Neurology Fellows 2022-2023
Autonomic
Yasir Rajwana, MD, MSc
Epilepsy
Chris Delos Reyes Arca, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy
Chris is one of our current Stanford Pediatric Epilepsy fellows. He graduated medical school at Rush University Medical Center, and completed his Child Neurology residency at Loma Linda University, training under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Ashwal. He was awarded a Healing Hands award for excellent patient care. During residency, he served as Wellness Chief and helped initiate wellness programs for resident and fellow vitality. His clinical and academic interests include epilepsy surgery, Neurogenetics, epilepsy epidemiology and care in the South Pacific region, and providing epilepsy care for underserved minority populations.
Manveer Dilts-Garcha, MD, MA
Manny graduated from the USF Morsani School of Medicine SELECT MD leadership program and before that completed an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Professional Science Master’s in Stem Cell Research at California State University Sacramento. Manny is passionate about advancing the future of science and medicine, both through academic endeavors as well as through policy. Their accomplishments include research in the field of regenerative medicine, publications in biophotonics, awards for healthcare quality improvement, ongoing engagement at the legislative level to reform health policy and improve resident wellbeing, and serving as a founding member and delegate of the UC Davis Residents Union, CIR. Originally from Vancouver, Canada and the child of immigrant parents who fled religious persecution in their native India, Manny is acutely sensitive to the struggles of underserved communities, and disadvantaged groups and is a strong proponent of universal healthcare for all Americans and for health care reform. In their spare time they enjoy wood working, powerlifting, cooking, photography and spending time with their family. Manny is excited for the next chapter in their academic career as an Epilepsy Fellow at Stanford.
Thomas Hirschauer, MD, PhD
Dr. Thomas Hirschauer earned his B.S. in physics and biology from the University of Dayton. As part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Ohio State University, he then obtained his Ph.D. in neuroscience, studying electrophysiologic techniques to characterize the primate reticulospinal system. He subsequently received his M.D. 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. He recently completed a clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Stanford, with a focus on intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring, and has continued his training as an adult epilepsy fellow. His research interests include neurostimulation, computer-aided EEG analysis, brain-computer interfaces, and machine learning.
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.
Mehraneh Khadjevand, MD, MPH
Mehraneh completed her posdoctral fellowship at Mayo Clinic, MN, where she investigated human memory, and worked on interictal biomarkers of epileptic brain. Afterwards she completed her residency at Tufts medical center, and served as the academic chief resident, and received the Award for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching and the Resident Teaching Award. Her goal is finding a reliable interictal biomarker for guiding epilepsy surgery.
Ryan McGinn, MD
CNP-EEG/Epilepsy Education Chief Fellow
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.
Spencer Nam, MD
Capt. Nam received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Stanford University, and his MD from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. As an officer in the US Air Force, he completed residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Dedicated to clinical care and teaching, he hopes to eventually open an epilepsy monitoring unit at San Antionio Military Medica Center and influence training of future Air Force neurologists. He also performed as a violin soloist at Carnegie Hall and performed with the US Army Orchestra and with members of the Philadelphia orchestra.
Kurt Qing, MD, PhD
Clinical Instructor/Epilepsy Research Fellow
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 an Epilepsy fellowship at Stanford University. He is currently a Clinical Instructor/Epilepsy Research Fellow at Stanford and pursuing an academic career with research interests in neurostimulation and recording as well as devices and implants.
Chethan Kirshna Rao, DO, MS
Pediatric Epilepsy
Dr. Chethan Rao is a Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow at Stanford. Dr. Rao, a California native, completed his undergraduate studies in Biology and Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis followed by a Master’s in Biomedical Science at The University of North Texas Health Science Center. He completed his medical studies at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine then went on to complete residency training in Pediatrics at the University of Florida-Jacksonville and in Child Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. Rao has several clinical and research interests within epilepsy but is particularly keen on implementing technology to overcome healthcare disparities in pediatric epilepsy.
Brandon Seminatore, MD
Pediatric Epilepsy
Erica Von Stein, MD
Clinical Instructor/Chief Epilepsy Fellow
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 and Epilepsy fellowship at Stanford. Her research interests broadly include brain-computer interface, surgical epilepsy, network neuroscience, comparative epilepsy.
Headache
Richard Baron, MD
Harshul Zaveri, MD
Harshul Zaveri is a Headache Medicine fellow at Stanford. Prior to fellowship, he completed his Pediatric Neurology Residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles where he served as the Wellness Chief in his last year. His research interests include Sports Neurology and Traumatic Brain Injury. He is interested in exploring novel ways to reduce brain injury in contact sports, and treatment of headaches in pediatric patients. He is currently the PI for a study exploring Sphenopalatine Ganglion blocks to treat acute pediatric migraine.
Memory Disorders
Travis Urban, MD
Movement Disorders
Goun Je, MD, PhD
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 is currently a second-year movement disorders fellow and is conducting research in the lab of Dr. Mark Schnitzer at Stanford where he is using optical neurophysiology techniques in mice to develop new treatments for movement disorders.
Neurocritical Care
Malik Fakhar, MD
Dr. Malik Fakhar is a Neurocritical Care fellowship with academic interest in managing patients with acute neurological conditions with especial interest in neurointerventional radiology. Dr. Fakhar completed his medical school at Ross University, followed by internship in Internal Medicine at University of Tennessee in Memphis, TN. He then completed Neurology residency at University of Arizona, where he served as chief resident and earned awards for medical student education.
Daniel Herrick, MD, PhD
Neurosurgery
Dr. Daniel Herrick is a fifth-year Stanford Neurosurgery resident and the first enfolded Stanford Neurocritical Care Fellow with academic interests in neurosurgical emergencies, biomarkers of traumatic brain injury, and health technology innovation. He completed medical school and his Ph.D. at Tufts University School of Medicine, where his Ph.D. research identified molecular mechanisms governing adult neurogenesis after injury. Following medical school, he began neurosurgery residency at Stanford, and he recently completed the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship.
Sung (Dave) Jeon, MD
Sung Dave Jeon is one of the neurocritical care fellows at Stanford. He studied English and Neuroscience at Amherst College, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He subsequently acquired his medical degree at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and completed his residency in neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He has a background in liberal arts with experiences in palliative care and clinical research, which ranges from deep-brain electrophysiology, behavioral psychiatry, as well as management of status epilepticus and low NIHSS large vessel occlusion strokes. Some of his favorite hobbies include hiking, reading, wine tasting, and going to the dog park with his roommate Kaia, who is one judgmental Shiba Inu. He fell in love with neurocritical care in medical school and residency for its high acuity environment, complexity of cases, and interaction with patients and families.
Hena Waseem, MD
Saad Yazdani, MD
Dr. Saad Yazdani is a Neurocritical Care Fellow with academic interests in multimodality monitoring of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury, ICU-EEG, and post-cardiac arrest neuro-prognostication. He completed his medical training at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and neurology residency at Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. While in residency, he was selected for the Leadership in Medical Education Program and completed his Medical Educator Certification while taking business management courses at the Weatherhead School of Management. Dr. Yazdani plans to combine his medical education background and academic interests to create multidisciplinary clinical education content.
Neurohospitalist
Prateek Thatikunta, MD
Dr. Prateek Thatikunta is a Neurohospitalist Fellow at Stanford with academic interests in diagnosis and management of acute neurological conditions, process improvement in acute stroke care, and medical education. He received his MD degree at Case Western Reserve University and completed his neurology residency at Stanford where he served as the education chief in his senior year. He has since completed a vascular neurology fellowship at Stanford as well. He plans to continue as an academic neurologist with a focus on medical education after fellowship.
Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis
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.
Esther Nie, MD, PhD
Dr. Nie is a Neuroimmunology fellow with investigational interests in the neurological effects following CAR T-cell/BITE immuno-oncologic therapies, as well as diagnosing and treating neuroimmunologic diseases of the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Nie completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale College, and her MD/PhD training at UCLA.
During Neurology Residency at Stanford, Dr. Nie served as Education Chief and was awarded a Resident teaching award and the NIH R25 research fellowship, performing research w/ Dr. Michelle Monje's lab. Since 2019, she has also actively worked with the Stanford Neuro-Cancer Cell Therapy multidisciplinary collaboration to optimize neurologic care for CART patients. After training, Dr. Nie hopes to build a translational research group as a physician-scientist working at the intersection of Neuroimmunology and Oncology.
Neuro-Oncology
Kun-Wei Song
Pediatric Neuro-Immuno-Oncology
David Rogawski, MD, PhD
Adult Neuro-Oncology
Dave completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics and biology at Williams College (Go Ephs!) in the storied Purple Valley in northwestern Massachusetts. From there he ventured to Dunedin, New Zealand, where he spent two years working with Dr. Sigurd Wilbanks in the University of Otago Biochemistry Department. He returned stateside to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he developed a first-in-class inhibitor of the ASH1L histone methyltransferase, married his wife Mary at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in 2017, and completed his MD/PhD training in 2018. Then it was off to medicine internship at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he won the intern of the year award. From 2019 to 2022 he was resident in Neurology at Stanford, spent six months in Michelle Monje's lab, and served as Education Chief his final year. Dave is thrilled to be staying on the Farm for neuro-oncology fellowship. His many interests include neuroanatomical localization, clinical decision making, patient-centered communication, and the development of novel therapeutics for brain tumors. Dave lives with his wife and son on the Peninsula, where the family takes advantage of the myriad hiking trails and outdoor dining venues. Other hobbies include trail running, bicycle touring, and production of the occasional rap video.
Dana Tlais, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
Dr. Tlais is on the Stanford team as The Beverly and Bernard Wolfe Fellow in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. She received her Bachelor of Science degree and Doctor of Medicine degree from the American University of Beirut. Then, she completed her Pediatric residency training at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, followed by Pediatric Hematology/Oncology training at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. During her Hematology/Oncology fellowship, her research focused on the genomic and epigenetic characterization of MYCN-driven pediatric high-grade glioma under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Mack. Dr. Tlais’s dedication to patient care, commitment to education, and unwavering humanism have been recognized through the Alpha Omega Alpha honor, the Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, and The Paul C. Gaffney Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Award. Dr. Tlais has a particular interest in cultural competence skills and has received the Problem Case Conference Excellence Award at Texas Children’s Hospital for her presentation, “Cultural Competence: A Bridge Over Health Disparities.” At Stanford, Dr. Tlais hopes to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children with brain tumors.
Neuromuscular
Marie Beaudin, MD, MSc
Dr. Beaudin earned her medical degree from Laval University in Canada, where she also completed her neurology residency. During that time, she developed an interest for clinical research on hereditary and neuromuscular disorders, which led her to work on hereditary ataxias and environmental risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She completed a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology and received the Future Researcher Award. She also has interests in medical education and was the president of a peer-assisted learning committee. She received a Leadership and Sustainable Development Scholarship for her community and faculty involvement and a Financière des Professionnels Award for academic excellence. She is undertaking a Neuromuscular Medicine fellowship at Stanford.
Nakul Katyal, MD
Dr. Nakul Katyal is completing fellowship training in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Prior to fellowship, he attended Medical school in India and completed Adult Neurology Residency at University of Missouri-Columbia where he also served as chief resident. His research interests include Myasthenia gravis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He received the 2021 President’s Research Initiative Award and Residency and Fellow Membership Award twice from the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Dr. Katyal plans to continue working as an academic neuromuscular neurologist after his fellowship.
Connie Wu, MD
Dr. Connie Wu is a Clinical Neurophysiology/EMG fellow with interests in medical education and quality improvement. She completed medical school at the Boston University School of Medicine, followed by internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and then adult neurology residency at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Amanda Yaworski, MD
Pediatric Neuromuscular
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.
Neurophysiology IOM
Ankita Tippur, MD
Vascular Neurology
Rachelle Dugue, MD, PhD
Dr. Rachelle Dugue is a vascular neurology fellow with a passion for health equity, medical education and research to advance our understanding and treatment of neurologic diseases. She completed her M.D. and Ph.D in Neuroscience with a thesis on the acute treatment of traumatic brain injury at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She then completed neurology residency at Columbia University Medical Center, New York Presbyterian with distinctions in research and medical education. She is specifically interested in the use of neuroimaging to better individualize and optimize acute stroke care.
Kirsten Fisher, MD
Diana Slawski, MD
Diana is a Vascular Neurology Fellow at Stanford. She completed medical school at the University of Toledo College of Medicine, where she was a member of the AOA. Diana trained at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School for her medicine internship before coming to Stanford for Neurology residency. She served as a Chief resident during her fourth year in the program. She currently serves as an editor-in-training for the journal Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology and is working on quality improvement measures in acute stroke care. After completing her Vascular Neurology fellowship she will train in the Neurointerventional program at Stanford.
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.
