Brian R Stocksdale, MD

Advancing brain tumor care through patient partnership and clinical research

For patients and families facing a brain tumor diagnosis, Brian Stocksdale, M.D., knows that treating the disease is only part of the job.

“These patients and their families are often going through some of the most difficult times in their lives,” Stocksdale said. “I hope to support them in navigating through it while treating the disease.”

Stocksdale is a neuro-oncologist at VCU Health and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he specializes in treating tumors and cancers affecting the brain and nervous system. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the VCU School of Medicine. With training in both neurology and oncology, he brings a comprehensive approach to caring for patients. 

His patients include those with primary brain tumors such as glioblastoma, low-grade gliomas, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma and ependymoma, as well as rare central nervous system tumors and tumors associated with neurofibromatosis. He also cares for patients when cancers originating elsewhere in the body spread to the brain or the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and for patients experiencing neurological complications from cancer or its treatment.

Because brain tumors can affect cognition, mobility and independence, Stocksdale believes treatment decisions should begin with understanding what matters most to each individual patient.

“I want to understand each patient’s priorities in their life and in their medical care,” he said. “I partner with patients and family to make the most appropriate treatment decisions for their unique situation.”

That care reaches across a number of medical disciplines and sees Stocksdale collaborating closely with neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists to develop comprehensive treatment plans. He also works with neuroradiologists, who specialize in interpreting brain and nervous system imaging, and neuropathologists, who analyze tumor tissue, to help make an accurate diagnosis and guide treatment decisions.

Stocksdale joined VCU and VCU Health after completing extensive postgraduate training at Stanford Health Care in California, including an internal medicine internship, neurology residency and neuro-oncology fellowship. His fellowship included an additional year devoted to research, clinical trial operations and patient care involving CAR T-cell therapy for glioblastoma. He earned his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree with honors in neuroscience from Davidson College.

The combination of clinical care and research remains central to his work. Stocksdale is particularly interested in clinical trials designed to improve how brain tumors are diagnosed, monitored and treated. His recent research has included studies of experimental CAR T-cell therapy for recurrent glioblastoma, new treatment approaches for newly diagnosed glioblastoma and personalized medicine approaches for cancers that have spread to the central nervous system.

“There are so many opportunities to improve our ability to treat brain tumors,” said Stocksdale, who is certified in neuro-oncology by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties and in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. “It excites me to experience and contribute to the progress being made in the field.”