Neurology Fellows 2025-2026

Matthew (Syed) Kondiliyne, MD
Autonomic Neurology Fellow

Dr. (Syed) Matthew Kodilinye, a native of Barbados, earned his medical degree from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He served as a Research Associate at the Jamaica Cancer Care and Research Institute and the Harvard/MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations, and Health Disparities, contributing to multinational initiatives in palliative care and human genomics. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City, caring for diverse, medically underserved populations. Matthew distinguished himself through leadership in clinical research, securing intramural grant funding to develop novel diagnostic strategies in Gastroenterology. His intellectual curiosity and drive for innovation drew him to Neuro-Gastroenterology and Autonomics, where he sees tremendous potential to transform care for patients with motility disorders. Matthew values the doctor-patient relationship and is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care.

Abdullah Sarkar, MD
Autonomic Neurology Fellow

Dr. Sarkar earned his medical degree from Alfaisal University College of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency at the University of Miami, followed by cardiology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Florida, where he served as chief academic fellow. He then completed a Master of Science at UCLA with a focus on bioinformatics and clinical trials, alongside a NIH T32 research fellowship in neuro-cardiology under the mentorship of Drs. Olujimi Ajijola and Kalyanam Shivkumar. He is excited to join Stanford University as a clinical fellow in Autonomic Disorders and Clinical Scholar in Cardiology. His academic interests center on autonomic modulation as a therapeutic approach for arrhythmias and autonomic syndromes.

Jerry Chen, MD
Epilepsy Fellow

Jerry earned his undergraduate degree in the Biological Basis of Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his MD from the Wayne State University School of Medicine and subsequently completed his neurology residency at NYU Langone. His current interests include functional imaging techniques in neuronal mapping and treatment planning, epilepsy devices and their role in neuromodulation, and emerging drug research for refractory epilepsy. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, outside of work, he enjoys hiking, playing basketball, and exploring local breweries. He is looking forward to welcoming his first child this summer with his wife.

Heather Ma, MD
Epilepsy Fellow

Heather earned her undergraduate degree in Social Policy at Northwestern University. She then worked in Washington DC in health policy research before going on to earn her medical degree at the UCSF. She completed her internal medicine internship at CPMC in San Francisco and her adult neurology residency at Stanford. She is interested in quality improvement and improving health equity for individuals with epilepsy.

Olivia Marais, MD
Epilepsy Fellow

Olivia earned her undergraduate degree in Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. She stayed at UBC for medical school and Neurology residency. She is interested in epilepsy surgery, devices for epilepsy, and transition from pediatric to adult epilepsy care. In her spare time, she enjoys walking her dog, reading science fiction, and gardening.

Graham McLeod, MD
Epilepsy Fellow

Graham obtained his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Manitoba where he studied stem cell therapies for central nervous system regeneration, and worked with Dr. Marcus Ng to characterize the influence of sleep-wake states on epileptic networks. In 2020 he moved to Calgary for Adult Neurology residency, where he worked with Drs. Sam Wiebe and Colin Josephson researching health outcomes in epilepsy. In 2021, Graham received a Young Investigator Award from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. At Stanford he hopes to gain skill in EEG and clinical epilepsy, work on interesting research projects including neuromodulatory treatment methods, and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors of California.

Angela Young, MD
CNP/Epilepsy Fellow

Angela earned an Honours degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Concordia University in Montreal, followed by a medical degree from McGill University. She went on to complete her residency in Adult Neurology at the University of Manitoba, and subsequently pursued a fellowship in Adult Epilepsy at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Angela is passionate about both the clinical care of patients and advancing research in epilepsy. Outside of medicine, she enjoys hiking, photography, and writing.

Jessie Kulaga-Yoskovitz, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow

Jessie completed her residency in Pediatric Neurology at the CHU Sainte-Justine (University of Montreal.) She earned her medical degree, Master’s in Neuroscience, and Bachelor’s in Anatomy and Cell Biology from McGill University. In addition to the management of refractory epilepsy, her interests include critical care neuromonitoring, the management of super-refractory status epilepticus, neuromodulation, and medical education.

Anjili Vara, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow

Dr. Anji Vara earned her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences and Psychology from Queen’s University. She then completed her Master’s research at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), where she utilized cryogenic magnetoencephalography, before obtaining her medical degree from the University of Sydney. She subsequently pursued her residency training in Child Neurology at the University of Rochester. Her research interests focus on the neurodevelopment of children with epilepsy and the use of functional brain imaging to optimize seizure network modulation, with the goal of improving treatment and developmental outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and exploring various dance styles.

Taehong Lim, MD
Headache Fellow

Dr. Taehong Lim hails from South Korea, where he earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Chungbuk National University and his Doctor of Medicine from Hanyang University. Driven by a passion for advancing his medical expertise, Dr. Lim relocated to the United States, where he completed his neurology residency at The Ohio State University. During his residency, Dr. Lim's personal experience with headaches sparked a deep interest in the field of headache and pain management. His dedication to understanding and treating various types of headaches has become a cornerstone of his medical practice. Outside of his professional commitments, Dr. Lim is an avid fitness enthusiast. He enjoys going to the gym, running, hiking, and cherishing quality time with his family. Dr. Lim's holistic approach to life and medicine underscores his commitment to promoting overall well-being for his patients.

Rishita Patlolla, MD
Headache Fellow

Rishi completed her internship and neurology residency at Stanford University. Prior to residency, she received her MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and BSE from Princeton University. Her research and clinical interests include medical education and global health. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, and exploring new coffee shops and bakeries.

Matthew Sasaki, MD, MPH
Headache Fellow

Matt is originally from California where he majored in biology at UCLA and later earned his Master of Public Health at the University of Southern California. Prior to completing his neurology training at Stanford, Matt received his MD from the University of Central Florida. He developed his interest in headache during residency. He enjoys taking a holistic approach working with patients to find their optimal combination of therapies to control their headaches and facial pain. His research interests include identifying social barriers to headache care and medical education. Outside of medicine, Matt's interest include hiking, exploring new places to eat, traveling, and trying new crafting classes.

Cecillia Covenas, MD
Memory Disorders Fellow

Clinical Focus

•  Behavioral Neurology 

Professional Education

• Fellowship: Stanford University Dept Geriatric Medicine (2025) CA 
• Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine (2024)
• Residency: Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program, UCLA-affiliated (2024) CA 

Daniella Fishbein, MD
Movement Disorders Fellow

Dr. Daniela Fishbein is a neurologist specializing in movement disorders for her fellowship training. Dr. Fishbein completed medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She then completed her neurology residency at the University of Virginia where she focused on medical education and served as Administrative Chief Resident in her final year. Her academic interests focus on the overlap of movement disorders with psychiatry, including catatonia, functional neurologic disorder, and psychosis in neurodegenerative disease.

Ralf Voshtina, DO
Movement Disorders Fellow

Dr. Ralf Voshtina earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Loyola University Chicago. He then went on to earn his medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine before returning to Loyola to complete his neurology residency. His clinical interests include neuromodulation and medical education. Outside of work, he enjoys attending concerts, hiking, and gardening.

Lia C. Franco, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellow

Dr. Lia Franco is a neurologist originally from Ecuador. She completed her medical degree at Universidad San Francisco de Quito and pursued her residency in Neurology at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. During her residency, Dr. Franco received several honors, including the "Golden Plunger Award" for fastest tPA administration during her PGY2 year. She was also recognized with the “Outstanding Humanitarian and Patient Advocate Award” on two occasions and received the Leon Weisberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching. Dr. Franco served as chief resident and actively contributed to the wellness committee. Driven by a passion for advancing healthcare in Latin America, Dr. Franco seeks to create a career in Global Neurocritical care.

David Koren, MD, PhD
Neurocritical Care Fellow

David Koren is originally from Massachusetts and received his undergraduate degree at Brown University. He then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Chicago, where he completed his medical education and received a PhD in neurobiology studying the cellular mechanisms underlying motion detection in the retina. He discovered his love of critical care during the start of the COVID pandemic. He completed his intern year at Rhode Island Hospital and his neurology residency at Johns Hopkins. He is passionate about multidisciplinary critical care. In his spare time, he enjoys running and hiking with his dog, Chance.

Prashanth Venkataraman, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellow

Prashanth is a current first year neurocritical care fellow at Stanford. He completed his medical school at California Northstate University College of Medicine; Internal Medicine internship and Neurology residency at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center; and Vascular Neurology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was humbled to receive the Intern of the Year and Resident of the Year awards during his time at UC Irvine. Taking his role as a clinician-educator very seriously, he was awarded the UC Irvine Sterling Staph: Excellence in Teaching award in 2022 and 2023, the Cedars-Sinai Best Teaching Fellow award in 2024 and inducted into the Gold Humanism Honors Society for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching in 2023. His research interests are in improving outcomes in patients/populations susceptible to intracranial atherosclerotic disease, quality improvement of stroke systems of care, and improving access to excellent stroke and neuro-critical care to healthcare deserts, both within the United States and abroad (focusing on rural parts of South India). His career goal is to become an academic clinician/researcher working to improve access to care by establishing Stroke and Neurocritical Care Units in areas of need. When not in the hospital, he loves spending quality time with his wife and their cats, Biscuit and Waffles, watching the 49ers play, training for marathons, and playing pick-up basketball.

Raya Aliakbar, DO
Neurocritical Care Fellow

Raya Aliakbar is originally from Sacramento, California. She completed her undergraduate studies in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at the University of California, Davis, where she also earned a Master of Public Health. She received her medical degree from Touro University Nevada and completed her neurology residency at USC + Los Angeles General, where she served as Wellness Chief during her senior residency years. During residency, she was honored with the Resident Teaching Award in 2024. Her clinical interests include disorders of consciousness, neurorecovery after brain injury, device innovation, and systems-based care improvement in neurology. Outside of medicine, she enjoys biking, climbing, traveling, playing pickleball, thrifting, and searching for the best bagels in town.

Joseph Conovaloff, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellow

Joseph Conovaloff, MD is a neurocritical care fellow at Stanford Hospital. He completed his undergraduate education at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in neuroscience with minors in biomedical research and Russian language. At UCLA, through the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program he did extensive basic science work focused on the amyloid beta-protein, which is implicated in Alzheimer disease. Dr. Conovaloff taught biomedical research and biochemistry at UCLA and subsequently completed his medical degree at University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine). He completed his internship in internal medicine through the St. Mary Medical Center-UCLA Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Conovaloff graduated from his neurology residency at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) prior to coming to Stanford. He chose to pursue critical care as it allows for a very rewarding and meaningful clinical practice. Dr. Conovaloff has particular interests in the pathophysiology of critical disease, molecular neuroscience, medical education and administration. As a lifelong Californian, he is excited to continue his career in The Bay.

Rob de Santis, MD
Neurohospitalist Fellow

Rob completed his neurology residency at the University of Toronto and is now a Neurohospitalist Fellow at Stanford for the 2025-2026 year. He completed his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at McMaster University, followed by Medical School at the Schulich School of Medicine at Western University. He is passionate about medical education, in particular reforming undergraduate medical curriculums; and is currently an MEd candidate specializing in health education.

Garrett Timmons, MD
Neuroimmunology Fellow

Garrett earned his undergraduate degree in Chemical Biology at UC Berkeley, and received his medical degree at UC San Diego. He then completed internship at St Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, followed by adult neurology residency at Stanford. He is interested in clinical research and trials, with a particular interest in utilizing cellular therapeutics in progressive forms of MS. Outside of medicine, Garrett enjoys surfing, hiking, camping, reading, and exploring craft breweries throughout the Bay Area. 

Vivien Lu, MD
Neuro-Oncology Fellow

Vivien earned her undergraduate degree in Molecular Cell & Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology  at University of California, Berkeley. She worked as research staff at UCSF investigating neurobiology of pain and addiction and as a program coordinator for a telehealth retinopathy program which brought her to Native American reservations along the coasts. She earned her medical degree at California Northstate University in Sacramento, California. She completed her internal medicine internship at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, neurology residency at University of Chicago, and a clinical ethics fellowship at the MacLean Center of Ethics. She is a Bay Area native and is happy to be serving the community she grew up in.

Brian Stocksdale, MD
Neuro-Oncology Fellow

Brian received his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Davidson College. After a few years in San Francisco working on oncology clinical trials, he moved back east for medical school at Drexel. His background in neuroscience and oncology lead to a career in neuro-oncology. After completing neurology residency at Stanford, he will stay on as a neuro-oncology fellow. He is interested in clinical trial design, immuno-oncology, leptomeningeal metastases, and Baltimore sports teams.

Julia Greenberg, MD
Neuromuscular Fellow

Dr. Julia Greenberg earned her medical degree from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine through an accelerated three-year program, where she earned the Ira Sherwin Research Award for Outstanding Research in Neurology. She continued at NYU for neurology residency, completing a dedicated education track and serving as Education Chief Resident. She has a broad range of research interests including peripheral nerve injuries, women’s health, genetic modeling in neuromuscular diseases, and medical education.

Trev (Martavius) Lovall, MD, MS
Neuromuscular Fellow

Dr. Trev Lovall grew up in Louisiana and received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Tulane University. He received his MD from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his neurology residency at Stanford University where he served as the education chief and diversity committee resident representative. He has an interest in advancing neuromuscular education for faculty and trainees. In his spare time, he loves reading, cooking/baking, and traveling.

Manny (Emanuel) Mostofi, MD
Neuromuscular Fellow

Dr. Emanuel Mostofi is a Pediatric Neuromuscular Fellow at Stanford University. He received his medical degree from the University of Alberta, where he also completed his Pediatric Neurology residency, serving as Chief Resident. He is dedicated to the care of children with neuromuscular conditions and is particularly engaged in advancements in genetic therapies and investigative tools. He has a growing interest in the use of ultrasound as a non-invasive diagnostic modality for pediatric neuromuscular disorders. He was drawn to Stanford’s Pediatric Neuromuscular Fellowship because of the program’s leadership in cutting-edge research and its commitment to improving the lives of individuals with neuromuscular disorders. As the field continues to evolve rapidly, he is excited to be part of a program at the forefront of clinical and translational advancements. Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing tennis, flying airplanes on his home flight simulation system, and playing guitar.

Muhannad Seyam, MD
Neuromuscular Fellow

Dr. Seyam grew up in Munich, Germany, and earned his medical degree at Semmelweis University. Before moving to the U.S. for residency, he worked as a resident in Switzerland, where he also obtained a doctoral degree for his research on AI in neuroimaging at the University of Basel. He completed his neurology residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he served as the academic chief resident. He is now investigating disease progression in ALS through various biomarkers, which he has presented as an invited speaker at the AAN Annual Meeting and a finalist for the poster prize at the International ALS/MND Symposium. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking, discovering new cafés, and spending time with his family.

Jayaji More, MD, MS
CNP/IONM Fellow

Dr. More obtained his BS in Physics and MS in Biology from Stanford. He then worked as a clinical research coordinator with the UCSF multiple sclerosis research group before attending medical school at New York Medical College. He subsequently completed his internship and neurology residency training at the University of Washington. He is excited to join the Stanford Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring team as a clinical fellow. He looks forward to pursuing quality improvement and research initiatives during his fellowship year.

Victoria Chin, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellow

Dr. Victoria Chin is a vascular neurology fellow at Stanford. She is a Bay Area native who completed her undergraduate education at UCLA with a degree in Physiological Science. It was at UCLA where she was first introduced to the exciting field of vascular neurology while working as a research assistant for stroke clinical trials. She earned her medical degree from St. Louis University and subsequently completed her neurology residency at Stanford, where she also served as chief resident. Her academic interests include stroke neuroimaging and quality improvement of stroke systems of care.

Gabriella de Paz, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellow

Gabriella hails from Florida and earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She spent several years working in clinical research at Massachusetts General Hospital and returned home to complete medical school at the University of Florida. She completed her Neurology training at Stanford and was part of the Morbidity, Mortality, and Improvement and QI curriculums. Her areas of interest within Neurology include vasculitis, post-stroke recovery, and narrative medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, interior design, and reading.

Jeffery Kenzie, MD, PhD
Vascular Neurology Fellow

Jeff completed his undergraduate degree and subsequent MD/PhD training at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Drs. Sean Dukelow and Michael Hill. He then moved to Vancouver to complete his Neurology residency training at the University of British Columbia. His research background includes using advanced technologies such as robotics and functional MRI to better understand and predict recovery after stroke. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys cycling, travelling, and spending time with his family.

Parshva Shah, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellow

Parshva is originally from Illinois, where he earned his undergraduate degrees in both Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Following undergrad, he matriculated at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford, where he developed a strong interest in stroke and neurointervention. Parshva subsequently matched at Stanford for his Neurology residency, where he became involved in stroke imaging and outcomes research. Following completion of his Vascular Neurology fellowship, Parshva hopes to pursue additional training in Interventional Neuroradiology and continue his research on stroke outcomes, including stroke device research. Outside of work, you can find Parshva either at the gym, spending time with friends and family, or watching the newest Marvel or DC movie.