Gelareh Zadeh

Gelareh Zadeh, M.D., Ph.D., serves as Chair of the Department of Neurologic Surgery and holds the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professorship I at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She joined Mayo Clinic in 2024 after a distinguished career at the University of Toronto, where she held multiple leadership positions including division head of Neurosurgery, medical director of the Krembil Neuroscience Program, and co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute. As a neurosurgeon-scientist, Dr. Zadeh integrates clinical expertise with cutting-edge research to advance the understanding and treatment of brain tumors.

Dr. Zadeh's research spans multiple critical areas in neuro-oncology, with a primary focus on gliomas and meningiomas. Her work investigates the molecular, genomic, and epigenomic landscapes of neuronal tumors to identify biomarkers for early detection, monitoring, and treatment response. She has pioneered liquid biopsy approaches using circulating tumor DNA methylation profiling and developed innovative murine models for preclinical testing. Her research on the tumor microenvironment, particularly metabolic and hypoxic adaptations, has provided crucial insights into treatment resistance mechanisms. Dr. Zadeh leads international consortia and utilizes large biobank resources to advance precision medicine approaches in neuro-oncology.

Dr. Zadeh's 15 most recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on molecular classification of brain tumors, particularly meningiomas, with an emphasis on translating genomic findings into clinical practice. Her work consistently bridges basic science with clinical applications, developing diagnostic tools, predictive models, and novel treatment approaches. The publications reveal a progression toward increasingly sophisticated molecular analyses, including epigenomic profiling, metabolic characterization, and integration of imaging features with molecular markers using artificial intelligence.

• John R. Ohlfest Memorial Lecture Award, Neuro-Oncology Innovation Challenge, University of Minnesota, 2024
• William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor I, Mayo Clinic, 2024
• Canada Gairdner Momentum Award, Gairdner Foundation, 2023
• Ronald L. Bittner Lecturer, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2023
• Farber-Abhijit Guha Award, AANS/CNS Section on Tumors, 2021
• Mona Gauthier Award, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 2018
• William E. Rawls Prize, Canadian Cancer Society, 2018

Dr. Zadeh serves as editor-in-chief of Neuro-Oncology Advances and has received consistent peer-reviewed funding from major organizations including the National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Department of Defense, Brain Tumour Charity, V Foundation for Cancer Research, Canadian Cancer Society, Brain Canada Foundation, and Terry Fox Research Institute. She actively mentors students and junior researchers while leading early- and late-phase clinical trials to translate scientific discoveries into patient care. Her laboratory focuses on integrated multiplatform molecular analysis of brain tumors and understanding molecular response to targeted therapies such as anti-angiogenesis and metabolic inhibitors.