Rose Lai, MD, MS

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Areas of Treatment:

Specialties:

  • Neurology
  • Oncology

Title:

  • Associate Professor
  • Director of Translational Neuro-oncology

Sub-specialties:

  • Neuro-oncology

Background:

Dr. Lai's goal as director of Translational Neuro-Oncology at USC is to advance the USC Brain Tumor Center at USC Norris Cancer Hospital as the premier clinical and research program in neuro-oncology, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Lai comes to USC with more than 10 years of experience in the treatment of nervous system cancers. She previously had an established clinical practice at the Brain Tumor Center of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. With extensive expertise in the management of primary brain tumors, metastatic diseases and neurological complication of cancers. Her key research goal is to develop clinical trials for brain tumor patients based on promising therapeutics from the laboratory. She is actively planning trials in brain tumor vaccines, novel small molecules compounds and innovative drug delivery techniques. As the director of Translational Neuro-Oncology at USC, she brings in strong experience in leading successful national and international trials. She has also served on the steering committee and planning committee of brain tumor trials staged by major biotechnology companies. Dr. Lai is actively investigating the genetic risk factors of brain tumors. She has built a program with funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that evaluates the interactions of environmental and genetic risk factors in the causation of glioma, a common type of primary brain tumor. She has also served as principal investigator and steering committee member in the Gliogene Consortium, which is an international group of eminent scientists whose goal is to unravel the genetic cause of glioma. The consortium's work is also funded by the NCI. Dr. Lai is a sought-after peer reviewer of grants submitted to the National Cancer Institute's population sciences study section and institutional translational grant award at Columbia University.

Education:

  • Doctor of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, ON
  • Master in epidemiology from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

Internships:

  • Internship in internal medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio

Residencies:

  • Residency in neurology, the Neurological Institute of Columbia University, N.Y.

Fellowships:

  • Fellowship in neuro-oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, N.Y.
  • Fellowship, Neuro-oncology (in Medical Oncology)
  • Juravinski Cancer Center, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

Board Certification:

  • Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Professional Society Memberships:

  • 98 - present American Academy of Neurology
  • 00 - present Society of Neuro-oncology
  • 01 - present American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • 02 - present American Association of Cancer Research
  • 06 - present Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium
  • 09 - present American Society of Preventive Oncology

Awards:

  • Society for Neuro-Oncology's Excellence in Epidemiology Award, 2010
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2004
  • Chief fellow of neuro-oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2001-2002

Languages:

  • Cantonese
  • English
  • French