Neurology Fellows 2021-2022

Wendy Zhou, DO

Wendy Zhou received her B.A. at the University of California Berkeley in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She subsequently worked in head and neck cancer research at UCSF followed by bioprocess technician in the cell culture department at Genentech, playing a role in the development of multiple pharmaceutical drugs including avastin. She subsequently received her D.O degree at Touro University California. She recently completed her internal medicine residency at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. 

She is interested in gastroenterology and will be applying for fellowship this year. Her interest include neurogastroenterology and motility. She is currently working on projects involving studying dysmotility in various medical diseases including Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). She is excited to be a part of the autonomics team as the autonomic and neurogastroenterology fellow and learn the integrative nature between the autonomic nervous system and gastroenterology.

Chris Delos Reyes Arca, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy

Zachary Davey, DO, MS

Zach received his B.A. in anthropology at the University of Florida. He went on to complete a post-baccalaureate in chemistry at the University of North Florida. Following completion, he worked at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL developing therapeutics for organophosphate poisoning on a Department of Defense grant. He completed a M.S. at the University of South Florida in anatomy where his master’s thesis was on the non-motor manifestations of Parkinson’s disease. While at USF, he worked in molecular modeling developing Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics targeting heat shock proteins.  Zach went to Nova Southeastern University for his D.O., and was commissioned into the U.S. Army through the Health Profession’s Scholarship Program. He finished his neurology residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. In his final year, he served as the chief resident. His academic interests include in post-traumatic epilepsy, drug development, and military policy.  

Tessa B. Johung MD, PhD

Tessa received her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and her medical degree at Stanford University. She also earned a PhD in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine from Stanford, using optogenetics to reveal how neuronal activity promotes glioma growth and progression in the lab of Michelle Monje. She completed her internship and neurology residency training at UCSF, where she worked in Anna Molofsky’s lab studying changes in cytokine signaling that might disrupt synapse homeostasis in epilepsy, before returning to Stanford for fellowship. In addition to her clinical interest in the longitudinal and cross-disciplinary aspects of caring for patients with epilepsy, she maintains a research interest in studying seizures and epileptogenesis in the context of synapse plasticity and brain tumors.

Harsheen Kaur, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy

Dr. Kaur trained in India, and then practiced as a house officer in a pediatric critical care unit, prior to her position as a research fellow in pediatric critical care and immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She found her interest in Child Neurology while doing research on gliomas and their relationship with immunological diseases. 

She graduated from Child Neurology residency at the University of New Mexico. She enjoys teaching, and, was recognized for her skills as an educator by medical students. She was awarded the Doug Barrett Professionalism award by the Division of Neurology during her residency. 

Her clinical and research interests include neonatal epilepsy, epilepsy surgery and providing epilepsy care to low income and underserved areas.

Ryan McGinn, MD

Ryan started his working career as a jazz musician in Toronto, Canada where he performed and taught saxophone, flute and clarinet.  He then returned to receive an honours BSc in biological physics with high distinction and a master degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Toronto.  His work there involved understanding communication between layers of the human cortex.  He then earned his MD from the University of Calgary, and completed his neurology residency at McMaster University, where he served as chief neurology resident.  His academic interests include electrophysiological network markers for surgical and neuromodulation outcomes in medically refractory epilepsy.

Kurt Qing, MD, PhD

Kurt earned his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, his medical degree at Indiana University School of Medicine, and his doctorate degree in Neuroengineering at Purdue University, focusing on electrical stimulation and recording in animal models. He then completed Neurology residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and started an Epilepsy fellowship at Stanford University. He is pursuing an academic career with research interests in neurostimulation and recording as well as devices and implants.

Erica Von Stein, MD

Erica graduated summa cum laude with a B.​E. in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, where she attended on a 4-year full tuition merit scholarship.  She earned her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.  At Penn she was awarded a Guggenheim Neurosurgery Research Fellowship.  She completed her internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center followed by Neurology residency at Stanford. Her research interests broadly include brain-computer interface, surgical epilepsy, network neuroscience, comparative epilepsy.

Teresa Wu, MD

Dr. Wu is a true Stanford prodigy, obtaining her bachelor’s in human biology with honors, her medical degree and neurology residency certification from The Farm. Now in her 12^th year of training at Stanford University, she has been in various leadership positions, previously president of Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention and Community Service Organization at Stanford University, president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology, manager of medical student organized Arbor Women’s Health Free Clinic, and others. She has taught in neurobiology and neurology courses and was the recipient of the neurology resident Robert Fisher and Jeffrey Dunn Teaching Award. Her interests are varied including cognitive issues of epilepsy, health care access for epilepsy patients, global health, and she does field observations of neurological development during infancy when not at Stanford.

Kendra Pham, MD, MPH

Kendra Pham is a Headache Medicine fellow at Stanford. Prior to fellowship, she completed her residency in Adult Neurology at the University of Utah, where she also completed medical school, received her Master of Public Health and completed her undergraduate studies in exercise physiology.  Her research interests are in procedural treatments for headache and mental health aspects of headache.  She enjoys going on outdoor adventures with her husband and daughter in her free time.

Jacob Van Orman, MD

Jake Van Orman will join the Stanford Headache Medicine fellowship after completing a categorical neurology residency at the San Antonio Uniformed Service Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) in San Antonio, TX where he served as chief resident in his final year. Prior, he obtained both a BS and MD from the University of California, Riverside. He currently serves as a Medical Corp Captain in the US Air Force with research and clinical experience addressing traumatic brain injury, headaches, and epilepsy in US servicemembers and retirees. He intends to use his training at Stanford to enhance the quality and delivery of headache care throughout the Department of Defense.

David Walker, MD

David Walker is one of our current Stanford Headache Medicine fellows. He graduated medical school and completed both his internship and Neurology residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he served as the program’s Wellness Chief during his final year. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience at Carleton College in Minnesota. He believes in a multifaceted approach to treating headache pain, tailoring pharmacological and complementary therapies to create optimal treatment plans that align with each patient’s goals. Mindfulness-based stress reduction is a particular interest of his.

Silvia Russo, MD

Dr. Russo is a Behavioral Neurology Fellow at Stanford University. She completed her undergraduate training and medical degree summa cum laude from San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy. She then undertook a research scholarship at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, under the guidance of Dr. Suzee Lee and Dr. Bruce Miller. She completed her neurology residency at the Stanford University Medical Center, where she was part of the Stanford Neuroscience Research Scholar Track under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Greicius. Her research focuses on the genetic underpinnings of resting-state MRI measures. Dr. Russo is interested in data analysis for the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Gaurav Chattree, MD

Dr. Chattree received his BS in Biomedical Engineering (with a focus in computer science) from the University of Texas at Austin and received his MD from The University of Texas Southwestern, where he was AOA and studied the neural circuits of learning and memory in zebra finch songbirds. He then did his neurology residency at Stanford where he served as chief resident and co-chair of the Stanford GME Chief Resident Council. He currently works in the lab of Dr. Mark Schnitzer at Stanford where he is using optical neurophysiology techniques in mice to study the neural circuits of motor learning and performance in normal and pathological states. He hopes to apply knowledge gained from this research to improve neurostimulation techniques for the treatment of patients with movement disorders.

Spence Craven, MD

Dr. Spencer Craven is a Neurocritical Care Fellow with academic interest in development of novel applications of transcranial doppler ultrasound, quality improvement in clinical education, and intensive care unit-related post-traumatic stress disorder.  He completed medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry with additional training in Deaf Health.  He completed his internship and Neurology residency at Wake Forest Baptist Health, where he earned awards for resident education and excellence in stroke management.

Malik Fakhar, MD

Varun Shah, MD

Dr. Varun Shah is a neurocritical care fellow with academic interests in acute management of large vessel ischemic stroke, intraparenchymal hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage, quality improvement in healthcare and novel techniques in delivering effective undergraduate and graduate medical education. Dr Shah completed his medical school at the Gujarat University in India, followed by an internship in Internal Medicine and a residency in Neurology at the University of Texas Medical Branch before joining Stanford as a neurocritical care fellow. Dr. Shah plans to pursue an academic career in neurocritical care upon graduation.

Saad Yazdani , MD

Mohamed Taha, MD

Dr. Taha received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Khartoum, Sudan. He then finished his master's degree in genomic medicine from the University of Manchester, UK. Dr. Taha is currently working on his second master's degree in stem cells and translation neurology at the University of Edinburgh. He completed neurology residency training at the University of Nebraska medical center and received a Certificate of Achievement of Outstanding In-service training Examination performance and Awarded for his research on epilepsy and intellectual disability.

Dr. Taha is delighted to join the Stanford Neurohospitalist program for his fellowship to widen his experience as a neurologist and to share his interest in studying information theory and the concept of uncertainty in medicine and neurology. Dr. Taha has a focus on exploring artificial intelligence applications in medicine and neurology. Dr. Taha has an interest in clinical teaching and he is eager to share his knowledge and skills with junior trainees and contribute to Stanford academic society.

Jamie McDonald, MD
Senior Fellow

Dr. Jamie McDonald is a Clinical Neuroimmunology Fellow and National MS Society Sylvia Lawry Fellow for 2020-2022. Dr. McDonald received her undergraduate degree in Human Development studies from Cornell University. She went on to complete her Master of Science in Human Nutrition at Columbia University before attending the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for medical school. Dr. McDonald completed her adult neurology residency at the University of Utah before moving back to her home state of California for her fellowship.

Neda Sattarnezhad, MD

Dr. Neda Sattarnezhad Oskouei is a Clinical Neuroimmunology Fellow at Stanford. She is a Sylvia Lawry Fellow of the National MS Society for 2021-2023. Dr. Sattarnezhad has received her medical degree with honors from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Subsequently, she has completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Partners MS Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sattarnezhad has completed her neurology residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago before starting her clinical research fellowship at Stanford. As a part of her fellowship, Dr. Sattarnezhad will also obtain a master’s degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Her research interests are developing biomarkers for monitoring disease activity and treatment response in MS and advanced neuroimaging.

Amber Ruiz, MD

Jasia Mahdi, MD
Pediatric Neuro-Oncology

Dr. Mahdi received her B.S.and B.A. from Southern Methodist University, graduating summa cum laude in biochemistry and history. She then went to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for her medical degree and completed her pediatric neurology residency at St. Louis Children's Hospital at the Washington University School of Medicine. While in residency, she conducted research on brainstem gliomas and non-optic pathway tumors in children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 with Dr. David H. Gutmann, and studied strokes and stroke mimics in children with malignancies and solid organ transplants. She is interested in the intersection of pediatric palliative care and neurocritical care with neuro-oncology as well as the neurologic sequelae of cancers and their associated treatments.

Fanny Du, MD

Fanny Du is completing fellowship training in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular conditions. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at University of California, Berkeley, where she was a Regents' and Chancellors' Scholar and graduated with high honors. She then took a year off, working in a family resource center and free clinic, serving underserved communities. She earned her medical degree from University of Michigan Medical School, where she was designated a Dean's Merit Scholar and graduated with a Distinction in Service Award. After medical school, she completed a preliminary internal medicine year at Highland Hospital, Alameda Health System, followed by neurology residency at University of California, San Diego, where she served as chief resident.

Joy Lin, MD

Dr. Joy Lin is a neurologist pursuing further subspecialty training in neuromuscular disorders. She earned her MD from the University of California, San Francisco, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her neurology residency at Stanford University.

Dr. Lin has maintained a strong commitment to community service and patient education throughout her career. She has provided volunteer medical services in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Tijuana, Mexico; and San Francisco's Chinatown. Prior to medical school, she led multilingual outreaches in the Asian-American community to provide health education to reduce disease morbidity and mortality. She is interested in reducing the impact of psychological stress on patient health and has published research on this topic in peer-reviewed journals.

During her fellowship year, she looks forward to developing her broad interests within the field of neuromuscular medicine, including electromyography, nerve conduction studies, and chemodenervation therapy for spasticity and dystonia.

Amanda Yaworski, MD

Amanda Yaworski is completing fellowship in neurophysiology and neuromuscular medicine with a focus on electromyography and nerve conduction studies. She earned her bachelor degree from Acadia University in 2013 where she completed her thesis focusing on event related potentials (ERPs) to understand how different age groups of children can best learn to read. Following which, she earned her MD at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Her interest in pediatric neurology was established at this time and she completed her residency in pediatric neurology at the University of Alberta. During this time she served as chief resident, received the Michael C. Koilpillai Book Award in Neurology and the EW Gauk Scholarship Award in Pediatric Neurology a total of three times. Amanda looks forward to tailoring her interest within neurophysiology and neuromuscular diseases during her fellowship. Her current interests are pediatric neuromuscular diseases and the underlying genetics.

Thomas Hirschauer, MD, PhD

Thomas Hirschauer received his B.S. in physics and biology from the University of Dayton. As an undergraduate, he participated in research studying absence seizure generation using simultaneous EEG/fMRI. He then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Ohio State University. He earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience, using electrophysiologic techniques to characterize the primate reticulospinal system. He also completed an interdisciplinary specialization in computer science, applying machine learning to the diagnosis of neurological disorders. He then obtained his medical degree and was selected for the Excellence in Neurology Research award. He completed an internship at the University of California Irvine and neurology residency at the University of California San Diego. After finishing his clinical neurophysiology (IONM) fellowship, he will stay at Stanford for an additional fellowship in epilepsy. His research interests include neurostimulation, brain-computer interfaces, and artificial intelligence.

Laurel Jakubowski, MD

Anirudh Sreekrishnan, MD, MHS

Dr. Anirudh Sreekrishnan is a vascular neurology fellow with research interests in quality improvement within acute stroke care, imaging of stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, and stroke outcomes. He completed his medical education at Yale School of Medicine with a Masters in Health Science and research in intracerebral hemorrhage outcomes. He then pursued his neurology training at Harvard Medical School affiliated with the Mass General Brigham Hospitals in Boston. Dr. Sreekrishnan plans to continue working as an academic neurologist and neurovascular clinician after fellowship.

Prateek Thatikunta, MD

Dr. Prateek Thatikunta is a vascular neurology fellow with academic interests in the management and outcomes of large vessel ischemic stroke, imaging in acute stroke, improving access to stroke care, and improving the quality of education at the medical student and resident level. He completed medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, followed by internship at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and then Neurology residency at Stanford. Dr. Thatikunta plans to continue as an academic vascular neurologist after fellowship.

Robin Ulep, MD

Dr. Robin Ulep is a Vascular Neurology fellow with research interests in addressing health disparities within neurology, gender equity, and medical education. She completed medical school at the University of Queensland in Australia followed by internship and Neurology residency at the University of Virginia. After fellowship, Dr. Ulep plans to pursue a career as a vascular neurologist while combining her passion for advocacy and community engagement.

Lily Zhou, MD

Dr. Lily Zhou is a Vascular Neurology fellow with interests in stroke epidemiology, cost effectiveness in stroke care delivery, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis treatment and complications. She completed her medical degree at the University of Ottawa, her Masters of Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology and her adult neurology residency at the University of British Columbia, where she was one of the chief residents.