Akshara Rao Balachandra, MD

EDUCATION

Residency: Stanford Health Care (2024-2027)

Internship: Stanford Health Care (2023-2024)

Medical School: MD, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (2023)

Graduate: MS Biology, University of California, San Diego (2019)

Undergraduate: BS Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Minor in Computer Science, University of California, San Diego (2018)

CLINICAL AND RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Neurocritical Care 
• Vascular Neurology 
• Artificial Intelligence/Machine learning 
• Neuro-prognostication

PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

M. F. Romano*, X. Zhou*, A. R. Balachandra*, et al. A Deep Learning Framework for Risk-Based Stratification of Cognitively Impaired Individuals. iScience. vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 107522, 2023.

S. M. Sisodiya, C. D. Whelan, S. N. Hatton, K. Huynh, A. Altmann, M. Ryten, A. Vezzani, M. E. Caligiuri, A. Labate, A. Gambardella, ..., A. R. Balachandra, ..., et al., “The enigma-epilepsy working group: Mapping disease from large data sets,” Human brain mapping, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 113–128, 2022. 

A. R. Balachandra*, E. Kaestner*, N. Bahrami, A. Reyes, S. Lalani, A. C. Macari, B. M. Paul, L. Bonilha, and C. R. McDonald, “Clinical utility of structural connectomics in predicting memory in temporal lobe epilepsy,” Neurology, vol. 94, no. 23, e2424–e2435, 2020. 

S. N. Hatton, K. H. Huynh, L. Bonilha, E. Abela, S. Alhusaini, A. Altmann, M. K. Alvim, A. R. Balachandra, E. Bartolini, B. Bender, et al., “White matter abnormalities across different epilepsy syndromes in adults: An enigma-epilepsy study,” Brain, vol. 143, no. 8, pp. 2454–2473, 2020. 

E. Kaestner, A. R. Balachandra, N. Bahrami, A. Reyes, S. J. Lalani, A. C. Macari, N. L. Voets, D. L. Drane, B. M. Paul, L. Bonilha, et al., “The white matter connectome as an individualized biomarker of language impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy,” NeuroImage: Clinical, vol. 25, p. 102 125, 2020. 

A. Reyes, E. Kaestner, N. Bahrami, A. Balachandra, M. Hegde, B. M. Paul, B. Hermann, and C. R. McDonald, “Cognitive phenotypes in temporal lobe epilepsy are associated with distinct patterns of white matter network abnormalities,” Neurology, vol. 92, no. 17, e1957–e1968, 2019. 

A. Reyes, V. S. Uttarwar, Y.-H. A. Chang, A. R. Balachandra, C. J. Pung, D. J. Hagler Jr, B. M. Paul, and C. R. McDonald, “Decreased neurite density within frontostriatal networks is associated with executive dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy,” Epilepsy & Behavior, vol. 78, pp. 187–193, 2018.

E. T. Reas, D. J. Hagler, N. S. White, J. M. Kuperman, H. Bartsch, K. Cross, R. Q. Loi, A. R. Balachandra, M. Meloy, C. E. Wierenga, et al., “Sensitivity of restriction spectrum imaging to memory and neuropathology in alzheimer’s disease,” Alzheimer’s research & therapy, vol. 9, pp. 1–12, 2017. 

R. Q. Loi, K. M. Leyden, A. Balachandra, V. Uttarwar, D. J. Hagler Jr, B. M. Paul, A. M. Dale, N. S. White, and C. R. McDonald, “Restriction spectrum imaging reveals decreased neurite density in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy,” Epilepsia, vol. 57, no. 11, pp. 1897–1906, 2016.

Other peer reviewed articles

A. R. Balachandra, “Predicting verbal memory impairment using structural connectomics in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy,” M.S. Thesis, UC San Diego, 2019. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nc475c2.

Abstracts

M. F. Romano*, A. Balachandra*, X. Zhou*, M. Jadick, S. Qiu, D. Nijhawan, S. P. Chin, R. Au, and V. B. Kolachalama, “Comparative analysis of cerebrospinal fluid markers and multimodal imaging in predicting alzheimer’s disease progression,” vol. 17, Wiley Online Library, 2021, e054457

A. R. Balachandra, E. Kaestner, N. Bahrami, A. Reyes, S. J. Lalani, L. Bonilha, and M. C. R, “Predicting verbal memory impairment using structural connectomics in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy,” Abstract no. 1.264 [abstract+poster], American Epilepsy Society, www.aesnet.org, 2019.

E. Kaestner, A. R. Balachandra, N. Bahrami, A. Reyes, S. J. Lalani, L. Bonilha, and M. C. R, “The white matter connectome as an individualized biomarker of language impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy,” Abstract no. 1.265 [abstract+poster], American Epilepsy Society, www.aesnet.org, 2019.

A. Reyes, E. Kaestner, S. J. Lalani, A Chen, A. R. Balachandra, A. C. Macari, B. P. Hermann, and C. R. McDonald, “The impact of cerebrovascular risk factors on postoperative cognitive decline in patients with left tem- poral lobe epilepsy,” Abstract no. 2.311 [abstract+poster], American Epilepsy Society, www.aesnet.org, 2019.

A. Reyes, A. Marshall, A. Balachandra, M. Hegde, B. M. Paul, and C. R. McDonald, “Diferential pattern of white matter network abnormalities across cognitive phenotypes in temporal lobe epilepsy,” Abstract no. 1.372 [abstract+poster], American Epilepsy Society, www.aesnet.org, 2018.

Non-Peer Reviewed Books

A. Gunawan and A. Balachandra, Imaging Guide for the Medicine Wards, 2023.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Dean’s Scholarship, BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (2019-2023)

Anthony L. F. Gorman Prize in Physiology, BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (2023)

Shapiro Academy Honors Society in Internal Medicine, BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (2022)

Summa cum laude, UC San Diego (2018)

Caledonian Society, UC San Diego (2018)

Valedictorian (2014)

USA Biology Olympiad Semi-finalist (2014)

HOBBIES

• Carnatic Music
• Indian philosophy
• PC Gaming
• Programming