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Welcome pageWhat's NewCNI Center for
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| APPOINTMENTS
Our doctors are happy to discuss your individual case with you. Serious inquiries only, please. To request an initial
team consultation, call Dr. Arenson, For more information
about CNI's Brain & Spinal Tumor Team, |
Medical Director of the CNI Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors
Edward B. Arenson, MD, Neuro-Oncologist, 303-788-8675
Neuro-Oncology
Edward B. Arenson, MD
Mary Pierick, RN
Neurosurgery
J. Paul Elliott, MD
Marcus Keep, MD, FRCSC, FACS
John H. McVicker, MD, FACS
Alex West, MDNeuroradiology
James N. Dreisbach, MD
Peter Ricci, MD
David H. Dungan, MD
Donald F. Schomer, MD
Donald F. Frei, MDCNI Chaplain
Wade Jensen, M.Div.Program Assistant
Lorre GibsonPhysiatry
Elena Draznin, MDPsycho-oncology/Neurobehavioral Medicine
Jay Schneiders, PhD
Alison W. Krawiecki, PsyDRadiation Oncology
D. Marshall Davis, MD
Kathryn T. Howell, MD
Charles E. Leonard, MD
Edward B. Arenson, MD: Medical Director CNI Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors; Director of Neuro-oncology; Neuro-Oncologist
See Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
To schedule a consultation appointment, call (303) 788-8675.
After graduating from Cornell University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Dr. Arenson attended Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia where he finished in the top 5% of his class with honors and membership in the AOA Medical Honor Society. He then moved to Denver where he did his internship, residency and first year fellowship in pediatrics and pediatric hematology-oncology before interrupting his training to fulfill two years of service in the U.S. Army Medical Corp in Augusta, Georgia. There, Dr. Arenson was honored with a Meritorious Service Award before leaving to continue his training at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Arenson did research on the immune system's role in cancer and participated in the early days of bone marrow transplantation. He joined the UCLA faculty as an Assistant Professor in 1978 where he stayed until 1982, when he moved to Albany, New York, to become Director of Pediatric Hematology Oncology at the Albany Medical College. There he established programs for childhood cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell anemia. In 1988 he returned to Denver to join the faculty of the University of Colorado at Children's Hospital as an Associate Professor.
It was at Children's Hospital that Dr. Arenson developed an interest in tumors of the central nervous system. Brain tumors account for approximately 25% of all childhood cancers and present major challenges to achieve improved survival while preserving acceptable levels of function. He helped establish a multidisciplinary team of professionals and developed several treatment protocols that contributed to significant progress in the field. Dr. Arenson became a member of the Brain Tumor Strategy Group of the Children's Cancer Group, an international consortium of institutions seeking to improve treatment for childhood cancer. Challenges faced by children are similar to those faced by adults with central nervous system tumors.
In 1992 Dr. Arenson reluctantly concluded that his professional interests and areas of expertise would be better served in the freer environment of private practice. Soon thereafter, four Denver hospitals merged to form what is now known as HealthOne. This led him to conceive the idea of developing a program for both children and adults with central nervous system tumors which would pull together the diverse expertise at these four hospitals. He contacted Dr. Michael Hitchcock, a neurosurgeon at Swedish Hospital, now retired, who strongly supported the idea. They conceived a state-of-the-art, comprehensive program for all patients with central nervous system tumors in the Rocky Mountain Region, which would eliminate disruptive and costly out-of-state travel for medical care. After meeting with many professionals, they eventually formed a group which met twice a month to review and discuss patient cases in order to optimize treatment.
Ultimately, the group decided that Swedish Hospital, closely allied with the Colorado Neurological Institute, a nonprofit organization seeking to provide programs of optimum care, research, education and outcomes analysis for all neurological diseases, was the best place for our innovative program. In 1996, the program's first year, the team treated approximately 30 patients. In 2004, the team treat more than 150 new patients. After Dr. Hitchcock's retirement, Dr. Timothy Fullager and I were named co-medical directors of the program. In 2005, Dr. Arenson became Medical Director and Director of Neuro-oncology of the CNI Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors. After 25 years as an oncologist, he had found his niche in neuro-oncology, which was the culmination of his experience with both pediatric and adult patients with tumors of the central nervous system.
Mary Pierick, RN, Neuro-oncology nurse for Dr. Arenson
Mary Pierick graduated from nursing school in Sioux
City, Iowa in 1983. She started her nursing
career in general pediatric care. She was a traveling nurse for about
one year, going to many different cities as she explored the various opportunities
available in the nursing field. Her oncology career began in 1991 at Presbyterian
Saint Luke's Hospital in Denver on the Pediatric/Hematology unit. In 1997
she moved to the out-patient arena where she met Dr. Arenson, who began
to share his interest in neuro-oncology with her. In October 2000, she
assisted Dr. Arenson in his move to the Swedish campus as he opened his
solo practice of adult neuro-oncology.
J. Paul Elliott, MD, Neurosurgeon
See
Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
To schedule a consultation appointment, call 303-783-8844.
Dr. Elliott graduated with honors from Stanford University in California with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Biological Sciences. He received his M.D. from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City. He completed his residency education at the University of Washington in Seattle, including comprehensive training in brain, spine and peripheral nerve surgery. He has extensive training in spinal reconstruction and spinal instrumentation. He also completed one year of training at Atkinson Morley's Hospital in London, England. Dr. Elliott subsequently completed a specialized neurovascular, neurotrauma and neurocritical care fellowship at the University of Washington. He has an ongoing commitment to continuing medical education to incorporate advanced techniques into his clinical practice.
Dr. Elliott is board certificated by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He specializes in the broad range of micro-neurosurgery and minimally invasive neurosurgery. This including brain aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors and skull based lesions, as well as spinal cord tumors, traumatic and degenerative spinal decompression, reconstruction and instrumentation.
In addition to his busy clinical practice, Dr. Elliott holds multiple academic appointments. He is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery at the University of Washington and University of Colorado. He supervises NIH sponsored stroke and brain injury research in the Health ONE Laboratory on the Swedish Medical Center campus. He was previously Chief of Neurosurgery at Denver Health Medical Center and helped establish the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at the University of Colorado Hospital where he served as Medical Director before relocating to the Colorado Neurological Institute at Swedish Medical Center. His practice is Colorado Brain and Spine Institute. Dr. Elliott enjoys spending his free time with his wife, son and daughter in the great Colorado outdoors.
John H. McVicker, MD, Neurosurgeon
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. McVicker has been affiliated with the Colorado Neurological Institute since 1994, beginning his neurosurgical practice in Colorado in 1987. His clinical research interests include surgery for movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremor, implantation of deep brain stimulators, and neurotrauma. He is a member of the CNI Brain Tumor Program. Dr. McVicker is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. During his career, he has served as President of the Colorado Neurologic Institute, President of the Colorado Neurosurgical Society, and President of the Rocky Mountain Neurosurgical Society, Chair of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies' Neurotrauma Committee, and served on the Executive Committee of the Joint Council of Neurotrauma and Critical Care of the American Association of Neurologic Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He is a member of the prestigious Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons.
He has extensive experience in functional and stereotactic neurosurgery, neurotrauma and neuro-critical care, gamma knife surgery, trigeminal neuralgia, pituitary surgery and cervical and lumbar spine surgery, principally for the treatment of trauma to the spine.
Marcus Keep, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Neurosurgeon
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. Keep is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He performed his residency training in Neurological Surgery at McGill University at the Montreal Neurological Institute. As part of his residency training he spent a year of research at the INSERM Cerebellar Neuromorphology Laboratory of Professor Constantino Sotelo at the Hospital of the Salpetriere in Paris, France. Dr. Keep has also completed a research fellowship at the Section of Restorative Neurology at Lund University, Sweden under the tutelage of Professor Olle Lindvall. The Sweden experience began Dr. Keep's interest in cyclosporin as a mitochondrial neuroprotectant.
He has been Director of Research and Functional Radiosurgery at the Gamma Knife Center of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has been assistant professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii and the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Keep specializes in Gamma Knife radiosurgery of the brain, and is the Medical Director of the Swedish Gamma Knife Center. This includes Gamma Knife of metastatic brain tumors from lung, breast, kidney (renal), skin (melanoma), and ovary cancers. He also can treat primary tumors of the brain, including glioblastoma (GBM), oligodendroglioma, and pilocytic astrocytoma. Dr. Keep has experience with Gamma Knife radiosurgery of tumors located at the base of the skull, including acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, and pituitary tumors. He also uses the Gamma Knife to treat brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM), dural fistulas, tremor, trigeminal neuralgia, and thalamic pain syndrome. Dr. Keep also performs traditional open neurosurgery (stereotactic biopsy, image-guided Stealth craniotomy and transphenoidal resection) on all types of brain and spine tumors.
Dr. Keep has published more than 24 articles on neurosurgical topics, including Gamma Knife and cyclosporin neuroprotection. Dr. Keep is Board Certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Canada with Specialist Certificate in Neurosurgery.
G. Alexander West, MD, Neurosurgeon
Dr. Alex West has been Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery
at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, for the three
years before joining the CNI Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors.
Prior to that he ran the epilepsy and brain tumor program at the University
of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. Dr. West received his
medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1989.
See
Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. Ricci lives in Denver, CO with his wife, Florence, and their children, Maria, Peter and Natalie. He was graduated from Hamilton College in 1983 and Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1989. He completed his residency where he was Chief Resident in Radiology at Georgetown University Medical Center in 1994 and a Fellowship in Neuroradiology at Barrow Neurological Institute in 1996. Dr. Ricci is a Diplomat of the American Board of Radiology and a member of the American Society of Neuroradiology. He was Assistant Professor of Neuroradiology at Wake Forest University from 1996-99.
In 1999 he joined the Department of Radiology at Swedish Medical Center and became a member of the Colorado Neurological Institute and its Brain Tumor Team. Dr. Ricci's principal interest is in functional and metabolic imaging of central nervous system tumors. He has published numerous scientific papers and lectured widely in the field of neuroradiology. His goal is to take advantage of new advanced MR techniques that image brain physiology to develop the first functional MR imaging center in the Denver metro area so that care of patients with diseases of the central nervous system can be significantly improved.
David H. Dungan, MD, Neuroradiologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
David H. Dungan, MD, is a staff neuroradiologist with Radiology Imaging Associates. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego CA with a B.S. in Bioengineering and Cell Biology/Biochemistry and received his MD from UCLA School of Medicine. He did his internship in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his Residency in Diagnostic Radiology at UCLA, and his Fellowship in Neuroradiology at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix AZ. Before joining the neuroradiology program at RIA and The CNI, Dr. Dungan was Chief of the Imaging Section at the Austin Diagnostic Clinic, Austin, Texas.
Donald F. Schomer, MD, Neuroradiologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Donald F. Schomer, MD, is a staff neuroradiologist with Radiology Imaging Associates. He graduated from the University of Houston with a B.S. in Biophysics, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center with a Doctor of Medicine, and Rice University with a MBA. Dr. Schomer did his internship in General Surgery at the University of Texas and his Residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Texas. He did a Fellowship in MRI's at The University of Texas and Fellowship in Neuroradiology at Stanford University. Prior to joining RIA, Dr. Schomer was an Associate Professor of Radiology at The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Donald F. Frei, Jr., MD,
Neuroradiologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Donald F. Frei, Jr., MD, is a staff neuroradiologist with Radiology Imaging Associates. He graduated with a BS in Biology from the University of Illinois and a MD from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He did his Internship in Internal Medicine at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, a Residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, and a Fellowship in Neuroradiology/Interventional Neuroradiology at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to joining RIA, Dr. Frei was Director of Interventional Neuroradiology at Texas Neuroradiology in Dallas.
Wade Jensen, M.Div., Chaplain
Born in Wyoming and raised in the Dakotas, Wade enjoys being personable and having meaningful conversation. He has a desire to see the whole person cared for spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally. As the Patient Care Coordinator for the Center for Brain and Spinal Tumors, he is privileged to do so.
In addition, Wade supports other facets of CNI as a chaplain and facilitates support groups for brain tumor patients as well as a separate group for stroke patients. He attended college at the University of Wyoming and received his B.A. in French in 1995. Wade moved to Denver in 2002 to pursue a Master of Divinity (M. Div.) degree at Denver Seminary, which is one of the few seminaries having a specialization in chaplaincy. He graduated in 2005 with honors. During his graduate work, he completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) through the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Pursuing further CPE, Wade completed a one-year residency accredited through ACPE at Swedish Medical Center.
Wade and Heather have two girls, Emily and Tiffany. Wade is an ordained minister through the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (ICFG or The Foursquare Church). He also serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.
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Elena
Draznin, MD, Physiatrist
See Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. Draznin is a Medical Director of the Rehabilitation Unit of the Swedish Medical Center and a former Director of Medical Affairs of Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital. Originally from Russia where she was trained as a neurologist, Dr. Draznin has later completed her residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where she also was a Chief Resident in 1982-83.
From 1983, Dr. Draznin has been in private practice in Denver and Englewood. She is certified by the Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Draznin was Director of Medical Affairs of Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital and a President of its Medical Staff, and is still a member of the Board of Directors of Spalding Foundation. She was elected to serve as Vice-Chair and then as Chair of the Neuroscience Department at Swedish Medical Center. She is also a Founding Board Member of the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI), a Chair of the Medical Ethics Committee of Swedish Medical Center, and a member of the Education and Program Committee of CNI. Dr. Draznin is active in teaching as a volunteer faculty with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and received a Jerome Gersten Clinical Teaching Award in 1997. Dr. Draznin also teaches residents from the Department of Family Medicine at Swedish Medical Center.
Jay Schneiders, PhD, Neuropsychologist, Psycho-Oncologist
See
Contact Details and CNI Member profile
Dr. Schneiders has been an active part of the CNI since its founding, and has directed neuropsychological services for many of its programs throughout the years. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1985, and is Board Certified in two specialties by the American Board of Professional Psychology: Clinical Neuropsychology, and Clinical Health Psychology. In addition to continuing to work to learn the complicated and sometimes frustrating language of his sweet Catahoula Leopard Dog (whose appetite for Bluetooth-enabled devices seems to have no limit), Dr. Schneiders has long held a special interest in the neuropsychology of language, has earned graduate degrees in comparative history and in theological and religious studies, and has for many years also been an ardent creative writer for whom the Pulitzer Prize continues to remain safely out of reach.
Alison W. Krawiecki, PsyD, CNI Neuropsychologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member profile
Dr. Alison W. Krawiecki, a clinical, neuropsychologist and health psychologist, earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Krawiecki completed her internship at the Denver Veteran's Affairs Medical Center where her emphasis was behavioral medicine and psychological approaches to medical and neurological disorders. She has special expertise in cognitive and behavioral therapy, in pain management, and in addressing complex medical-psychological problems across a multitude of neurological and other clinical populations.
D. Marshall Davis, MD, Radiation Oncologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. D. Marshall Davis is a board-certified radiation oncologist and has been a member of the CyberKnife¬ team at Newport Diagnostic Center since 1994. He recently joined our staff.
The CyberKnife offers a non-invasive option for treatment of tumors and other conditions affecting the brain, head, neck and cervico-thoracic spine. Image-guided technology allows the CyberKnife to deliver a precise dose of radiation to a tumor while minimizing radiation to surrounding healthy tissue.
After earning his medical degree from the University of Nebraska, Dr. Davis completed his internship at Denver Presbyterian Medical Center in Colorado, and his residency at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Dr. Davis' extensive experience includes serving as clinical assistant professor at University of Southern California School of Medicine. He was also department director for radiation oncology at Century City Hospital and Sonora Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Davis serves as director of radiation oncology at Little Company of Mary Cancer Center in Torrance, California.
He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists and the Los Angeles Radiological Society. Dr. Davis has relocated from Palos Verdes, California.
Kathryn T. Howell, MD, Radiation Oncologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Dr. Howell is a radiation oncologist with Colorado Radiation Oncology and is a member of CNI. Her education started at The Medical School, University of Colorado Health Medical Center in Denver. Her postgraduate training and residency were completed at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in 1988. She has been board certified since 1989 with the American Board of Radiology.
Dr. Howell is a member of numerous medical organizations relating to radiation oncology and has co-authored several publications relating to radiation oncology.
Charles E. Leonard, MD, Radiation Oncologist
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Contact Details and CNI Member Profile
Charles Leonard, MD is a radiation oncologist with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Literature, and Vanderbilt University Medical School with a Doctor of Medicine. Dr. Leonard did his internship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He did his residency in Radiation Oncology and Biophysics at The George Washington University Hospital, Washington D.C. Dr. Leonard then joined the staff of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center were he continues as a Clinical Professor while maintaining his practice with the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.
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Colorado Neurological
Institute Center for Brain & Spinal Tumors
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