CBTF Honors Ian Pollack MD FACS FAAP FAANS And Dr. Stephen Sands PsyD At 14th Annual Dream And Promise Gala

The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) 14th Annual Dream and Promise Gala will take place on June 1, 2016. End Quote

New York, NY (1888PressRelease) March 16, 2016 - On June 1, 2016 the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) 14th Annual Dream and Promise Gala will honor Ian Pollack, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Dr. Stephen Sands, PsyD of Columbia University Medical Center at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Featuring News 12 Long Island's Stone Grissom as Master of Ceremonies, a live performance by Charlie Scopoletti, and a live auction, the Gala is a pivotal event for CBTF (www.CBTF.org).

CBTF Award For Scientific Excellence: Ian Pollack, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS
Dr. Pollack is Director of the Brain Tumor Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and A. Leland Albright Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Prior to joining the faculty of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in 1992, he was awarded the 1991 Van Wagenen Traveling Fellowship, which afforded him a year of subspecialty training in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the Neuro-Oncology Laboratory of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and the Laboratory of Tumor Biology of the University of Uppsala in Sweden. Dr. Pollack graduated magna cum laude from Emory University in 1980, where he earned a BS degree in chemistry. He received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1984, then completed a surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Pollack has published more than 320 papers in refereed journals, numerous book chapters and invited papers, and has edited two books on childhood brain tumors. He is co-editor of the book Principles and Practice of Pediatric Neurosurgery and an accompanying atlas Operative Techniques In Pediatric Neurosurgery. He is currently a principal investigator on numerous NIH grants focusing on novel therapies for brain tumors and evaluating molecular markers of tumor prognosis. Dr. Pollack was named vice chairman of academic affairs for the department in July of 2008. He has co-chaired the National Cancer Institute brain malignancy steering committee since 2010.

CBTF Award for Excellence In Quality Of Life Care: Stephen Sands, PsyD
Dr. Stephen Sands earned his doctorate in Child and School Psychology from New York University and completed his Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Sands is an Associate Professor of Medical Psychology in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center and is the Director of the Valerie Fund Psycho-Social Program and Co-Director of the Center for Comprehensive Wellness.

In these capacities, Dr. Sands is a child psychologist who provides mental health services, ranging from individual to parent, sibling and family therapy, for those patients and families currently undergoing treatment within the pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation program at the Columbia University Medical Center and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NY-Presbyterian. As a pediatric neuropsychologist, Dr. Sands is also responsible for performing neuropsychological evaluations for pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation patients as part of ongoing clinical research studies that evaluate the impact of treatment, in addition to providing clinical assessments for those returning to school or those off treatment who may benefit from receiving appropriate educational placements and remedial interventions. In terms of research, Dr. Sands is on the Steering Committee of the Behavioral Science Committee and the CNS Brain Tumor Committee within the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and is also on the Scientific Council of the International Society for Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) and is actively involved in numerous National and International research studies that are examining the late effects of treatment for pediatric cancer and blood disorders.

The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation is one of the few national organizations that works with both the survivor and family to support them through a continuum of care. Founded in 1988, the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation is a national 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, headquartered in New York City, dedicated to improving the treatment, quality of life, and the long term outlook for children with brain and spinal cord tumors through research, support, education, and advocacy to families and survivors. The organization offers social work support services; an online community for parents, patients, and survivors; a family to family program; conferences; events; loss, grief, and bereavement programs; a young adult survivors network; and much more. For more information about the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation, please visit cbtf.org or call 866-228-4673.

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