Professional Spotlight: Dr. Naveed Wagle

Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) is pleased to announce the newest neuro-oncologist at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center, Naveed Wagle, MD. Dr. Wagle joins PNI from the Keck School of Medicine at USC, where he was the Director of the Clinical Neuro-Oncology program. Dr. Wagle has specialized training and research experience in the treatment of cancer of the central and peripheral nervous system. He treats patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors, as well as neurologic complications of cancer. Dr. Wagle is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, as well as the National Board of Medical Examiners. Moreover, he is an active member of the Society for Neuro-Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Academy of Neurology and the American Medical Association.

Beyond the wealth of knowledge and experience Dr. Wagle will be bringing to PNI, Dr. Wagle’s journey to PNI is a unique one. Unlike many others in his field, Dr. Wagle did not carry on a family tradition by becoming a physician. In fact, Dr. Wagle forged his own path in medicine breaking his own family’s tradition in the merchant navy. Most of his male role models growing up were professional sailors, with his grandfather spending his life as a captain and his uncles working in the merchant navy. However, Dr. Wagle was drawn to medicine because of his interest in the field, compassion for humanity, a desire to make a difference in the world and his drive to change lives for the better.

Dr. Wagle developed the clinical and brain tumor program at USC, but has chosen to move forward with PNI because of the unique opportunity he found in being able to work with a team of physicians and researchers to develop new treatment options for patients, design and execute clinical trials more efficiently, and work alongside colleagues who are aligned with him in their desire to forge a new frontier in translational neurosciences and neurotherapeutics. As a clinician, Dr. Wagle enjoys the relationships he is able to develop with his patients as they battle disease together. He understands the difficulty of the journey his patients and their families face in fighting brain cancer and the bonds he builds with them further emboldens his pursuit to provide the best clinical care available, while also fueling his search for a cure.

At the Pacific Brain Tumor Center, Dr. Wagle finds himself in excellent company, with fellow neuro-oncologists, Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD and Jose Carrillo, MD. Dr. Wagle completed his training in Neurology and fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at UCLA, alongside PNI’s Dr. Jose Carrillo. Dr. Wagle looks forward to collaborating with Dr. Carrillo again, as they worked very well together throughout their fellowship at UCLA. Furthermore, Dr. Wagle is eager to begin working with Dr. Kesari, Director of Neuro-Oncology, Chair and Professor of the Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics at the Saint John’s Cancer Institute and co-Founder of PNI. With the addition of Dr. Wagle, the neuro-oncology program will be further equipped to provide the best quality care to their patients and the community.

Dr. Wagle’s goal for the immediate future with PNI, is to prioritize the development of his clinical practice and connect new innovative treatment options to patients that are in desperate need. He hopes to be able to provide translational research from bench to bedside across all the sites that the PNI physicians serve. For the future, Dr. Wagle sees himself working alongside his team to expand PN. He wants to reach the most people in the most places, and to use PNI’s unique ability to get innovative and leading-edge therapies to those who need it. With PNI, Dr. Wagle knows that he has the rare opportunity to work collaboratively with physicians across disciplines at PNI, all of whom share the same passions for patient care and desire to create a brighter future for those battling brain cancers.

PNI neuro-oncology service locations:
PROVIDENCE SAINT JOHN’S HEALTH CENTER
2121 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-829-8265 | Fax 310-582-7287

PROVIDENCE LITTLE COMPANY OF MARY MEDICAL CENTER TORRANCE
5215 Torrance Blvd., Suite 300, Torrance, CA 90503
424-212-5361 | Fax 310-316-3466

HOAG HEALTH NETWORK
One Hoag Drive, ATP Building 47, Newport Beach, CA 92663
949-764-6385 | Fax 949-764-1882

ST. JUDE MEDICAL CENTER
2151 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92835
714-446-5830 | Fax 714-992-3037

Nicolette Mena is the PNI Foundation Program Coordinator and is involved with all administrative and operational aspects of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute Foundation. She focuses on raising awareness of PNI, through composition of blog posts, video appeals, newsletters, and materials for the bi-annual magazine. Fundraising is Nikki’s priority, with her efforts geared toward grant writing and coordination of outreach events. She works closely with medical experts, Saint John’s Health Center Foundation’s development team and PNI Foundation’s Directors to expand PNI’s brand both domestically and internationally.