Bakhtiar Yamini, MD, specializes in neuro-oncology, and he is an expert in minimally invasive neurosurgery for children and adults. This includes using sophisticated stereotactic techniques that allow for three-dimensional surgical planning. Dr. Yamini coordinates comprehensive surgical care for patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, including the use of minimally invasive procedures such as stereotactic biopsy, laser ablation, and the latest image-guided techniques for maximal resection of deep-seated tumors. He also has a strong interest in vascular neurosurgery and spine surgery.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Yamini conducts medical research. His National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research focuses on examination of the mechanisms by which brain tumors resist treatment and the development of novel approaches to improve their management, including the use of biodegradeable nanoparticle vectors.

His current investigations explore cellular DNA damage response and the treatment of malignant brain tumors in children and adults. Additionally, Dr. Yamini has interests in intracranial and skull-base endoscopy research. As an active scholar, he has published articles and book chapters on current research topics, including brain/spinal tumors and craniosynostosis — a congenital defect, which causes abnormalities in skull and brain development. Dr. Yamini’s research has also received research funding from the American Cancer Society and the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Julie began her career as an educator for students with special needs, including learning and behavior disorders. Her primary focus at the time was working with students in elementary school. After teaching for three years, she transitioned to a career in business where she worked for a small tech firm and then went on to work at the American Medical Association. Julie has always remained passionate about helping students and families, and while pursuing a career in business over the years, she worked with a variety of organizations that focus on the development of youth such as One Million Degrees, GRIP Outreach for Youth, and at City Church Chicago where she plays a lead role on their Family Ministries team. Julie continues her passion for helping youth and families in her role as Program Manager of the MHFP, where she develops and manages community outreach and support services for patients and families at UChicago Medicine.

Christine Herrera is a Clinical Research Coordinator II for the Margaret Hackett Family Program at the University of Chicago, where she is responsible for the construction, development, and maintenance of the clinical database. Christine has worked in the medical field for 10 years. She has worked bedside in a neurosurgical intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), as well as in an outpatient adult and pediatric neurosurgical clinical setting. Christine has directed her interest in nursing and patient care to pursue a career in research, seeking greater understanding of complex anomalies in order to provide better resources to patients and families of the Margaret Hackett Family Program.

Judith (Judie) Holleman supports both research and clinical care for the Margaret Hackett Family Program. During her research activities, Judie helps develop clinical research protocols and clinical trials. While working with patients, she operates as an experienced clinician that helps interpret and navigate the pathway of care. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to caring for patients impacted by CNS anomalies.

Dr. Seifollah Gholampour currently works for the Margaret Hackett Family Program at the University of Chicago. He has more than 12 years research experience in Biomedical modeling of CNS, Computational and experimental neuroscience, Cerebral blood hemodynamics, CSF hydrodynamics, Brain morphology, MRI-based fluid-structure interaction simulation in neuroscience, Brain biomechanics, and Neurosurgical drilling system. Currently, he is working on the relationship between morphometric parameters and CSF/blood dynamics in pediatric hydrocephalus and CM-I patients. He also works on the dispersion of intrathecally injected tracer using human CNS phantom models.

A board-certified radiologist/neuroradiologist, Dr. Carina Yang specializes in pediatric neuroradiology with a focus on diagnosing and characterizing the full scope of head, brain, spine and neck conditions. Dr. Yang is an expert in interpretation of computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) examinations, and promotes techniques for pediatric patients to minimize radiation exposure and performing testing without the need for extended sedation. The Margaret Hackett Family Program at the University of Chicago aims to collaborate with physicians who advocate for the education and the advancement of knowledge pertaining to the care of patients. Dr. Yang dedicates time to aid the program’s medical researchers by suggesting the best imaging modalities and how to best evaluate imaging data when evaluating past approaches to treatment and planning innovative clinical trials. Her collaboration ensures an effective multi-disciplinary approach to analyzing clinical data, understanding patient scans, and expanding educational frontiers.