Aram Modrek

At the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, Dr. Aram Modrek, MD, PhD, cares for patients with a wide range of brain tumors. He is dedicated to providing highly personalized treatment, taking time to understand each patient’s individual goals and circumstances. His collaborative approach emphasizes trust, compassion, and tailoring therapies to achieve the best outcomes possible. As part of the multidisciplinary team at the USC Brain Tumor Center, Dr. Modrek offers advanced treatment options and ongoing support for patients and their families.

In addition to his clinical role, Dr. Modrek leads a research laboratory within the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The lab is part of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Epigenetic Regulation in Cancer Program, and the USC Brain Tumor Center. The research mission is to understand how DNA damage reshapes the genome and how these alterations drive changes in gene regulation and treatment resistance in brain tumors. By uncovering how cancer adapts to therapy, the team aims to identify new strategies to disrupt these processes and make treatments more effective.

As a physician-scientist, Dr. Modrek combines his clinical expertise with laboratory research to bring forward innovations that can directly benefit patients. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on brain tumor research and is frequently invited to present his work nationally and internationally. Dr. Modrek is also active in professional societies, including the Society for Neuro-Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Brain Tumor Association, and the Radiological Society of North America.

Born and raised in Los Angeles as the proud son of immigrants from Armenia and Iran, Dr. Modrek brings both personal and professional passion to his work. Outside of medicine and research, he enjoys cycling, swimming, and spending time outdoors with his family.

• New York University, New York City, NY — MD — 2018 — M.D., Medicine
• New York University, New York City, NY — PhD — 2016 — Ph.D., Molecular Biology and Tumor Immunology
• New York University, New York City, NY — 2023 — Radiation Oncology (Residency)
• New York University, New York City, NY — 2019 — Medicine Internship (Residency)
• New York University, New York City, NY — 2023 — Post-doctoral Research, Glioma Biology

• V Foundation
  V Foundation · Oct 1, 2024 – Sep 30, 2027 · Role: PI
• Baxter Foundation
  Baxter Foundation · Jun 30, 2024 – Jun 30, 2025 · Role: PI
• Epigenetic alterations after DNA damage repair drive treatment resistance in glioblastoma
  NIH · K08CA263302 · Sep 20, 2022 – Aug 31, 2027 · Role: Principal Investigator

• glioma
• glioblastoma
• astrocytoma
• oligodendroglioma
• meningioma
• radiation oncology
• research
• epigenetics
• brain tumor
• spine tumor
• brain metastases
• radiosurgery
• GammaKnife
• radiation therapy

• Lenz, Heinz-Josef
• Matsuo, Koji
• Chen, Thomas
• Yu, Jian
• Chang, Eric
• Wang, Pin