Rajeev Vibhakar

Dr. Rajeev Vibhakar completed his MD/PhD in Experimental Pathology and his MPH in Epidemiology at New York Medical College. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His research focuses on the identification and validation of novel molecular targets for treatment of aggressive brain tumors such as ATRT and Medulloblastoma. During his fellowship and early instructor years at the University of Iowa, he carried out studies on the role of microRNA biology in CNS tumors and was awarded an NIH NINDS K08 Mentored Career Development Award to further investigate the role of microRNA in medulloblastoma. Dr. Vibhakar has developed a robust, independent neuro-oncology research program with the goal of understanding the molecular mechanisms of medulloblastoma cell behavior and identifying novel pathways as drug targets. He is a member of the Medulloblastoma Advanced Genomic Consortium (MAGIC), which has allowed for access to data from hundreds of medulloblastoma samples to examine the genomic underpinning of this disease. Most recently, Dr. Vibhakar’s lab has expanded its studies to examine the epigenetic underpinnings of aggressive pediatric brain tumors and have developed expertise in advanced techniques, including RNAi-based functional genomic screens and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing, to more deeply probe the biology of these tumors. Dr. Vibhakar now leads a team of six PIs, all dedicated to studying pediatric brain tumors and advancing experimental therapeutics in these devastating tumors. Dr. Vibhakar is also a member of the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Society for Gene Therapy, the American Society for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and the Society for Neuro-Oncology.