Course Syllabus
Harvard Annual Update in Neuro-Oncology 2025
Deepen your expertise in neuro-oncology with this expert-led course offering the latest advances in diagnosis, treatment, and management of CNS and PNS tumors and neurological complications of cancer.
Course Overview
Neuro-oncology is a rapidly evolving multi-disciplinary field involving the medical, radiation, and surgical management of pediatric and adult patients with primary and metastatic tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).
This three-day course is designed to provide an international audience with a comprehensive review of the diagnosis and management of pediatric and adult patients with primary and metastatic CNS and PNS tumors, specific neurogenetic syndromes, and neurological complications of cancer. Essential modern molecular neuropathology and neuroradiology concepts for accurate diagnosis and classification will also be thoroughly covered.
Target Audience
This course is highly relevant to providers and trainees involved in the care of adult and pediatric neuro-oncology patients:
- Neurologists & Oncologists
- Radiation Oncologists & Neurosurgeons
- Neuroradiologists & Neuropathologists
- Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants
- Psychologists, Pharmacists & Nurses
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Define the role of molecular biomarkers in the accurate diagnosis and classification of pediatric and adult CNS and PNS tumors.
Determine standard and novel treatment approaches to pediatric and adult CNS and PNS tumors.
Recognize and manage neurological complications associated with new cancer therapies.
Describe and manage long-term complications of CNS and PNS tumors and their treatment.
Included Materials
- 40 High-Quality Videos
- 1 Comprehensive PDF
- Total Size: 5.78 GB
- Delivered via Google Drive
Course Schedule
Comprehensive three-day agenda covering pediatric and adult neuro-oncology.
Day 1: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Theme: Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:10 am | Opening Remarks: Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Session | Lissa Baird |
| 10:10 - 10:40 am | WHO Classification, Pediatric CNS Tumors | Sanda Alexandrescu |
| 10:40 - 11:10 am | Advances in the Imaging of Pediatric Brain Tumors | Tina Young Poussaint |
| 11:10 - 11:30 am | Embryonal Tumors | Susan Chi |
| 11:30 - 11:50 am | Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas | Pratiti Bandopadhayay |
| 11:50 - 12:00 pm | Break | |
| 12:00 - 12:30 pm | Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas | Mariella Filbin |
| 12:30 - 12:45 pm | Ependymomas | Karen Wright |
| 12:45 - 1:15 pm | Live Question and Answer Session | Lissa Baird |
| 1:15 - 1:30 pm | Break | |
| 1:30 - 1:45 pm | Choroid Plexus Tumors | Viviana Benitez |
| 1:45 - 2:00 pm | Pineal Tumors | Shannon MacDonald |
| 2:00 - 2:15 pm | Germ Cell Tumors | Kee Kiat Yeo |
| 2:15 - 2:45 pm | Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis | Justin Jordan |
| 2:45 - 3:00 pm | Von Hippel Lindau | Othon Iliopoulos |
| 3:00 - 3:15 pm | Live Question and Answer Session | Lissa Baird |
| 3:15 - 3:45 pm | Live CNS Tumor Board | Mariella Filbin; Ralph Salloum |
| 3:45 - 3:50 pm | Adjourn | |
Day 2: Thursday, July 24, 2025
Theme: Adult Neuro-Oncology
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:05 am | Welcome: Adult Neuro-Oncology | Tracy Batchelor |
| 10:05 - 10:20 am | Advances in Surgery for Brain Tumors | E. Antonio Chiocca |
| 10:20 - 10:35 am | Advances in the Imaging of Adult Brain Tumors | Raymond Huang |
| 10:35 - 10:50 am | Advances in Radiation for Brain Tumors | Ariel Marciscano |
| 10:50 - 11:20 am | WHO Classification for Adult Gliomas | Maria Martinez-Lage Alvarez |
| 11:20 - 11:35 am | Live Question and Answer Session | Tracy Batchelor |
| 11:35 - 12:00 pm | Break | |
| 12:00 - 12:30 pm | Gliomas, IDH-Mutant | L. Nicolas Gonzalez Castro |
| 12:30 - 12:45 pm | Gliomas, IDH-Wildtype | Isabel Arrillaga-Romany |
| 12:45 - 1:15 pm | Advances in Experimental Therapies for Gliomas | David Reardon |
| 1:15 - 1:45 pm | Live CNS Tumor Board | L. Nicolas Gonzalez Castro |
| 1:45 - 2:00 pm | Break | |
| 2:00 - 2:15 pm | Meningiomas | Wenya Linda Bi |
| 2:15 - 2:30 pm | CNS Lymphomas | Tracy Batchelor |
| 2:30 - 2:45 pm | Pituitary Tumors | Pamela Jones |
| 2:45 - 3:00 pm | Live Question and Answer Session | L. Nicolas Gonzalez Castro |
| 3:00 - 3:05 pm | Adjourn | |
Day 3: Friday, July 25, 2025
Theme: Neurological Complications of Cancer
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:05 am | Welcome: Neurological Complications of Cancer | Patrick Wen |
| 10:05 - 10:35 am | Metastases to the Brain | Priscilla Brastianos |
| 10:35 - 10:50 am | Metastases to the Leptomeninges | Nancy Wang |
| 10:50 - 11:05 am | Metastases to the Epidural Space and Spinal Cord | John Chi |
| 11:05 - 11:20 am | Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes | David Gritsch |
| 11:20 - 11:40 am | Live Question and Answer Session | Patrick Wen |
| 11:40 - 12:00 pm | Break | |
| 12:00 - 12:30 pm | Common Neurological Complications in Cancer Patients | Julie Miller |
| 12:30 - 12:45 pm | Neurological Complications of Cancer Immunotherapies | Jorg Dietrich |
| 12:45 - 1:00 pm | Survivorship of CNS tumors | Deborah Forst |
| 1:00 - 1:15 pm | Live Question and Answer Session | Patrick Wen |
| 1:15 - 1:45 pm | Live CNS Tumor Board | Annie Hsieh |
| 1:45 - 2:00 pm | Closing Statements | Tracy Batchelor |
Course Faculty
Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.
Course Directors
Tracy Batchelor, MD, MPH
Course Director
Neurologist-in-Chief and Chair, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham
Martin A. Samuels Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD
Course Director
Neurosurgeon-in-Chief and Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvey W. Cushing Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Patrick Wen, MD
Course Director
Director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Faculty
Sanda Alexandrescu, MD
Associate Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Isabel Arrillaga-Romany, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Lissa Baird, MD
Member of the Faculty of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Pratiti Bandopadhayay, MBBS, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Viviana Benitez, MD
Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Wenya Linda Bi, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Priscilla Brastianos, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
John H. Chi, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Susan N. Chi, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Jorg Dietrich, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Lisa M. Doherty, NP
Nurse Practitioner
Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Deborah Forst, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Galina Gheihman, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
L. Nicolas Gonzalez Castro, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
David Gritsch, MD, PhD
Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Annie Hsieh, MD, PhD
Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Raymond Y. Huang, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Othon Iliopoulos, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Pamela S. Jones, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Justin Jordan, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Shannon MacDonald, MD
Medical Director, Southwest Florida Protons
Ariel Marciscano, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School
Maria Martinez-Lage Alvarez, MD
Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Julie Miller, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Tina Young Poussaint, MD, FACR
Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
David Reardon, MD
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Ralph Salloum, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Nancy Wang, MD, MPH
Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Frank Winkler, MD
Professor of Experimental Neuro-Oncology and Managing Senior Physician, Heidelberg University Faculty of Medicine
Karen Wright, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Kee Kiat Yeo, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Participant Reviews
Hear from past attendees about their experience with our neuro-oncology update courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the sessions recorded for later viewing?
Yes, this is a recorded course. All video lectures and materials are available to registered attendees with lifetime access.
Are there prerequisites for this course?
While there are no strict prerequisites, the content is targeted toward practicing healthcare professionals and trainees who are actively involved in the care of neuro-oncology patients.
Reviews
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