Rahul Jandial, M.D., Ph.D., has joined City of Hope’s Division of Neurosurgery as the new section head of the spine program. Jandial has published research spanning a wide swath of neurological conditions, topics and treatments.
 Rahul Jandial (Courtesy of Rahul Jandial) |
“My primary goal is always to provide excellent care for patients, not only as a surgeon but also as the physician with whom they place their trust and rely on as part of their support system while dealing with cancer,” said Jandial.
Jandial manages the neurological treatment of brain and spine cancers, focusing on the removal of tumors along the spine and reconstruction of the affected area.
Primary tumors in and around the spine are rare, but cells from metastasized cancers elsewhere can often establish new tumors in that area.
“Spinal metastases are increasingly something we need to battle,” said Jandial. “At City of Hope, I look forward to expanding what we can accomplish through established surgical techniques for brain and spine tumor patients and also to developing new, minimally invasive procedures that may offer improved outcomes.”
Jandial joined City of Hope from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center, where he served as chief resident neurosurgeon. Jandial began his surgical career at UCSD as a surgical intern in 2000. He was a clinical instructor for the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and is adjunct professor in the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego.
In addition, Jandial provided health education to the general public as a health and science correspondent for the ABC television affiliate in San Diego and was a regular health contributor to the Orange County Register.
Jandial earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and will continue his research efforts at City of Hope. His research focuses on better understanding how healthy neural stem cells may malfunction and turn into cancerous cells. He hopes to be able to develop new treatments for these wayward stem cells in both their premalignant and cancerous stages.
“City of Hope’s team approach to patient care and focus on translating research discoveries into new treatments supports my own efforts to find where technology, medicine and molecular biology work synergistically for the benefit of patients,” said Jandial.
His published research has appeared in numerous journals, including Neurosurgery, Molecular Therapy and the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, and he has authored several medical books on neurosurgery and brain injuries.
He received the Penfield Research Award from the Congress of Neurosurgeons, the Brain Tumor Award from the American Brain Tumor Foundation and the Excellence in Medicine award from the American Medical Association (AMA). He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Society for Neuroscience and Congress of Neurological Surgeons, among others. In addition, he as been recognized by the AMA and AANS for his brain tumor charity missions worldwide.
