Neurosurgeon-scientist elected to Taiwan’s prestigious Academia Sinica

Dr. Linda Liau, chair of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica by the 35th Convocation of Academicians, the preeminent academic institution in Taiwan.

The Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s equivalent of the National Academy of Sciences, recognizes Liau’s distinguished career as a neurosurgeon and scientist that spans over 30 years and her seminal scientific contributions to the field of brain tumor immunotherapy. Her pioneering work developing and refining treatment strategies for brain tumors has led to one of the first personalized vaccines for people with glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing type of brain tumor.

Liau and her team were one of the first groups to demonstrate that the body could actually mount an immune response against tumors in the brain following the vaccination, indicating that T cells can cross the blood-brain barrier and attack tumors in the brain. For some of the patients in Liau’s studies, the vaccine has added years of life for those with a disease that often only has a lifespan of months.

“Being elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica is a profound honor,” said Liau. “It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of my research team and the unwavering support of my colleagues. I am excited to continue our work in advancing innovative treatments for brain tumors and improving the lives of patients worldwide.”

Liau, an investigator in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Program, is among 28 new scholars and scientists elected to the prestigious academy in a wide variety of disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, life sciences and physical sciences.

She has authored over 250 peer-reviewed research articles and been the recipient of numerous national and international recognitions for her expertise in clinical neuro-immunology and brain tumor immunotherapy, intra-operative brain mapping, and complex brain tumor surgery.  

Liau is on the editorial boards of several scientific and medical journals, and was the prior Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology for over a decade. She was the first woman chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons and the first woman president of the Western Neurosurgical Society. She was elected to the American Academy of Neurological Surgery in 2013 and the National Academy of Medicine in 2018.