USC Brain Tumor Center
At the USC Brain Tumor Center, our mission is to provide exceptional, comprehensive and innovative brain tumor care. Our multidisciplinary, fellowship-trained team brings together experts across a wide range of medical specialties and utilizes state-of-the-art technology to deliver customized treatment plans for all types of brain tumors and related conditions.
As an academic medical center, we are leaders in vital translational and clinical research and offer access to the most groundbreaking cancer clinical trials available today. We are committed to delivering compassionate, patient-centered care and driving medical breakthroughs that will revolutionize brain tumor treatments and outcomes.
Our team understands the challenges a brain tumor can cause, and we are deeply committed to supporting you at every turn of your journey. The experience of our multidisciplinary specialists, combined with our expansive technology suite and clinical trials portfolio, allows us to deliver exceptional, concierge-style care for adults and children with all types of brain tumors.
A Team of Specialists Dedicated to Your Care
With a focus on being your partners in care, our center leverages the experience of our fellowship-trained specialists to provide comprehensive support. Our multidisciplinary team includes:
Neuro-oncologists
Neurosurgeons
Radiation oncologists
Primary care specialists
Neuro-ophthalmologists
Neuropathologists
Neurologists
Neuroradiologists
Otolaryngologists
Our specialists work in close collaboration and combine their vast clinical experience to manage all facets of your brain tumor care, including surgical resection, radiation therapy, radiosurgery, cutting-edge minimally invasive surgical techniques and treatment options for the most complex brain tumors.
Leaders in Research and Innovation
The USC Brain Tumor Center is a leading basic, translational and clinical research center for a variety of brain tumors, as well as the development of new surgical approaches and techniques. Our cutting-edge research program, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, includes a wide array of investigator-initiated and national trials. At our laboratories, our researchers are committed to bringing innovative treatments from the lab directly to our patients.
A Network of Resources
As part of Keck Medicine of USC, our center has access to an extensive network of clinical and academic resources, including the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute and Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. We also collaborate with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Caltech.
The USC Brain Tumor Center cares for adults and children with all types of brain tumors, offering next-day appointments with multiple specialists and concierge-style care.
Conditions We Treat
- Acoustic neuroma (schwannoma)
Anaplastic astrocytoma
Brain metastases
Central nervous system lymphoma
- Chondrosarcoma
Chordoma
Craniopharyngioma
Ependymoma
Germ cell tumors
- Glioblastoma
- Hemangioblastoma
Low-grade glioma
- Medulloblastoma and other embryonal tumors
Meningioma
- Neurofibromatosis (NF1, NF2)
Oligodendroglioma
- Pineal tumors
Pituitary adenoma
Skull base/head and neck tumors
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
Interventions We Offer
5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)–guided tumor removal
Advanced neuroimaging (7 Tesla MRI)
Awake brain surgery/awake craniotomy with speech and motor mapping
BrainPath® minimally invasive parafascicular surgery (MIPS) craniotomy
Endoscopic minimally invasive surgery
Gamma Knife® radiosurgery
GammaTile® surgically targeted radiation therapy
Genomic and single-cell sequencing (translational genomics)
Immunotherapy
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Intranasal drug delivery
Laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT)
- Robotic neurosurgery
Skull base surgery
Targeted therapy, also called precision medicine
True Beam® radiotherapy (fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy [FSRT])
Tumor treating fields (TTFields) therapy
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Help support vital brain tumor research and innovations in patient care.
Meet Our Team
USC Brain Tumor Center Director
Physicians

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital

Practicing Locations
USC Healthcare Center 2
Specializing In
Radiation Oncology

Practicing Locations
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCKeck Medicine of USC - La Cañada Flintridge
USC Healthcare Center 4
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Specializing In
Neurology

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Healthcare Center 2
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
USC Healthcare Center 2Specializing In
Cerebrovascular Disease of the Brain and Spinal Cord, Surgical Approaches to the Cranial Base, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Microvascular Decompression for Bell’s Palsy, Lateral Skull Base Surgery for Facial Nerve Tumors

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USC
Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Specializing In
Neuro-Ophthalmology

Practicing Locations
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USC
Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USC
Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Healthcare Center 2
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Hoffman Medical Research BuildingKeck Hospital of USC
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Healthcare Center 2
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Practicing Locations
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer CenterSpecializing In
Radiation Oncology

Practicing Locations
Keck Hospital of USCUSC Healthcare Center 2
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Paola Mork, MHA
Latest News
Explore what our brain tumor experts have to say on a variety of topics and stay up-to-date on what’s new.
Meet Frances Chow, MD
Dr. Chow is a neuro-oncologist at Keck Medicine of USC. She is part of the multidisciplinary, fellowship-trained team of specialists at the USC Brain Tumor Center. Here’s what you won’t find on her resume. Her role model is a childhood favorite. "I have always looked up to Mister Rogers. As a child, I remember him
Meet Frank Attenello, MD
Dr. Attenello is a neurosurgeon at Keck Medicine of USC who specializes in brain tumor and brain injury treatment, including advanced minimally invasive techniques. Here’s what you won’t find on his resume. His parents inspired his career choice. “From a pretty young age, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. My father was a
Meet Gabriel Zada, MD
Gabriel Zada, MD, is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon-scientist who specializes in brain, skull base and pituitary tumor surgery. The director of the USC Brain Tumor Center at Keck Medicine of USC and an associate professor of neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Dr. Zada is an expert in endoscopic and minimally