David Solomon, MD, PhD
Specialties: Brain and spinal cord tumors
Dr. Solomon is a neuropathologist, molecular neuro-oncologist, and cancer researcher with a dedicated interest in the genetic alterations that drive cancer development and progression. He serves as the Director of Molecular Neuro-Oncology responsible for all genomic testing performed on brain and spinal cord tumors at UCSF Medical Center, which has been instrumental in facilitating a molecularly-integrated diagnostic scheme and enabling a precision medicine approach for the treatment of neuro-oncology patients.
His research laboratory is investigating the molecular pathogenesis of human brain tumors including glioblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, other gliomas, medulloblastoma, neurocytoma, choroid plexus tumors, pineal parenchymal tumors, and meningiomas. The Solomon Lab is working to determine the genetic alterations that are responsible for driving these CNS tumor types and then mechanistically determining the cellular pathways that these genetic alterations deregulate in order to fuel tumor development. Once the intracellular signaling pathways activated by these genetic alterations including mutations, fusions, and other rearrangements are defined, this will enable intervention with highly specific targeted therapies for the neuro-oncology patients whose tumors harbor these alterations.
2002: BS, College of William and Mary
2004: Post-Bac Research, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
2012: MD, PhD, Georgetown University
2012-2014: Residency, Anatomic Pathology, UCSF
2014-2016: Fellowship, Neuropathology, UCSF
2016-Present: Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, UCSF
2016-Present: Member, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
2016-Present: Faculty member, UCSF Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
2018-Present: Principal Investigator, Brain Tumor Center
2016-2021: UCSF Physician-Scientist Scholar Program
2015-2020: NIH Director’s Early Independence Award
2015-2016: Career Development Research Award, UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE
2014: Stowell-Orbison Award, U.S. & Canada Academy of Pathology Annual Meeting
2013: Stowell-Orbison Award, U.S. & Canada Academy of Pathology Annual Meeting
2012: Harold Weintraub Graduate Student Award, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
2012: Future Leaders in Basic Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research