Bronte-Stewart Laboratory Members

Bronte-Stewart Lab Members

Helen M. Bronte-Stewart, MD, MSE
Principal Investigator

The John E. Cahill Professor,
Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Director Stanford Movement Disorders Center
Director Stanford Human Motor Control and Balance Laboratory

Dr. Helen Bronte-Stewart is the John E Cahill Family Professor in the department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. She is a neurologist, neurophysiologist and movement disorders specialist, who has used her training in mathematics and physics, bioengineering, neurology, movement disorders, and single unit electrophysiology in primates to develop a rigorous translational program in motor control research in human subjects with movement disorders. Dr. Bronte-Stewart is the Director of the Stanford Comprehensive Movement Disorders Center, the Co-Director of the Stanford Balance Center, and the Division Chief of Movement Disorders in the department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. She directs the Stanford Human Motor Control and Balance Laboratory, where she has developed computerized, quantitative measurements of motor behavior, which are being implemented in a wide range of Movement Disorders. Her research investigates the brain’s contribution to abnormal movement in human subjects, using synchronous brain recordings and quantitative kinematics, and how these are modulated with different frequencies and patterns of neurostimulation. Dr. Bronte-Stewart’s team was the first in the United States to implant a sensing neurostimulator, from which they can record brain signals directly, and use the patient’s own neural activity to drive the first closed loop neurostimulation studies in Parkinson’s disease. This work has led to the first multicenter national clinical trial in closed loop deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinson’s disease, which Dr. Bronte-Stewart will lead. Dr. Bronte-Stewart's passion for understanding how the brain controls movement comes from a background in classical and modern dance.

Kevin Wilkins, PhD

Research Scientist

Kevin completed his PhD in Neuroscience at Northwestern University under Dr. Jun Yao in the Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences Department. Kevin then completed a postdoctoral fellowship under Dr. Helen Bronte-Stewart sponsored by the Parkinson’s Foundation. He continues to work with Dr. Bronte-Stewart as a research scientist. He is the project lead for a pilot clinical trial evaluating a novel deep brain stimulation approach for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, he investigates the efficacy of closed-loop adaptive deep brain stimulation for motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. It’s his hope that a deeper understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease, as well as other related neurodegenerative diseases, will aid in the development of more targeted and effective interventions for patients. Outside of lab, Kevin enjoys sports, playing with his dog, and cooking

Chuyi Cui, PhD

Chuyi earned her doctorate in Biomechanics and Motor Control with a minor in Gerontology at Purdue University. She was co-mentored by Dr. Shirley Rietdyk and Dr. Satyajit Ambike in the Purdue Human Motor Behavior Group. Her research focused on the control of gait and gait stability, and how this control manifests as a function of environmental demands and aging. At Stanford, Chuyi will extend her work from healthy individuals to those with Parkinson’s disease and evaluate the efficacy of closed-loop deep brain stimulation for improving gait functions. In her free time, Chuyi enjoys spending time with her cat, swimming, and exploring new things the Bay Area has to offer.

Jin Woo Choi, PhD

Jin Woo graduated from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and completed his MS and PhD in Computer Science at the same university under Dr. Sungho Jo. During his time at KAIST, Jin Woo's research focused on utilizing machine learning techniques to analyze EEG signals and develop non-invasive brain-computer interfaces for immersive virtual reality and real-world scenarios. At Stanford, Jin Woo will investigate various machine learning algorithms to process neural and kinematic data and apply his findings to develop adaptive deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's Disease. In his leisure time, Jin Woo enjoys going to the gym, watching documentary films, and playing pool.

Gang Seo, PhD

Gang pursued his BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University and completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Houston under the supervision of Dr. Jinsook Roh. His PhD dissertation focused on characterizing and assessing motor coordination after stroke and developing a novel stroke rehabilitation protocol based on the concept of muscle synergy. In the Bronte-Stewart Lab, he will investigate cognitive and cognitive-motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease using a novel deep brain stimulation approach. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing sports and musical instruments.

Annie Abay

Research Assistant

Annie graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Her background is in machine learning research and clinical care. At IBM Research, she worked on designing distributed ML techniques with data privacy constraints i.e. HIPAA, and developing enterprise-level federated learning infrastructure. She also has clinical experience working with patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, and various movement constraints. At Stanford, she hopes to advance the development of treatments that better the lives of patients with Parkinson’s disease, and more deeply understand of the relationship between their physical and cognitive symptoms. Outside of the lab, Annie enjoys writing, playing volleyball, and traveling.

Prerana Acharyya

Research Assistant

Prerana graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S. In Computer Science and Neuroscience. As an undergraduate, she researched how driving behaviors in conjunction with biomarkers and cognitive assessments can predict preclinical Alzheimer's disease. She also has prior experience using machine learning methods to develop screen reader-compatible e-books and to analyze clinical data for oncological disease diagnosis. At Stanford, Prerana hopes to better understand the neural mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and explore the development of novel therapies that improve the quality of life for Parkinson's disease patients. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, reading books, and learning new languages.

Charlotte Casselton

Research Assistant

Charlotte holds a Sc.M. in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Sport & Exercise Science from University of Kent, UK. During her Master’s thesis research Charlotte investigated how anxiety and visual perturbations can lead to alterations in pre-frontal cortex activity. To conduct this research, she utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure alterations in cortical activity and contributed to the development of a novel treadmill perturbation task. During her undergraduate studies, she developed an interest in research through her work at the University of Kent, where she studied biomechanics and completed a research scholarship in physiology. At Stanford, Charlotte hopes to explore the neural mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the development of innovative therapies to alleviate Parkinsonian symptoms and improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients. In her free time, she enjoys reading, martial arts, cycling and baking.

Kerry Daley

Research Assistant

Kerry graduated from Harvard College with a B.S. in Bioengineering and a minor in Neuroscience. As an undergraduate, he had a variety of research experiences, including drug delivery, bioelectronics, and biophysics. He completed a senior thesis titled “Characterization of Microelectrodes for Voltage Delivery to Protein Crystals” under advisor Doeke Hekstra that illuminated biochemical processes occurring in the novel experimental technique of Electric Field X-ray Crystallography. He also interned at a Boston-based medical device startup, Stratagen Bio, that focuses on transforming MRI into a tool for quantitative biomarker assessment and objective clinical decision making. Kerry was responsible for data analysis and R&D modifications, writing the first scripts of code for the young start-up. At Stanford, he intends to combine his passions of neuroscience, medical hardware, and data analysis to better serve patients in clinic through research of Parkinson’s and neuromodulation. A former collegiate rower, Kerry enjoys an active lifestyle of running, hiking, and biking outside of the lab.

Tatianna Howard

Research Assistant

Tatianna has an A.A in Psychology from Chabot College, and a B.A in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a neurobiology emphasis from the University of California, Berkeley. She previously worked in a Cognitive Psychology Lab studying the efficacy of a novel form of noninvasive brain stimulation that would eventually be used in clinical settings to treat drug-resistant neurological disorders such as Depression, Anxiety and Schizophrenia. Her interest in Neurological Diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, stems from experiences in her childhood watching her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. During her time at Stanford Tatianna hopes to explore the differences in the biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease Dementia and other types of Dementia, as well as discovering novel therapies that will improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s Disease patients. In Tatianna’s free time she enjoys reading, drawing, going on walks, and coming up with new workout routines to do in the gym.

Shreesh Karjagi

Research Assistant

Shreesh graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Bioengineering. Previously, he researched the integration of 3D-printed magnetoelastic self-powered sensors for providing closed loop tactile feedback in bionic arms. He also has experience working at a medical device start-up in the domain of implantable micro-infusion drug pumps. At Stanford, Shreesh is dedicated to understanding and contributing to the optimization of adaptive deep brain stimulation for enhanced treatment outcomes in Parkinson’s patients, driven by his interest in remote disease management based on real-time physiological data. Outside of work, Shreesh likes volunteering, gardening, and experimenting with new vegetarian recipes.

Aarushi Negi

Research Assistant

Aarushi graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Neuroscience. At Vanderbilt, she performed computational and neuroimaging analysis to analyze functional and structural connectivity disturbances in focal epilepsy. She also has prior experience in assessing the effects of musical intervention on the mood and cognitive symptoms of those with Alzheimer’s disease. At Stanford, Aarushi hopes to explore the neural mechanisms underlying gait and cognitive impairments in people with Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, she is interested in contributing to the development of novel therapies that improve quality of life in PD patients. In her free time, Aarushi enjoys dancing, running, being in nature, and listening to music.