Timothy F. Cloughesy

Timothy F. Cloughesy, MD is the Director of the Neuro-Oncology Program and the Auerbach Family Distinguished Professor in Neurology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. One of the world's foremost GBM clinician-scientists, Dr. Cloughesy has spent over three decades leading seminal clinical trials and translational studies that have illuminated the molecular biology of GBM and tested novel targeted and immunologic approaches. His lab has made major contributions to understanding EGFRvIII signaling, PTEN loss, and the PI3K/mTOR axis as drivers of GBM progression and therapeutic resistance. Dr. Cloughesy has led or co-led some of the most important recent GBM immunotherapy trials, including studies of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab that revealed immune microenvironment changes in recurrent GBM and provided critical mechanistic insights into checkpoint blockade in CNS tumors. His UCLA-based program is internationally recognized for integrating tissue biomarker analysis with clinical trial endpoints, setting a new standard for translational neuro-oncology research. He has also been at the forefront of adaptive trial design within the I-SPY program framework for brain tumors. Beyond GBM, Dr. Cloughesy has contributed to treatment approaches for other brain tumors including anaplastic gliomas and has served in leadership roles for multiple national and international neuro-oncology consortia, including the Ivy Foundation Early Phase Clinical Trials Consortium. His mentorship has produced numerous academic neuro-oncology leaders, and he remains a leading voice in advocating for patients with CNS malignancies.