Meet our Multi-disciplinary Team

The Center is comprised of clinical specialists from a variety of medical and surgical disciplines with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of resistant hypertension and its complications.

Department of Medicine - Division of Nephrology Kidney Disease and Hypertension

Advanced Practice Provider

Vivek Bhalla, MD, FASN, FAHA

Director, Hypertension Center

Dr. Vivek Bhalla is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Nephrology, and Hypertension. His clinical specialties include diagnosis and management of cases of resistant hypertension, in particular, due to secondary causes including primary hyperaldosteronism, renovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. He also sees patients with fluid and electrolyte disorders of the kidney as well as patients afflicted with diabetes and hypertension.

Dr. Bhalla received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his medical degree from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine at Harbor-UCLA and subsequently completed clinical nephrology fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. During his fellowship, he studied molecular mechanisms of sodium transport in the laboratory of Dr. David Pearce. In 2008, Dr. Bhalla was recruited to Stanford University and currently directs a basic science research program on the molecular mechanisms of hypertension in the metabolic syndrome. He is the recipient of the Shaul G. Massry Young Investigator Grant Recipient from the National Kidney Foundation and the Carl W. Gottschalk Career Development Award from the American Society of Nephrology. He is the founding director of the Stanford Hypertension Center, a nexus for clinical care, and clinical and translational research to improve the care of patients with hypertension. Dr. Bhalla has a long-standing interest in encouraging nephrology and hypertension research in our trainees. He directs the renal physiology curriculum at the Stanford University School of Medicine and has served on the Biosciences Research Advisory Group for the American Society of Nephrology.

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Tara Chang, MD, MS, FASN

Associate Professor of Medicine, Nephrology

Dr. Tara Chang is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Hypertension. In addition to seeing patients with all types of kidney diseases, Dr. Chang has a special interest in patients with difficult-to-treat high blood pressure. Dr. Chang runs several clinical research projects funded in part by the NIH that examine the relationships among high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and heart disease. She is the Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Nephrology.More

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Glenn Chertow, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine, Nephrology

Dr. Chertow is the Norman S. Coplon / Satellite Healthcare Professor of Medicine- Nephrology, and is Chief of Nephrology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Chertow received his undergraduate degree from University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree and master’s in public health from Harvard Medical School. He trained in Internal medicine and was Nephrology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also has received certification of expertise in Clinical Hypertension from the American Society of Hypertension. More

His research interests are focused on clinical epidemiology, health services research, and clinical trials in acute and chronic kidney disease. In addition to his own research program, he devotes considerable effort in collaborative research and in mentoring junior faculty, fellows and other trainees. He has served as Chairman of the Steering Committee of several multi-center studies including BEACON, EVOLVE, and the Frequency Hemodialysis Network. He is a Principal Investigator for SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure and Intervention Trial) and participates in several follow-up studies. Dr. Chertow holds numerous awards for his accomplishments in research, teaching, and clinical care including the Belding Scribner Award, The National Torchbearer Award from the American Kidney Fund, and election into the National Academy of Medicine.

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Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Nephrology

Bio

Dr. Bahrainwala is a board-certified, fellowship-trained nephrologist with the Stanford Medicine Kidney Clinic at Boswell. She is a part of the AHA-Certified Stanford Hypertension Center. One of her main clinical areas of focus is the diagnosis and treatment of resistant hypertension and secondary hypertension. She also has a clinical interest in caring for patients who are pregnant or planning pregnancy with hypertension and kidney disease. In addition to hypertension, she also cares for patients with all types of kidney diseases. Her extensive experience includes caring for patients with electrolyte abnormalities, kidney stones, chronic kidney disease and end stage kidney disease. Dr. Bahrainwala is skilled at creating connections with her patients. She treats the whole person rather than the condition. She also strongly believes in patient education and involving them in the medical decision-making process. She integrates their goals of care and other aspects of advanced care planning into treatment planning. She is also interested in the conservative care of elderly patients with advanced kidney disease. She has formal communication skills training in discussing serious illnesses with patients through Vital Talk. In addition to being a clinician, she is committed to and involved in the medical education of trainees at all levels including medical students, residents and fellows. She is a fellow and a member of the American Society of Nephrology. Additionally, she is a member of the National Kidney Foundation and the American Heart Association. She is double board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.

Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Nephrology

Bio

Dr. Brady is a fellowship-trained nephrologist with board certification in nephrology and in internal medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, at Stanford University School of Medicine. He provides care at the Stanford Health Care Boswell Kidney Clinic as well as the Stanford Health Care Kidney Clinic in Emeryville. Dr. Brady is particularly interested in the management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). He also treats end-stage kidney disease, hypertension, kidney stones, glomerular disease and other kidney related conditions. His research in value-based health care focuses on methods to improve care delivery for patients with CKD and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). He has received funding for his research from sources including the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Brady has published his research findings in JAMA Internal Medicine the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and elsewhere. He has presented invited talks on high-value care delivery to policy makers on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He also has made presentations to his peers at national, regional, and local meetings of kidney disease specialists. He has delivered lectures to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement National Forum, Satellite Healthcare Home Dialysis Academy, and other meetings. He has shared his insights in presentations to faculty and students in the Division of Nephrology at Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China. Dr. Brady is a member of the American Society of Nephrology, International Society of Nephrology, and American College of Physicians.

Pedram Fatehi, MD, MPH

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Nephrology and (by courtesy) Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

Vice Chair-Education, Department of Medicine

After college and medical school at the University of Texas and graduate school in epidemiology/public health at Yale University, Dr. Fatehi trained in general internal medicine and nephrology at the Columbia University campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital. He went on to complete an additional fellowship in critical care medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where he was on faculty before moving to Stanford in 2014. Dr. Fatehi is ABIM board-certified in internal medicine, nephrology, and critical care medicine and ASH certified as a specialist in clinical hypertension. He is the Vice Chair of Medicine for Education, Director of Education for the Division of Nephrology, senior co-Director of Renal Physiology for the School of Medicine, and Director of Critical Care Nephrology at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Fatehi is an active participant in educational conferences for the Center. He also collaborates with other providers to care for patients on hospital wards and in the intensive care unit with a wide array of blood pressure disorders and abnormalities in circulatory physiology.

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Department of Medicine - Division of Cardiology Cardiovascular Diseases

Euan Ashley, MRCP, DPhil

Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular

Dr. Ashley is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular), Genetics, Biomedical Data Science, and by courtesy, Pathology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. After graduating with 1^st Class Honors in Physiology and Medicine from the University of Glasgow, he completed medical residency and a PhD in molecular physiology at the University of Oxford. In 2006, Dr. Ashley moved to Stanford University where he trained in cardiology and advanced heart failure, focusing on precision medicine. Currently the Co-Director of Clinical Genomics and Precision Medicine, a new combined clinical and laboratory service funded by Stanford Healthcare and Stanford Children’s Health, Dr. Ashley is also the founding Director of the Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease. His research interests include the use of big data for improving health and developing genetic tools to understand and cure cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension.

Francois Haddad, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Cardiovascular

Dr. Francois Haddad, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and directs Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Biomarker and Phenotypic Core Laboratory. His practice focuses on heart failure and cardiovascular imaging. He received is MD from University of Montreal in 1998 followed by advanced fellowships in cardiology, cardiovascular imaging, heart failure and pulmonary vascular disease at Montreal Heart Institute and Stanford University. As part of the Hypertension Clinic, Dr. Haddad will evaluate patients with shortness of breath or symptoms suggesting heart failure. He will work with patients to find the best strategies for managing their heart failure symptoms.

David Lee, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular

Dr. David Lee is Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular) at the Stanford University School of Medicine. After gaining his undergraduate degree in Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he obtained his medical degree at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lee completed his internal medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and interventional cardiology fellowship here at Stanford. Dr. Lee has received numerous awards for his work, including for teaching, mentoring, and research. Dr. Lee served as a site Principal Investigator for SYMPLICITY 3 clinical trial for renal denervation as a therapy for resistant hypertension. He is also the Principal Investigator for SPYRAL-ON and SPYRAL-OFF trials in renal denervation, and has served on Data Safety Monitoring Boards for other renal denervation clinical trials.

David Maron, MD

Chief, Stanford Prevention Research Center

Director, Preventive Cardiology

Dr. Maron received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He trained in internal medicine at UCLA. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, a preventive cardiology fellow, and subsequently a cardiology fellow at Stanford University. After two years in private practice in Santa Monica he moved to Nashville in 1993 to join the faculty at Vanderbilt as Director of Preventive Cardiology. He returned to Stanford in 2014 where he serves as Clinical Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Stanford Prevention Research Center, and Director of Preventive Cardiology.More

His career has been dedicated to the prevention of coronary heart disease. He was a member of the executive committee of the COURAGE trial, a landmark trial that found that stenting was not better than optimal medical therapy for preventing heart attacks and improving survival. He is currently the Co-Chair of the ISCHEMIA trial, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health comparing the effectiveness of an invasive (cardiac catheterization and stents or bypass surgery plus optimal medical therapy) versus conservative (optimal medical therapy alone) approach to treating patients with an abnormal stress test. He is also Co-Chair of the NIH-funded ISCHEMIA-CKD trial, a companion trial to ISCHEMIA testing the impact of an invasive strategy in patients with an abnormal stress test and advanced chronic kidney disease.

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Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health

Department of Medicine - Division of Endocrinology Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism

Justin P. Annes, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology

Dr. Annes is a physician scientist with expertise in the area of hereditary endocrine disorders. In particular, he cares for patients and families with inherited disorders that frequently cause difficult to control high blood pressure- unfortunately the diagnosis of these genetic conditions is often delayed because they are rare and many doctors are not familiar with the early signs of disease. As part of the Hypertension Center, his role is to diagnose and manage these rare hereditary conditions that may come to attention because of elevated blood pressure.More Dr. Annes' clinical training is in Internal Medicine (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA) and Clinical Genetics (Harvard-Wide Program: MGH, BWH, BCH & BID). His research interest is in the area of drug discovery for the treatment of endocrine disease. As junior faculty at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Annes established an Endocrine Genetics Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute that focused on the diagnosis and management of hereditary endocrine tumor syndromes such as Neurofibromatosis (NF1), the Hereditary Paraganglioma and Pheochromocytoma Syndrome (hPPGL) and Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 and 2 (MEN1 and 2). Since moving to Stanford in 2012, Dr. Annes has run the Stanford Endocrine Genetics Clinic.

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Marina Basina, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine-Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism

Dr. Marina Basina is a Clinical Associate Professor, of Medicine-Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism. Dr. Basina is a clinical endocrinologist and clinical researcher with a focus on diabetes management, thyroid, and adrenal condition. Her primary interests are in Type 1 Diabetes, Diabetes technology, Diabetes in pregnancy, and adrenal disorders.

Dr. Basina earned her medical degree in Russia at Moscow Medical School, followed by residency training in internal medicine at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine/West LA Va Medical Center.More

Dr. Basina has been awarded several teaching awards along with a Master Teacher award. She completed fellowship in Endocrinology at Stanford University, and recently returned to Stanford to join the faculty. Dr. Basina has been awarded several teaching awards. Her clinical interests are in the care of patients with diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders, and adrenal disorders. She cares for patients with Primary Hyperaldosteronism, Cushing’s disease, and pheochromocytoma, each of which are secondary causes of resistant hypertension.

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Fredric Kraemer, MD

Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrine, Gerontology and Metabolism

Fredric B. Kraemer, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism. He received his medical and endocrinology training at New York University, State University of New York, Downstate and Stanford University and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Endocrinology and Metabolism. He has been on the Stanford faculty for over 35 years, during which time he has been involved in treating all aspects of endocrine disorders, including endocrine causes of hypertension.

Susan Meyhak Seav, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism

Dr. Susan Seav is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology at Stanford and, by courtesy, the Department of Neurosurgery. She graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in molecular and cellular biology before completing her medical education and residency at the University of California, San Diego. She then completed her endocrinology fellowship at Stanford University.

She has a special interest in disorders that involve the pituitary and adrenal glands such as Cushing syndrome, hyperaldosteronism, and pheochromocytoma, all of which can lead to resistant hypertension. Dr. Seav hopes she can contribute her expertise to the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to managing hypertension here at the Stanford Hypertension Center so that patients can live their best lives.

Department of Medicine - Division of Primary Care Primary Care

Sandra Tsai, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, General Medical Disciplines and Cardiovascular

Dr. Tsai received her undergraduate degree from Rice University and her MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in General Medical Disciplines and in Cardiovascular Medicine. She specializes in Preventive Cardiology including risk factor modification and pharmacologic treatment of hypertension.

Department of Neurology Stroke Center and Autonomic Disorders

Maarten Lansberg, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Neurology

Dr. Lansberg is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. He specializes in the treatment of stroke and other neurovascular disorders.

Hypertension is extremely common among patients who have suffered a stroke. It also is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke. To minimize the risk of stroke recurrence among patients who have suffered a stroke, Dr. Lansberg collaborated with Dr. Bhalla, Director of the Stanford Hypertension Center, to develop a treatment protocol for the management of hypertension in stroke patients. This protocol has been implemented at Stanford Hospital and has been instrumental in standardizing and optimizing the treatment of hypertension on the stroke unit at Stanford Hospital.

Nirali Vora, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology

Dr. Nirali Vora is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. She joined the faculty after completing her Vascular Neurology subspecialty fellowship at the Stanford Stroke Center. Her primary focus is providing comprehensive clinical care to patients with strokes or TIAs, and optimizing prevention in those at risk for stroke.

Additionally, Dr. Vora is the Director of Global Health Neurology, where she is focused on optimizing systems of healthcare delivery for neurology and stroke in resource-limited countries.More Hypertension remains the leading global risk factor for stroke, and yet it is challenging to know what is the right blood pressure for a stroke or TIA patient. Dr. Vora works closely with her colleagues at the Stanford Hypertension Center to find the best blood pressure target for stroke prevention in each unique patient.

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Clinical Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences Clinical Professor (By courtesy), Neurosurgery

Bio

Neil Schwartz completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA, followed by MD and PhD degrees at Northwestern University. After his Neurology residency at Stanford, Dr. Schwartz joined the Stanford Stroke Center in 2004 as a fellow in Vascular Neurology and has remained on as faculty since 2007. Currently, his primary focus is the care of patients with cerebrovascular disease in both the inpatient and outpatient setting, including patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. He has a particular interest and expertise in cervical artery dissection, non-atherosclerotic vasculopathies, stroke in young adults, and stroke recovery trials utilizing stem cells. Dr. Schwartz is a national leader in neurological education and served as the Program Director for the Stanford Neurology Residency Program for nearly a decade, but remains involved as the Associate Program Director, and Vice Chair (Education). He also serves as the Medical Director for inpatient Neurology (L5) at Stanford HealthCare. He is the director of the Young Stroke Program within the Stanford Stroke Center Learn more about the Neurology Residency Program and other educational opportunities at: http://neurology.stanford.edu/education

Department of Pediatrics Pediatric Nephrology

Abanti Chaudhuri, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Nephrology

Dr. Chaudhuri is a board certified pediatric nephrologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Stanford University. She has received her medical degree from Calcutta University, India and further pediatric training at the Manchester University, England. Dr. Chaudhuri completed her Pediatric Nephrology fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she was also awarded a National Kidney Foundation research fellowship. She currently practices at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and also serves as the Medical Director for Pediatric Nephrology at the California Pacific Medical Center. More Dr. Chaudhuri has clinical expertise in pediatric hypertension and works with pediatric patients on both the inpatient service and the outpatient clinic in an effort to manage their hypertension and prevent long term sequelae. Dr. Chaudhuri also participates in clinical trials related to pediatric kidney disease.

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Department of Psychiatry / Behavioral Sciences Sleep Medicine

Clete A. Kushida, MD, PhD, FAASM

Sleep Medicine

Clete A. Kushida, M.D., Ph.D. is a neurologist who is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Stanford University Medical Center, division chief and medical director of Stanford Sleep Medicine, and director of the Stanford Center for Human Sleep Research. He is founding president of the World Sleep Society, past president of the World Sleep Federation, past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and founding president of the California Sleep Society. He has conducted basic and clinical sleep research since 1977, has served as principal investigator for numerous federally and industry supported research studies, and has authored or edited over 250 publications, including six books. One of his major clinical and research interests is the effects of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder, on hypertension and cardiovascular function.

Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine

Bio

Dr. Miglis is a Clinical Associate Professor in the departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He received his MD from the University of Florida. After serving as a medical intern at Washington Hospital Center/Georgetown University, he completed his neurology residency at New York University. He then completed two fellowships, the first in Autonomic Disorders at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical school, and the second in Sleep Medicine at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center. He is director of the Stanford Multiple System Atrophy Center of Excellence and the Stanford Parasomnia Sleep Disorders Clinic, and is extensively involved in the multidisciplinary Stanford Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS) clinic. Dr. Miglis treats a wide variety of neurological diseases and has a special interest in Autonomic Disorders, Sleep Disorders, and the interaction between these conditions. His research efforts are currently focused on mechanisms of autonomic dysfunction in Long-COVID/PASC and the central nervous system hypersomnias, in particular Idiopathic Hypersomnia. He is also site principle investigator of the North American Prodromal Synucleinopathy Study and has several ongoing studies evaluating skin biopsy and autonomic testing as markers of disease progression in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder.

Department of Radiology Diagnostic

Shreyas Vasanawala, MD, PhD

Professor of Radiology

Shreyas Vasanawala MD/PhD is a Professor of Radiology at Stanford. He leads the Body MRI section at Stanford and has over ten years experience diagnosing diseases of the kidneys and adrenal glands. He is the principal investigator of multiple NIH sponsored research programs and has developed multiple novel renal and cardiovascular quantitative diagnostic imaging techniques.

Clinical Associate Professor, Radiology

Assistant Professor of Radiology (Body MRI)

Bio

Dr. Sheth is a board-certified, fellowship-trained radiologist with Stanford Health Care Radiology. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, Division of Body MRI at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Sheth is clinically trained in general and nuclear radiology. He has subspecialty expertise in body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI-guided procedures such as biopsies and ablation (a minimally invasive procedure that destroys abnormal tissue). His other clinical interests include rectal cancer MRIs, pelvic floor MRIs, and positron emission tomography (PET) MRI applications for diagnosing and treating pelvic tumors. He uses advanced tools that help patients get timely, accurate answers and appropriate treatment. Dr. Sheth has a diverse background in developing and translating MRI technologies. During his graduate research, he developed an MRI-based method to measure pH in breast tumor models. In residency, he investigated how the ultrashort echo time MRI technique in the brain can evaluate myelin (a protective sheath found around nerve fibers) in patients with cystic fibrosis. Other research interests include developing MRI-guided focal (localized) therapies that can personalize treatment and reduce morbidity risks. Dr. Sheth is involved in multiple research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has shared his research at regional, national, and international meetings, where he has won awards and moderated case panels. Dr. Sheth has published his work in national peer-reviewed journals and served as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Molecular Imaging and Biology, and NMR in Biomedicine. His paper for IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics won best paper of the year in 2021. Dr. Sheth is a member of multiple societies, including the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Radiological Society of North America, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, and the Society for Advanced Body Imaging. He is also a member of the California Medical Association, the Pelvic Floor Disorders Consortium with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and the Society of Abdominal Radiology, where he is part of the Pelvic Floor Disease Focus Panel.

Department of Radiology Interventional

John Louie, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Radiology

Dr. John Louie is an interventional radiologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Interventional Radiology. After receiving his M.D. degree from the University of Southern California in 2001, he completed his residency in Radiology at the University of California at Davis in 2006 and fellowship at Stanford in 2007. Dr. Louie specializes in interventional oncology and vascular disease. Using minimally invasive techniques with image guidance, he is able to open renal arteries and sample adrenal glands to improve hypertension.

David Wang, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Radiology

Dr. David Wang is an interventional radiologist, a physician who specializes in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures. He performs Adrenal Vein Sampling, a procedure which helps guide treatments for patients with hypertension due to abnormalities of the hormone-producing adrenal glands. Dr. Wang did his medical school and residency training at Stanford University School of Medicine and fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a center of excellence for Adrenal Vein Sampling.

Clinical Associate Professor, Radiology

Bio

Dr. Picel is a fellowship-trained, board-certified interventional radiologist at Stanford Health Care. He is also clinical associate professor in the Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Picel specializes in diagnosing and treating disease with minimally invasive, image-guided procedures. His expertise includes treating liver tumors, benign prostatic hyperplasia, osteoarthritis, portal hypertension, chronic venous disease, uterine fibroids, pulmonary embolism, and varicose veins. Dr. Picel’s research interests include using embolization, a nonsurgical procedure that decreases blood loss, for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. He also studies new embolic materials and procedures to treat invasive placenta, chronic venous disease, portal hypertension, pulmonary embolism, and osteoarthritis. Dr. Picel has published in many peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, RadioGraphics, and the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. He has won multiple awards as a reviewer for the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. He also serves on the editorial board of the journal CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology. Dr. Picel has delivered lectures across the county and worldwide on various interventional radiology topics. Dr. Picel is a member of the Society of Interventional Radiology standards committee and the maintenance of certification committee for the American Board of Radiology and Associate Program Director for the Interventional Radiology Residency.

Department of Surgery General and Vascular

General
Vascular

Robin Cisco, MD, FACS

Clinical Assistant Professor, General and Endocrine Surgery

Dr. Cisco received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and completed her residency in general surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. She then completed a fellowship in endocrine surgical oncology with the internationally recognized UCSF Endocrine Surgery program.

Dr. Cisco is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She focuses on providing outstanding surgical care in an environment that is supportive of her patients and their families. Her clinical focus is in endocrine surgery, including the evaluation and surgical removal of adrenal tumors that cause hypertension. She is co-director of Stanford's Adrenal Tumors Program.

Chief of Surgical Oncology, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery

Dr. George Poultsides is the Chief of Surgical Oncology and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. As a surgeon specializing in the removal of adrenal tumors, he is an integral part of Stanford’s Hypertension Center, working closely with other specialists (nephrologists, endocrinologists, interventional radiologists) in the work-up of patients with adrenal causes of high blood pressure (aldosteronoma, pheochromocytoma, Cushing’s syndrome). When surgical removal of the adrenal tumor is indicated, he utilizes minimally-invasive laparoscopic techniques, which allow for substantially easier and faster recovery compared with standard open surgery. Given his expertise in oncologic surgery, he has led a nationwide, multi-institutional research collaboration, the US Adrenocortical Carcinoma Study Group, across several academic medical centers in the US focusing on the surgical treatment of adrenal cancer.

Dr. Poultsides sits on the guidelines panel of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. For his contributions to the education of the next generation of surgeons, he has received the 2013 John Austin Collins, MD annual teaching award from the surgery residents at Stanford. His research program has been funded through the 2012 Stanford Hospital Cancer Innovation Fund Award and the 2016 Stanford Cancer Institute Translational Research Award.

Professor of Surgery, Chief, Division of General Surgery, Harry A. Oberhelman, Jr. and Mark L. Welton Professor

Dr. Electron Kebebew received his medical degree from University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and is board certified in General Surgery. Dr. Kebebew is an internationally recognized expert in Endocrine Oncology and Surgery. He has performed more than three thousand operations on the adrenal, parathyroid and thyroid glands, and for neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. Dr. Kebebew joined the Stanford University School of Medicine in 2018 as Chief of the Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery. As part of the Stanford Hypertension Center, he specializes in the diagnosis and management of hypertension secondary to disorders of the endocrine system and has an active research interest on the genetics and personalized treatment approaches to primary aldosteronism, the most common cause of endocrine hypertension, and other adrenal tumor that cause hypertension.

Dr. Kebebew has published over 400 articles, chapters and textbooks, and serves on the editorial board and as a reviewer for 54 biomedical journals. He has received awards from the American Cancer Society, American Association for Cancer Research, American Thyroid Association, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, Endocrine Society and International Association of Endocrine Surgeons.

Professor of Surgery, Vascular Surgery

Dr. Lee received his undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology and his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He trained in General Surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center followed by an Endovascular Research fellow with Dr. Rodney White. He then came to Stanford for further vascular surgery fellowship training. He is currently Program Director for the Vascular Surgery Fellowship and Residency and Director of Endovascular Surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lee has expertise in endovascular repair of renal artery stenosis and fibromuscular dysplasia. He was a site principal investigator for the CORAL trial, and is interested in the treatment of renovascular disease for hypertension.

Clinical Professor, Surgery - Vascular Surgery Clinical Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health

Bio

Dr. Fukaya practices Vascular Medicine at the Stanford Vascular Clinics and Advanced Wound Care Center. She received her medical education in Tokyo and completed her medical training both in the US and Japan. She joined Stanford in 2015. Vascular Medicine covers a wide range of vascular disorders including chronic venous insufficiency, varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis, post thrombotic syndrome, peripheral artery disease, carotid artery disease, cardiovascular risk evaluation, fibromuscular dysplasia, rare vascular disease, lymphedema, arterial/venous/diabetic ulcers, and wound care. Dr. Fukaya has a special interest in venous disease and started the Stanford Vascular and Vein Clinic in 2016. Board Certified in Vascular Medicine Board Certified in Internal Medicine Board Certified in Internal Medicine (Japan) Board Certified in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Japan)

Professor of Surgery (Vascular Surgery) and of Medicine (Cardiovascular)

Research Fellows

Fellow in Medicine - Med/Nephrology

Non-Physician Support Staff

Michelle Ignacio, RN, MSN, PHN

Clinic Manager

Michelle Ignacio is the Clinic Manager for Medical Specialties, of which includes Kidney Clinic, Kidney Transplant, Liver Transplant, HTN Center of Excellence, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Allergy, Asthma, and Immunodeficiency. She received her Bachelor of Science in psychology and later pursued her Master Science Nursing from San Francisco State University. Michelle has a long dedicated history in mental health, dialysis, nephrology, and management.

Jennefer Kohler, MS, LCGC

Genetic Counselor, Cardiovascular

Jennefer is a genetic counselor at the Stanford Hypertension Center as well as the Stanford Centers for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease and Undiagnosed Diseases. Her clinical work involves helping individuals and families at risk for inherited disease to navigate, understand, and adapt to their health risks. In the research space, Jennefer works with the Center for Undiagnosed Diseases team in applying the newest genomic technologies and integrating diverse types of patient data in an effort to diagnose individuals with rare disease.

Jennefer received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and her masters in genetic counseling from Johns Hopkins University and the National Human Genome Research Institute. As Clinical Instructor (Affiliated) in Medical Genetics at Stanford University, she is involved in curriculum development and teaching in the medical school and genetic counseling program, implementing a genomics rotation for medical residents, and supervising genetic counseling trainees in both clinical rotations and research projects.

Administrative Operations Coordinator, Medicine - Med/Nephrology