Aghi M, Theodosopoulos P, McDermott M, Berger MS Association of Maximal Extent of Resection of Contrast-Enhanced and Non-Contrast-Enhanced Tumor With Survival Within Molecular Subgroups of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma.  View on PubMed
  14. Breshears JD, Morshed RA, Molinaro AM, McDermott MW, Cheung SW, Theodosopoulos PV Residual Tumor Volume and Location Predict Progression After Primary Subtotal Resection of Sporadic Vestibular Schwannomas: A Retrospective Volumetric Study.  View on PubMed
  15. Yerneni K, Burke JF, Chunduru P, Molinaro AM, Riew KD, Traynelis VC, Tan LA Safety of Outpatient Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.  View on PubMed
  16. Barthel FP, Johnson KC, Varn FS, Moskalik AD, Tanner G, Kocakavuk E, Anderson KJ, Abiola O, Aldape K, Alfaro KD, Alpar D, Amin SB, Ashley DM, Bandopadhayay P, Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Beroukhim R, Bock C, Brastianos PK, Brat DJ, Brodbelt AR, Bruns AF, Bulsara KR, Chakrabarty A, Chakravarti A, Chuang JH, Claus EB, Cochran EJ, Connelly J, Costello JF, Finocchiaro G, Fletcher MN, French PJ, Gan HK, Gilbert MR, Gould PV, Grimmer MR, Iavarone A, Ismail A, Jenkinson MD, Khasraw M, Kim H, Kouwenhoven MCM, LaViolette PS, Li M, Lichter P, Ligon KL, Lowman AK, Malta TM, Mazor T, McDonald KL, Molinaro AM, Nam DH, Nayyar N, Ng HK, Ngan CY, Niclou SP, Niers JM, Noushmehr H, Noorbakhsh J, Ormond DR, Park CK, Poisson LM, Rabadan R, Radlwimmer B, Rao G, Reifenberger G, Sa JK, Schuster M, Shaw BL, Short SC, Smitt PAS, Sloan AE, Smits M, Suzuki H, Tabatabai G, Van Meir EG, Watts C, Weller M, Wesseling P, Westerman BA, Widhalm G, Woehrer A, Yung WKA, Zadeh G, Huse JT, De Groot JF, Stead LF, Verhaak RGW Longitudinal molecular trajectories of diffuse glioma in adults.  View on PubMed
  17. Molinaro AM, Phillips JJ EGFR amplification status for clinical trial inclusion: where do we draw the line?  View on PubMed
  18. Badiee RK, Chan AK, Rivera J, Molinaro A, Doherty BR, Riew KD, Chou D, Mummaneni PV, Tan LA Preoperative Narcotic Use, Impaired Ambulation Status, and Increased Intraoperative Blood Loss Are Independent Risk Factors for Complications Following Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion Surgery.  View on PubMed
  19. Cheung SW, Racine CA, Henderson-Sabes J, Demopoulos C, Molinaro AM, Heath S, Nagarajan SS, Bourne AL, Rietcheck JE, Wang SS, Larson PS Phase I trial of caudate deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant tinnitus.  View on PubMed
  20. Molinaro A, Orlandi P, Niccolai F, Agretti P, De Marco G, Ferrarini E, Di Cosmo C, Vitti P, Piaggi P, Di Desidero T, Bocci G, Tonacchera M Genetic interaction analysis of VEGF-A rs3025039 and VEGFR-2 rs2071559 identifies a genetic profile at higher risk to develop nodular goiter.  View on PubMed

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