Joy was born in Hangzhou, China and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. She completed her bachelor’s degree cum laude at Harvard University with honors in her field of Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. After graduation, she attended Stanford Medical School as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) where she earned her combined M.D./Ph.D. in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Irv Weissman. Her dissertation, “Purification and Characterization of Human Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells,” was published in Cell. During this time, Joy also authored clinical papers on stem cell therapies for chronic ischemic stroke, long-term convexity meningioma monitoring, clinical imaging tracers for glioblastoma, and global neurosurgery with Dr. Gary Steinberg, Dr. Melanie Hayden Gephart, Dr. Gordon Li, and Dr. Gerry Grant. Outside of neurosurgery, Joy can be found hiking and trick training with her German Shepherd dog, humming along to music, baking sourdough, and wine tasting in Napa with her husband. She is thrilled to be a part of the Stanford Neurosurgery team.

What do you enjoy most about neurosurgery as a career?

I’m drawn to neurosurgery for the opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of my patients and their families, especially given the complexity and seriousness of the neurological conditions that we often treat. The neurosurgical ethos, especially its unwavering commitment to excellent compassionate care, resonates deeply with my own core values, and the dedication to technical precision and the rich research landscape of neurosurgery is intellectually rewarding. Finally, the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of neurosurgical management allows for continued lifelong learning and improvement. I am excited to learn from my incredibly accomplished colleagues and mentors!

What do you enjoy most about training at Stanford?

I have had the pleasure of working with the exceptional faculty of the Stanford neurosurgical department throughout my MD/PhD and am thrilled to continue training as a neurosurgical resident under their guidance. I am particularly grateful for Stanford’s commitment to resident education, and am excited to attend teaching days, hone my operative skills, participate in research symposia, and to continue learning how to best care for our neurosurgical patients.

Outside of the hospital, I’ve greatly enjoyed the excellent food that can be found all around the Bay Area, and have taken advantage of Stanford’s proximity to the rugged northern California coast, redwood forests, hiking trails with expansive views of the bay, and abundance of local vineyards as well as those in Napa and Sonoma Valley, many of which are wonderfully dog-friendly.

What is something that others may not know about you?

I am a classically trained violinist! Prior to starting my undergraduate studies at Harvard and deeply diving into stem cell biology, I studied with Ling Ling Guan of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra  and was concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony’s Youth Orchestra for two years, performing in beautiful Powell Hall. As a young musician, I also had the incredible opportunity to perform in masterclasses with amazing violinists Gil Shaham and Christian Tetzlaff. These core experiences and lessons in discipline, teamwork, and attention to detail shaped my love for neurosurgery.

Dhiraj was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and studied Neuroscience at the University of Southern California. He then returned to USC to complete his medical degree, graduating in 2023. Dhiraj’s research and professional interests in the clinical deployment of artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools in surgery and medicine as a whole. He was a Dean’s Research Scholar, Wright Family Scholar, and received a Distinction in Research for his work on using A.I. to quantify surgical actions shown in operative video. His aim is to bring the same analytic infrastructure that drives professional athletics to the operating room. He enjoys writing, and co-authors a weekly newsletter on the intersection of artificial intelligence and surgery called Ctrl-Alt-Operate. Dhiraj’s spare time is spent with his wife, both of their families, and his adventure dog, “Ruthie.” He loves camping, backpacking, skiing, and food.

What do you enjoy most about neurosurgery as a career?

The brain is truly the final frontier, and the spine is a persons conduit throughout this world. Taking care of and learning to operate on these structures is an incredible privilege. The field is at the frontier of medical and technological innovation, constantly evolving and giving us new methods to understand, diagnose, and treat. Yet we are solving issues that have been known since the days of Galen. I also enjoy how deeply personal neurosurgery is. It is not just about the patient's brain or spine; it's about their life, their dreams, their fears. The potential to positively impact a person's quality of life, or even provide their family some comfort, provides a deep sense of purpose and gratification.

What do you enjoy most about training at Stanford?

I am very excited to train at Stanford and learn and collaborate with the best the field and the world have to offer. I admire the “everything is possible” attitude - it pushes everyone to do their best for the patient in front of them, but more broadly, think about how to innovate and be creative as to improve how we take care of the next generation of patients.

What is something that others may not know about you?

I trained in the martial arts - Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, Eskrima and Krav Mega - for about twenty years cumulatively. I was a martial arts and self-defense instructor after college, before medical school.

Owen grew up in Miri, Malaysia and has always known that he wanted to be a neurosurgeon-scientist. Having completed pre-clinical studies at International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia, Owen continued his education at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine where he graduated with Research Distinction and was elected into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. For his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology, he joined the lab of Dr. Scott M. Welford, and took the lead on a project focused on unraveling the intricate interplay between genetics and lipid metabolism in hypoxic tumors. Owen’s new position at Stanford follows a year-long research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the mentorship of Drs. Chetan Bettegowda, Bert Vogelstein and Ken Kinzler, where his efforts centered on T cell engineering to develop novel treatment of glioblastoma. Outside neurosurgery, Owen enjoys traveling and exploring new places, cooking, watching dramas, and playing tennis.

What do you enjoy most about neurosurgery as a career? 

My patients are the reason I want to pursue neurosurgery. In neurosurgery, we are privileged to work with some of the patients who are probably at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. The things that we can do for these patients in neurosurgery, the amount of change that we can effect, is unmatched by most other fields. The trust that they place in allowing you to care for and operate on them is profound. What I find most rewarding is the immense satisfaction when I walk out of the OR knowing that I have done good for the patient who is now on the way to recovery.

I love doing things with my hands (I love Legos!) and I am drawn to the technical intricacies inherent in neurosurgery. The amalgamation of the technical demands, the high stakes involved, and a need for unwavering courage make neurosurgery an inherently challenging yet profoundly gratifying profession.

What do you enjoy most about training at Stanford?

I think Stanford offers the best of everything that I was looking for when I was choosing a residency program. No other program can rival the unparalleled blend of quality and quantity of operative experienced offered here at Stanford. Not only that I have the privilege of learning the craft of neurosurgical skills from many truly inspiring leaders in an environment that is deeply rooted in discovery, the equal emphasize of Stanford Neurosurgery on high-quality-research also equips me for my future career in academics as a neurosurgeon-scientist. The incredible group of residents, faculty and staff are extremely friendly, supportive, and invested in both my wellbeing and professional development. It very much feels like a family here.

What is something that others may not know about you?

I have devoted my time as a volunteer at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation for more than 10 years now. It an esteemed charity organization deeply involved in diverse areas such as charity, education, medicine, international disaster relief, environmental protection, and humanistic culture. With its global presence, the Foundation operates in more than 50 countries, actively providing disaster relief and engaging in charitable endeavors in over 80 countries. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation stands as a testament to the power of collective action and the transformative potential of altruism. It serves as a beacon of hope, offering assistance to individuals and communities affected by adversities, and fostering a culture of empathy and compassion. My continued involvement with this organization has been an integral part of my personal and spiritual growth, allowing me to forge connections with like-minded individuals driven by the shared goal of alleviating suffering and promoting human well-being.