Joe S. Mendez
( out of 148 reviews )

Joe S. Mendez, MD

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Huntsman Cancer Institute - Cancer Hospital South

Clinic 2B, Neuro-Oncology
Salt Lake City
801-585-0250

  • Joe Mendez, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah and an Investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He specializes in Neuro-Oncology with a focus on treating patients with gliomas, primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), and metastatic disease to the central nervous system.

    Dr. Mendez received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Science from Rice University followed by his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his neurology residency at Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital where he also served as Chief Resident. He most recently completed his fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

    Dr. Mendez’s research interests include clinical trial research focused on the treatment of gliomas and primary central nervous system lymphoma. His other interest is medical education with a focus on teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.

    Dr. Mendez is originally from Wichita Falls, Texas. He enjoys playing tennis and traveling to international destinations with his partner, who is a Radiologist in the Breast Imaging Division at the University of Utah.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Neurology)
    United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (Neuro-oncology)

    Patient Rating

    4.9 /5
    ( out of 148 reviews )

    The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

    The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    March 28, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    How do you find the words to express your gratitude for someone who has saved your life? If not for Dr. Mendez, I would not be here today to have the opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle this past summer! Thank you, Dr. Mendez!

    March 24, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    He is a wonderful caring Dr. and I trust is opinion greatly.

    February 22, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    He is a great doctor and friend.

    February 09, 2025
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    HeÕs outstanding. Explains things well. Waits for questions and concerns of patient. Never pushes you for a specific decision.

    December 24, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Absolute professional. Joe takes the time needed to answer all questions that arrive during treatments. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being poor and 10 being amazing, Joe is a 12.

    December 20, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Dr. Mendez is an excellent . He is very bright and helpful to his patients. He has a lot of information in the field and informs his patients.

    December 13, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    He listens and explains well. He makes sure I understand and that my opinion counts.

    November 01, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Dr. Mendez is an outstanding doctor.

    November 01, 2024
    HUNTSMAN CANCER CENTER

    Highly recommend

    See More Patient Comments

  • Joe Mendez, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah and an Investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He specializes in Neuro-Oncology with a focus on treating patients with gliomas, primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), and metastatic disease to the central nervous system.

    Dr. Mendez received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Science from Rice University followed by his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his neurology residency at Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital where he also served as Chief Resident. He most recently completed his fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

    Dr. Mendez’s research interests include clinical trial research focused on the treatment of gliomas and primary central nervous system lymphoma. His other interest is medical education with a focus on teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.

    Dr. Mendez is originally from Wichita Falls, Texas. He enjoys playing tennis and traveling to international destinations with his partner, who is a Radiologist in the Breast Imaging Division at the University of Utah.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Neurosurgery -Assistant Professor (Clinical)
    Neurology -Adjunct Assistant Professor
    Board Certification
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Neurology)
    United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (Neuro-oncology)

    Education history

    Fellowship Neuro-Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Fellow
    Chief Resident Neurology - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Administrative Chief Resident
    Residency Neurology - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital Resident
    Internship Internal Medicine - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital Intern
    Professional Medical Medicine - University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine M.D.
    Undergraduate Environmental Engineering and Science - Rice University B.A.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Mendez JS, Cohen AL, Eckenstein M, Jensen RL, Burt LM, Salzman KL, Chamberlain M, Hsu HH, Hutchinson M, Iwamoto F, Ligon KL, Mrugala MM, Pelayo M, Plotkin SR, Puduvalli VK, Raizer J, Reardon DA, Sterba M, Walbert T, West BL, Wong ET, Zhang C, Colman H (2024). Phase 1b/2 Study of Orally Administered Pexidartinib in Combination with Radiation Therapy and Temozolomide in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma. Neuro-Oncology Advances, 6(1), vdae202.
    2. Robinson LJ, Goold E, Cannon DM, Mendez JS, Menacho ST, Mao Q, Liu T (2024). A rare case of an adult primary intracranial sarcoma associated with a DICER1 mutation. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, 83(5), 365-369. (Read full article)
    3. Arnold L, Hoshina Y, Hyejung L, Haaland B, Colman H, Mendez JS (2024). Effect of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia Prophylaxis on Hematologic Toxicity in Patients Receiving Chemoradiation for Primary BrainTumors. J Neurooncol, 167(1), 211-217.
    4. Mellinghoff IK, van den Bent MJ, Blumenthal DT, Touat M, Peters KB, Clarke J, Mendez J, Yust-Katz S, Welsh L, Mason WP, Ducray F, Umemura Y, Nabors B, Holdhoff M, Hottinger AF, Arakawa Y, Sepulveda JM, Wick W, Soffietti R, Perry JR, Giglio P, de la Fuente M, Maher EA, Schoenfeld S, Zhao D, Pandya SS, Steelman L, Hassan I, Wen PY, Cloughesy TF (2023). Vorasidenib in IDH1- or IDH2-Mutant Low-Grade Glioma. N Engl J Med, 389(7), 589-601. (Read full article)
    5. Earl ER, Colman H, Mendez J, Jensen RL, Karsy M (2023). An evaluation of biobanking and therapeutic clinical trial representation among adult glioma patients from rural and urban Utah. Neurooncol Pract, 10(5), 472-481. (Read full article)
    6. Lucas CG, Davidson CJ, Alashari M, Putnam AR, Whipple NS, Bruggers CS, Mendez JS, Cheshier SH, Walker JB, Ramani B, Cadwell CR, Sullivan DV, Lu R, Mirchia K, Van Ziffle J, Devine P, Goldschmidt E, Hervey-Jumper SL, Gupta N, Oberheim Bush NA, Raleigh DR, Bollen A, Tihan T, Pekmezci M, Solomon DA, Phillips JJ, Perry A (2023). Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Divergent Clonal Evolution in Components of Composite Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma-Ganglioglioma. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, 81(8), 650-657. (Read full article)
    7. Gelhard S, Maxwell A, Colman H, Cohen AL, Mendez JS (2022). Consolidation regimens in primary central nervous system lymphoma: a single-center retrospective cohort evaluating survival outcomes and cost-benefit analysis. J Neurooncol, 159(2), 293-300. (Read full article)
    8. Kraus RD, Weil CR, Su FCF, Cannon DM, Burt LM, Mendez JS (2022). Incidence and extent of disease progression on MRI between surgery and initiation of radiotherapy in glioblastoma patients. Neurooncol Pract, 9(5), 380-389. (Read full article)
    9. Guney E, Lucas CG, Qi Z, Yu J, Zhang R, Ohgami RS, Rubenstein JL, Bou DR, Schafernak KT, Wertheim GB, Dahiya S, Giulino-Roth L, Attarbaschi A, Barth MJ, Kothari S, Abla O, Cohen AL, Mendez JS, Bollen AW, Perry A, Tihan T, Pekmezci M, Solomon DA, Wen KW (2022). A genetically distinct pediatric subtype of primary CNS large B-cell lymphoma is associated with favorable clinical outcome. Blood Adv, 6, 3189-3193. (Read full article)
    10. Parsons MW, Whipple NS, Poppe MM, Mendez JS, Cannon DM, Burt LM (2020). The use and efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children and adults with pilocytic astrocytoma. J Neurooncol, 151(2), 93-101. (Read full article)
    11. Mendez JS, Ostrom QT, Gittleman H, Kruchko C, DeAngelis LM, Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Grommes C (2018). The elderly left behind – Changes in survival trends of primary central nervous system lymphoma over the past four decades. Neuro Oncol, 20(5), 687-694.
    12. Sneed PK, Mendez J, Vemer-van den Hoek JG, Seymour ZA, Ma L, Molinaro AM, Fogh SE, Nakamura JL, McDermott MW (2015). Adverse radiation effect after stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases: incidence, time course, and risk factors. J Neurosurg, 123(2), 373-86. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Kropp S, Mendez JS (2024). Advancements in Targeted Molecular Therapy for Low-Grade Gliomas: Challenging the Treatment Paradigm. [Review]. Practical Neurology, 23(3), 56-59.
    2. Azab MA, Cole K, Earl E, Cutler C, Mendez J, Karsy M (2023). Medical Management of Meningiomas. [Review]. Neurosurg Clin N Am, 34(3), 319-333. (Read full article)

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