Bio

Dr. Ashley Phoenix earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the College of Charleston, where her passion for neuroscience first took root through undergraduate research on drug seeking behavior at the Medical University of South Carolina. She went on to complete an M.S. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, strengthening her scientific foundation before earning her M.D. at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Her research career has spanned diverse yet interconnected realms of neuroscience — from investigating post-stroke cognitive decline at MUSC, to exploring the neurodevelopmental basis of disorders such as Rett syndrome at the NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to contributing to neurosurgery research at Wake Forest with a focus on cognition and perioperative outcomes.

Now, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Neuroanesthesia Laboratory of Dr. Miles Berger at Stanford, Dr. Phoenix is uniting her lifelong fascination with the brain and cognitive decline, and her future clinical practice in anesthesiology. Her current work focuses on elucidating the mechanisms behind — and developing early detection strategies for — postoperative delirium in the elderly surgical population.

Through this fellowship, Dr. Phoenix is building the foundation for her career as a physician-scientist, committed to advancing patient care while pursuing research that safeguards cognitive health in the perioperative setting.

Honors & Awards

  • 3rd Place Winner Summer Intern Poster Competition, NIH, NIEHS (2022)
  • 1st Place Winner of NIH, Big Picture - Small Talk, NIH, NIEHS (2022)
  • Intramural Research Training Award, National Institute of Health (2022)
  • Health Professions Scholarship Recipient, Department of Veteran's Affairs (2021 - 2025)
  • Dean's Medical Excellence Scholarship, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (2021 - 2025)
  • Dean's Leadership and Service Award, University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Health Professionals (2020)

Professional Education

  • Doctor of Medicine, Wake Forest University (2025)
  • Master of Science, University of Alabama Birmingham (2020)
  • Bachelor of Science, College Of Charleston (2016)

Stanford Advisors

Contact

  • Academic
    aphoenix@stanford.edu
    University - Scholar Department: Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine Position: Postdoctoral Scholar