Meet our team
Baumer lab is a team of researchers at Stanford University who investigate the relationship between various forms of epilepsy, cognition and learning.
Epilepsy is a network disorder that not only causes seizures but also disrupts normal functions of the brain. Many children with epilepsy have cognitive difficulties, which range from severe intellectual disability to more specific challenges with language, attention, or learning. Current medical treatments focus on stopping seizures but not addressing these other important issues. The overarching goal of the Baumer Lab is to investigate interactions between epilepsy and cognition in order to design novel therapies that address cognitive comorbidities in children with epilepsy. We work with children with common epilepsy syndromes to investigate the impact of epileptiform discharges (spike waves) on the brain connectivity underlying language and visual processing. Our studies currently investigate brain connectivity using high-density EEG as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation paired with EEG (TMS-EEG).
Non-invasive neurostimulation with TMS is already an important therapy for several neuropsychiatric disorders, like depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Our program will use insights on brain connectivity in pediatric epilepsy to develop targeted TMS therapies for the cognitive problems faced by these children.
Team Members
Fiona Baumer, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Fiona Baumer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Division of Child Neurology. She is a graduate of the Stanford Human Biology program and pursued medical training at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital. She returned to Stanford for epilepsy fellowship where she now serves as an attending in child neurology. Her clinical efforts focus on caring for children with many types of epilepsy and on running the non-invasive cortical mapping program for neurosurgery patients. She has completed post-doctoral work in the labs of Dr. Robert Fisher and Dr. Amit Etkin, using transcranial magnetic stimulation paired with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) to study brain dynamics. She has been awarded the NINDS K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award to advance this work.
Postdoctoral Scholars
Xiwei She, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Xiwei She is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Neurology. He received his B.S. degree in Computer Science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2013, and his M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Zhejiang University in 2016. Worked as a research assistant at the USC Neural Modeling and Interface Laboratory, he received his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2022. After graduation, he joined Stanford University as a postdoctoral scholar at the Pediatric Neurostimulation Laboratory (Baumer Lab) and Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute. His research interests are largely directed towards identifying the causal relationship of neurons / brain regions and understanding how information is encoded in neural signals by employing machine learning models. Specifically, his postdoc research focus on applying machine learning modeling techniques on EEG and TMS-EEG data to better understand the impact of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) on brain activity in children with childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (CECTS).
Researchers
Wendy Qi
Research Coordinator
Wendy is a research coordinator in the Baumer Lab focusing on TMS-EEG and EEG studies to examine language processing and brain excitability in pediatric epilepsy. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, where she developed an interest in understanding cognition through vision and speech perception during her time in the Zevin Lab. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, writing, and podcasting.
Miguel Menchaca
Research Coordinator
Miguel Menchaca is a Research Coordinator in the Baumer Lab, and his work focuses on the theraputic benefits of TMS in pediatric epilepsy. He graduated from Santa Clara Unviersity with degrees in Psychology and Music, where he developed an interest in Neuroscience and mental health. In his free time you can find him kickboxing, running, and producing music!
Students
David Fox
David Fox is a Junior at Stanford University who is majoring in Biomedical Computation and minoring in Dance Studies. He joined the Baumer Lab as a Sophomore in June of 2024, where he found a love for the intersection of clinical medicine, neuroscience and computer science. Outside of the lab, David loves anything outdoors, especially hiking and surfing. David also is the co-president of the dance club Traction Modern Dance Company, and works as a Dance Minor Peer Advisor for the Stanford dance department.
Niki Iasinovschi
Niki Iasinovschi is a rising junior studying Human Biology at Stanford. She became interested in neuroscience after working at a medical examiner's office and joined the Baumer Lab to work on better understanding brain changes in children with epilepsy. Her experience working 911 as an EMT has solidified her love for patient care, and she hopes to go to medical school in the future. In her free time, she enjoys rollerskating, yoga, and exploring the bay!
Lorelei Santa Maria
Lorelei Santa Maria is a rising junior at Stanford University pursuing a B.S. in Human Biology with a concentration in Pediatric Health, Development, and Cognition. She is simultaneously completing a coterminal Master’s in Community Health and Prevention Research. In Spring of 2024, she joined the Baumer Pediatric Neurology Lab to study academic outcomes and cognition in children with Rolandic Epilepsy.
Lorelei serves as a co-lead in the California National Guard’s Mountaineering Unit for youth and is a certified EMT. An avid marathon runner, she’s happiest outdoors—whether training, roaming about on strolls or reading in the sun with a good book on philosophy.
Collaborators
Alumni
Beattie Goad, BS
Kerry Nix, BA
Keanu Spies, MS
Ahyuda Oh, DDS, MBA, DrPH
Alicia Evan
Sergei Tugin, PhD
Lucia Bicknell
Jack Christian
Our Mission
We are committed to ethical and worthwhile research which aims to benefit children with epilepsy and their families as well as the community at large.
Join Our Team
The Baumer lab is recruiting! We are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic students and post-doctoral scholars with an interest in pediatric epilepsy and child cognitive development. We are particularly excited to recruit:
1) engineers with skills in Matlab (EEGlab and Fieldtrip) programming and analysis; and
2) scholars with research experience using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and/or high-density electroencephalogram (EEG).
Our team highly values applicants who are comfortable and experienced working with children and their families. Interested candidates should forward their CV and a letter of interest to Dr. Fiona Baumer (fbaumer@stanford.edu).