Thomas Prieto, PhD

Medical Physicist

Dr. Prieto received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University.  He was Associate Professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin before coming to Stanford Healthcare in 2014.  He provides technical support for the autonomic testing lab and for the deep brain stimulation surgeries for movement disorders.  His primary interests are in instrumentation and signal processing methods for the evaluation of autonomic and movement disorders.

Matthew Petrucci, PhD

Research Engineer

Matt obtained a MS in mechanical engineering and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a BS/BA in mechanical engineering from the University of San Diego. His dissertation research primarily focused on improving gait initiation in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and freezing of gait (FOG) using a powered ankle foot orthosis. During his graduate career, he also worked on projects that examined the application of a powered ankle foot orthosis for gait assistance in persons with multiple sclerosis and perception vs. action coupling in firefighters wearing protective gear. He was awarded a MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2016 to develop quantitative measures of the mechanical and neurophysiological components of rigidity in PD. In 2017, he was awarded the Parkinson’s Study Group Mentored Clinical Research Award to evaluate an automated closed-looped algorithm to rapidly optimize deep brain stimulation settings for people with PD. At Stanford, his work has primarily focused on closed-loop deep brain stimulation for FOG and evaluating the relationship between freezing of upper limb movements with freezing of lower limb movements in people with PD.

Outside of lab, Matt is a sports enthusiast who enjoys baseball, golf, rock climbing, hiking, and all things outdoors. He also enjoys playing the guitar and piano.

Kevin Wilkins, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Kevin graduated from Boston College in 2014 with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in English. He then completed his PhD in Neuroscience at Northwestern University in 2019 under Dr. Jun Yao  in the Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences Department. His research at Northwestern focused on the neural changes following device-assisted hand/arm interventions in individuals with severe chronic hemiparetic stroke, as well as the neural mechanisms underlying the observed upper extremity impairments. At Stanford, Kevin will transition towards evaluating the efficacy of adaptable deep brain stimulators in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Outside of lab, Kevin enjoys sports, playing with his dog, cooking, and exploring all the great food the bay area has to offer.

Sudeep Aditham

Research Assistant

Sudeep graduated from Emory University with a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and a Minor in Philosophy. He did research at a Parkinson’s disease research lab at Yerkes identifying pharmacological treatments that alter brain signals in non-human primates. He has also done research at a translational science primate lab studying infectious disease. At Emory, he was deeply involved with brain injury survivor support, volunteering, and social justice education. At Stanford, Sudeep hopes to deepen his understanding of the neural/kinematic signatures of PD and the evolving role of neuromodulation in patient care. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, photography, and playing with his dog.

Gary Burnett

Graduate Student

Gary graduated from MIT in 2017 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. There, he did research in the Biomechatronics Group at the MIT Media Lab using sensor data from a prosthetic ankle to monitor how a patient is walking. He now works as a data scientist at NVIDIA using GPUs to accelerate machine learning workflows in healthcare. Starting in 2020, Gary became a part time Master's Student at Stanford in the Biomedical Informatics department. At Stanford, he hopes to apply his expertise in data science to explore the relationship between neural activity and the kinematics of gait. Outside of work, he enjoys graphic design, music production, weight lifting, and hip hop dance.

Cameron Diep

Research Assistant

Cameron graduated from Boston University in 2020 with a B.A. in Neuroscience. She has designed and conducted a neurofeedback study using EEGs, aimed to improve focus and attention in adolescents with ADHD/ADD. She has also worked on a clinical research study regarding postpartum PTSD and the potential benefits of Oxytocin administration on mother-infant bonding. At Stanford, Cameron hopes to deepen her neuroscience knowledge, learn more about the neural mechanisms of movement, and contribute to the improvement of PD patient care. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, going to the beach, and trying new foods.

Shannon Hoffman, PT, DPT

Research Assistant

Shannon is a physical therapist with several years of experience in clinical practice, research, and education at Washington University in St. Louis, Sacramento State, and outpatient rehabilitation centers in Missouri and California. Her primary focus has been on the evaluation and treatment of neurologic disorders affecting balance and gait including peripheral and central vestibular disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. Shannon earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 2007 and her BA in anthropology and pre-professional studies from the University of Notre Dame in 2004. At Stanford, she hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the neural and biomechanical mechanisms underlying gait and balance impairments, the relationship between these impairments and cognition, and novel treatment options to improve patient outcomes. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys hiking, cooking and baking, and playing music with her husband and children.

Yasmine Kehnemouyi

Research Assistant

Yasmine graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Bioengineering, concentrating in medical devices. She did research in both a biomechanics laboratory, where she focused on computational modeling of calcification of the aortic valve, as well as a bioelectronics laboratory, where she worked on design of an implantable oxygen sensor. She was also closely involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Cal Women's Swimming and Diving Team. Her future goals involve building and optimizing wearable and implantable health technologies targeting a variety of physiological systems. At Stanford, she hopes to use her engineering perspective in better understanding neural and kinematic mechanisms pertaining to Parkinson's Disease. Outside of school, Yasmine enjoys swimming, running, climbing, and visiting local coffee and ice cream shops.

Johanna O’Day, MS

Graduate Student

Johanna received her M.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford University in 2017. She hails from Boston, and has a B.S. in Biochemistry from her first alma mater, Boston College. She did research for two years in a Chemical Biology laboratory, and completed an independent research project in Neuroscience as an undergraduate at Boston College. At Stanford, she is working to better understand the biomechanical and neural mechanisms underlying pathological movement. Outside of the lab, Johanna can be found ascending rock walls with friends, running, writing, hiking and swimming.

Gerrit Chi Luk Orthlieb

Research Assistant

Gerrit graduated from Arizona State University with a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a thesis on trigeminal neuromodulation's effects on proprioception. He worked with a single unit recording lab to measure locus coeruleus activity in primates undergoing trigeminal nerve stimulation and completed an independent research project under the lab involving tactile sensory feedback modalities and proprioception. During his B.S. he was lead electrical engineer designing a novel neurostimulator for trigeminal neuromodulation. At Stanford, he hopes to use and develop his neuroscience and engineering skills to improve patient care and DBS control for Parkinson's Disease. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, building PCs, and working on microcontroller and smart home projects.