Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program
The Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program at Mount Sinai Hospital provides comprehensive multidisciplinary care for children and adolescents with brain and spinal cord tumors. Our team is dedicated to advancing treatment and improving outcomes through expert clinical care, innovative research, and family-centered support.
Led by Dr. Stephen Gilheeney, Dr. Peter Morgenstern, and Dr. Stanislav Lazarev, our program unites specialists in pediatric neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, and radiation oncology. Working collaboratively, we tailor each child’s care plan to their unique diagnosis—combining surgical expertise, advanced therapies, and access to leading clinical trials.
A dedicated coordinator ensures seamless communication and guidance for families throughout their treatment journey.
Why Choose Us?
Families choose Mount Sinai’s Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program for our collaborative expertise and compassionate approach. As a multidisciplinary team, we work together to create personalized, coordinated treatment plans for every child. We are committed to family-centered care—providing not only advanced medical treatment but also the emotional support, clear communication, and continuity families need throughout each step of their journey.
Stephen W. Gilheeney, MD, MMS, is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. He is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric hematologist/oncologist with a focus in pediatric neuro-oncology treating children with tumors of the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Gilheeney serves the community at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital with 20 years of experience as a pediatric neuro-oncologist and involvement in clinical trials for this population. Dr. Gilheeney's clinical interests include using targeted therapies in all children and adolescents and radiation sparing or minimizing strategies in the infant/toddler population with the goal of minimizing toxicities of treatment while maintaining survival rates.
Peter F. Morgenstern, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Departments Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon with additional subspecialty training in minimally invasive neurosurgery including the management of skull base tumors. Since joining the Mount Sinai faculty, Dr. Morgenstern has focused on providing expert clinical care for children in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery and remains passionate about advancing the care of children with brain and spinal cord tumors. He has continued to collaborate on research in this area and provides cutting edge minimally invasive alternatives to traditional open neurosurgery whenever safe and effective for his patients.
Stanislav (Stas) Lazarev, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He provides patient care at both Mount Sinai Hospital and New York Proton Center. Since joining the Mount Sinai faculty in 2019, he has worked to expand access to proton therapy and advanced radiation techniques for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. Dr. Lazarev’s expertise focuses on pediatric and adult central nervous system tumors, with particular emphasis on proton beam therapy, craniospinal irradiation, stereotactic radiotherapy, re-irradiation, and the role of radiotherapy in recurrent diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) and diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs).
Christine Nazario, DNP, PNP, is a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner caring for patients from birth through young adulthood in both the inpatient and outpatient pediatric neurosurgery settings. She evaluates and treats patients across the full spectrum of pediatric neurosurgery. She is the coordinator for the multi-disciplinary Pediatric Neuro-Oncology clinic. She has over 11 years of combined nursing and advanced practice experience with dedicated experience as a pediatric hematology oncology nurse.