Stanford Headache and Facial Pain Program Team

Niushen Zhang, MD, FAHS
Division Chief, Headache and Facial Pain
Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Dr. Zhang is a board-certified neurologist and Chief of the Headache and Facial Pain Division in the Department of Neurology. She has a special interest in developing personalized treatment plans for patients with headache which incorporate the use of complementary and integrative medicine. She previously served as the Chair of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Special Interest Section for the American Headache Society. Her research interest is on the impact of diet and nutrition on migraine and the connection between migraine and the gut microbiome. In addition, she participates in clinical trials of new headache treatments for migraine and cluster headache. Dr. Zhang is also actively involved in medical education. She is the Director of the Headache Fellowship Program at Stanford. She is the Co-Chair of the Headache Fellowship Program Directors Committee for the American Headache Society. She spearheaded the design and creation of the AHS National Headache Fellowship Opportunities website which serves as a central resource for all headache fellowship applicants.

Dr. Zhang graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She earned an MD from the New York University School of Medicine. She completed neurology residency and fellowship in headache and facial pain at Stanford University.


Richard Baron, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Dr. Baron is a board-certified Neurologist and fellowship trained in both Headache medicine and Otoneurology (dizziness and vestibular disorders) at Stanford University School of Medicine.  He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences and by courtesy, in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.  His clinical and research interests include the management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and vestibular migraine, and he is involved in quality improvement and medical education initiatives.   


Robert P. Cowan, MD, FAAN, FAHS
Higgins Family Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences and, by courtesy, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology

Dr. Robert Cowan is Higgins Family Professor of Neurology and Director of the Headache Research Program at Stanford University. Prior to joining Stanford he was the founding medical director of the Keeler Center for the Study of Headache (Ojai, CA) and senior clinical research scientist in molecular neurobiology at Huntington Medical Research Institutes (Pasadena, CA). Prior to that he founded and directed the Headache program at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine.

Dr. Cowan attended University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, completed a residency program at USC Department of Neurology and served on faculty there until 2000. He is Board Certified in the areas of: Psychiatry and Neurology and Pain Medicine. He also holds subspecialty certification in Headache Medicine.  Dr. Cowan is widely published in various scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Cephalalgia, and Headache. In addition, Dr. Cowan has held several nationally elected positions, including chair of the section on Chronic Daily Headache for the American Headache Society. He is past-President of the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific, a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society.  He sits on the boards of the Alliance for Headache Diseases Advocacy and the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific. He is an ad hoc reviewer for a variety of journals, and an active mentor in the Stanford BioDesign Program.


Leon Moskatel, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological  Sciences

Dr. Leon Moskatel completed Headache Fellowship at Stanford before joining as a Clinical Instructor. He is trained in Internal Medicine and is excited to bring that perspective to Headache Medicine. He obtained his Bachelor of the Arts from Columbia University and his medical degree at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. During that time, he also researched organic chemistry and microbial metabolism at the California Institute in Technology. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, where he served as president of the Residency Advisory Committee. His research interests focus on the overlap between health economics and headache medicine. His 2019 paper “Did UberX reduce ambulance volume?” received national attention and he received the American Headache Society's 2020 "Frontiers in Headache Research" award.


Oyindamola Ogunlaja, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Oyindamola Ogunlaja joined the headache division after working as a headache and general neurologist at King’s College Hospital in London, England. She completed her Headache fellowship at Stanford. Prior to her fellowship, she completed neurology residency at the Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals in Boston. Her research interests include nummular headache, and she was involved in running clinical trials in the UK. She returns to Stanford Neurology to provide clinical care to headache and facial pain patients in Palo Alto.
 


Addie Peretz, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Addie Peretz, MD, is a board certified Neurologist and a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences. Her clinical interests focus on the diagnosis and treatment of headache and facial pain conditions. She is involved in medical education and received the Robert S. Fisher Teaching Award for excellence in neurology resident teaching of medical students at Stanford in June of 2015. Her research interests include understanding the biological underpinnings of migraine and chronic daily headaches. She also participates in clinical trials of new headache treatments. She is currently a member of the American Headache Society as well as the International Headache Society.

Dr. Peretz received her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at Brown University and earned her medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine. She completed her internship at Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, DC, followed by residency in Neurology and fellowship in Headache and Facial Pain, both at Stanford University.

Fellows

Arathi Nandyala, MD
Headache Fellow

Arathi Nandyala was Chief Resident at Georgetown University. She has a particular interest in headache management during pregnancy. She received her bachelors degree in Biology and Sociology at the University of Florida and her medical degree from the University of South Florida. She is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society in addition to the American Headache Society and the International Headache Society. Her other interests include running, reading and baking.

Sheena Pillai, MD
Headache Fellow

Sheena Pillai is originally from Texas where she went to undergraduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas and medical school at UT Southwestern. She completed her residency at Stanford in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is very excited to join the Stanford Headache and Facial Pain fellowship program. Outside of work Sheena enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, and most importantly eating. 

APPs

Carol A. Barch, MN, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner IV

Carol received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Wayne State University, and a master's and post-master's nursing degree from Emory University.  She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, has received national specialty certification in critical care nursing and neuroscience nursing, and added Qualification in Headache Medicine.  

Carol has been nationally recognized for her work in cerebrovascular disease.  However over the past 10 years, her focus has been on headache medicine.  She has presented at local, national, and international programs, published multiple articles and an active member of the American Headache Society. 

As a nurse practitioner on the team, she provides follow-up care to patients working to meet their goals in medication and lifestyle management for headache and facial pain. Her areas of interest include integrative medicine and patient education.

Sofia Georghiou, MS, PA-C
Advanced Practice Provider I 

Sofia Georghiou is a board-certified physician associate (AKA physician assistant). She completed her training at Stanford University School of Medicine's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program, where she served as co-president of Women and Medicine, and worked as a teaching assistant of Clinical Anatomy.

She is looking forward to providing clinical care to patients with headache and facial pain. Her areas of interest include headache management during pregnancy and medical education.

Prior to her career as a PA, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience at Boston University, after which she worked in clinical research at the Neuromuscular Center at Boston Children's Hospital.

Sofia is an active member of the American Headache Society, the International Headache Society, the American Academy of Physician Associates, and the California Academy of Physician Associates. Outside of work, she enjoys being active outdoors, photography, gardening, and reading.

Administrators

Michelle Krzanich, SCPM

Michelle received her bachelors in Public Relations, with a minor in Sociology, from San Jose State University. She is a Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM) and has been working in the Stanford umbrella since 2013. She started with the School of Engineering and then moved to the School of Medicine. As of May 2018, she joined the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford Neurosciences Health Center.