About NF Simplified

Our Mission

NF Simplified is dedicated to making scientific research more accessible and understandable for individuals and families affected by all forms of Neurofibromatosis and schwannomatosis.

We believe everyone deserves access to clear, reliable information about the latest advances in NF research. By sharing simplified and accurate summaries of scientific findings, we aim to empower the NF community to make informed decisions, stay updated on medical progress, and feel connected to the breakthroughs shaping their care.

How It Works

Every article on our platform goes through a careful process to ensure it's both accurate and easy to understand.

Simplified for Everyone

Complex research papers are rewritten into clear, plain-language summaries so that patients, families, and caregivers can actually understand them.

Verified by Experts

Every summary is hand-reviewed and certified by scientists and clinicians who specialize in the field — so you can trust what you're reading.

Kyle Wan

Founder

Our Story

In 2022, my grandma was diagnosed with pulmonary adenocarcinoma, more commonly known as lung cancer. However, she couldn't understand her diagnosis, which delayed her treatment. When I spoke with a family member living with Neurofibromatosis, I realized this wasn't just a one-off story — many patients struggle to keep up with the research that could shape their care, because research is hard to understand without a medical background.

That moment set me on a journey to make scientific research more accessible, especially for smaller disease communities where clear, reliable information can be hard to find. I believe every patient and family deserves to understand and stay up-to-date with the science behind their condition, and that's why I started this platform.

Our Team

We are a passionate, volunteer-led team of scientists, clinicians, developers, and advocates working together to bridge the gap between research and the Neurofibromatosis community.

Core Team

Kyle Wan

Founder & Lead

Committed to building a user-friendly platform to help researchers share clear, accurate summaries with the NF community.

Vanessa Merker, Ph.D.

Faculty Advisor

Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Specializes in patient-centered research and improving care in Neurofibromatosis and related conditions.

Roxana Daneshjou, MD Ph.D.

Faculty Advisor

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University. Specializes in building Fair and trustworthy AI for healthcare.

Scientific Contributors

We're a growing network of scientists who volunteer to edit article summaries and share the amazing research being done in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis with the community.

Elisabeth Castellanos Perez

Principal Investigator, PhD., Ph.D., Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute

Aaron Alexander-Bloch

N/A, MD, PhD, MPhil, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Andrea Gross

Assistant Research Physician, Pediatric Oncology Branch, M.D., National Cancer Institute, NIH

Angela Hirbe

Associate Professor of Medicine, M.D. Ph.D., Washington University

Anna Piotrowski

N/A

Ashley Cannon

Clinical Program Manager, Neuroscientist, Certified Genetic Counselor,, Ph.D., Informed DNA, University of Alabama Birmingham

Bradley Welling

N/A, M.D. Ph.D., Harvard Medical School

Brigitte Widemann

Senior Investigator, M.D., National Cancer Institute

Carlos Romo

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Christopher Moertel

Professor, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, M.D., University of Minnesota

Claudia Santoro

N/A, M.D. Ph.D., University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"

Deeann Wallis

University of Alabama, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genetics

Eduard Serra Arenas

Group Leader, Hereditary Cancer Group, Ph.D., IGTP

Eric Legius

Professor of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, M.D. Ph.D., University of Leuven (Belgium)

Eva Dombi

Senior Research Assistant, Pediatric Oncology Branch, M.D., National Cancer Institute

Florent Elefteriou

Professor, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine

Francisco Javier Garcia Martinez

N/A, International Dermatological Clinic

Frank Buono

Research Scientist in Psychiatry, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine

Gareth R. Evans

N/A, M.D., Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine

Gary Brenner

Associate Professor in Anesthesia, M.D. Ph.D., Harvard Medical School

Harish Vasudevan

Radiation Oncology, M.D. Ph.D., UCSF

Heather Thompson

Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ph.D., Sacramento State

J Elliott Robinson

N/A, M.D. Ph.D., Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Joanne Ngeow

N/A, MBBS, MRCP, MPH, National Cancer Centre Singapore

Jonathan Payne

Assoc Prof, PsyD, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Kavita Sarin

Professor of Dermatology, M.D. Ph.D., Stanford University Medical Center

Kevin Couper

N/A, Ph.D., University of Manchester

Laura Fertitta

Dermatologist, Henri-Mondor University Hospital. Creteil, France.

Lu Le

Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology, M.D. Ph.D., University of Virginia School of Medicine

Masoud Aghsaei Fard

N/A, M.D., Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Matthias A. Karajannis

N/A, M.D., M.S., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Ming-Jen Lee

N/A, M.D. Ph.D., National Taiwan University Hospital

Miriam Smith

N/A, Ph.D., The University of Manchester

Nancy Ratner

N/A, Ph.D., Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Natalie Pride

N/A, Ph.D., Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney

Niccolo Di Giosaffatte

N/A, M.D., Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza

Noelle Larson

Orthopedic Surgeon, M.D., Mayo Clinic

Pamela Wolters

Senior Associate Scientist, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Ph.D., National Cancer Institute

Pierre Wolkenstein

Professor of Dermatology, M.D. Ph.D., Université Paris-Est Créteil

Piotr Topilko

N/A, Ph.D., Mondor Institute for Biomedical Research

Radhika Dhamija

Medical Geneticist, Neurologist, M.B.B.S., Mayo Clinic

Robert Avery

Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmologist, D.O., M.S.C.E., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Shivani Ahlawat

Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science, M.D., Johns Hopkins University

Stephen McKenna

Director of Research, Ph.D., Galen Research

Sylwia Ammoun

Associate Professor, Peninsula Medical School, Ph.D., University of Plymouth

Tamar Green

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, M.D., Stanford University

Taylor Sunby

Assistant Research Physician, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH

Theodore Drivas

N/A, M.D. Ph.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Vanessa Merker

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School

Vivian Vernimmen

N/A, Ph.D., Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University