Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute


Showing 1-59 of 59 Results

  • Debra Safer

    Debra Safer

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPrimary research interests include the nature and treatment of eating disorders
    (particularly bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder), the development and treatment of obesity, and the development and treatment of problematic eating patterns in patients following bariatric surgery.

  • Manish Saggar

    Manish Saggar

    Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Interdisciplinary Brain Science Research)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are a computational neuropsychiatry lab dedicated to developing computational methods to better understand brain’s overall dynamical organization in healthy and patient populations. We employ algorithms from a wide range of fields, including Applied Mathematics, Econometrics, Machine Learning, Biophysics, and Network Science.

  • Gregory Lee Sahlem

    Gregory Lee Sahlem

    Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology)

    BioDr.Sahlem is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is board-certified in general psychiatry and addictions medicine, as well as fellowship-trained in the research and clinical application of neuromodulation-based treatments including repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). He additionally has advanced training in the treatment of mood and sleep disorders. In addition to being an active clinician, Dr.Sahlem is a member of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab and directs the Addictions Research Section of the Lab.

    Major areas of study for Dr.Sahlem include: The development of rTMS as a focused treatment for addictive disorders; the development of a novel form of ECT theorized to have reduced cognitive side effects, Focal Electrically Administered Seizure Therapy (FEAST), and; the further development of rTMS for the treatment of mood disorders.

  • Alberto Salleo

    Alberto Salleo

    Hong Seh and Vivian W. M. Lim Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNovel materials and processing techniques for large-area and flexible electronic/photonic devices. Polymeric materials for electronics, bioelectronics, and biosensors. Electrochemical devices for neuromorphic computing. Defects and structure/property studies of polymeric semiconductors, nano-structured and amorphous materials in thin films. Advanced characterization techniques for soft matter.

  • Julia Salzman

    Julia Salzman

    Associate Professor of Biomedical Data Science, of Biochemistry and, by courtesy, of Statistics and of Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly Interestsstatistical computational biology focusing on splicing, cancer and microbes

  • Niyatee Samudra, MD

    Niyatee Samudra, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

    BioDr. Samudra is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in the care of patients with memory disorders and epilepsy. She has completed fellowship training in behavioral neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Samudra is board-certified in neurology and in epilepsy.

    Her research interests include clinical trials in memory disorders and epilepsy; early neurophysiological markers of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative disorders; and the cognitive and neuropsychiatric consequences of epilepsy. She is interested in improving neurologic care for underserved populations.

    Dr. Samudra has published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease; Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports; Journal of the Neurological Sciences; Seizure; and Epilepsy and Behavior, among others. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

  • Peter L. Santa Maria, MBBS, PhD

    Peter L. Santa Maria, MBBS, PhD

    Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) and, by courtesy, of Bioengineering
    On Partial Leave from 08/01/2023 To 07/14/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study chronic suppurative otitis media, a chronic biofilm infection of the middle ear predominantly involving pseudomonas and staph aureus. We are investigating mechanisms of sensory hearing loss, host microbe interactions and trialling novel therapeutics.

    Our work in tympanic membrane regeneration has entered clinical trials.

    Novel treatments for wound healing in intra oral wounds with potential applications to prevent post tonsillectomy wound healing and oral mucositis.

  • Robert Sapolsky

    Robert Sapolsky

    John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor, Professor of Biology, of Neurology and of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNeuron death, stress, gene therapy

  • Ansuman Satpathy

    Ansuman Satpathy

    Assistant Professor of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab works at the interface of immunology, cancer biology, and genomics to study cellular and molecular mechanisms of the immune response to cancer. In particular, we are leveraging high-throughput genomic technologies to understand the dynamics of the tumor-specific T cell response to cancer antigens and immunotherapies (checkpoint blockade, CAR-T cells, and others). We are also interested in understanding the impact of immuno-editing on the heterogeneity and clonal evolution of cancer.

    We previously developed genome sequencing technologies that enable epigenetic studies in primary human immune cells from patients: 1) 3D enhancer-promoter interaction profiling (Nat Genet, 2017), 2) paired epigenome and T cell receptor (TCR) profiling in single cells (Nat Med, 2018), 3) paired epigenome and CRISPR profiling in single cells (Cell, 2019), and high-throughput single-cell ATAC-seq in droplets (Nature Biotech, 2019). We used these tools to study fundamental principles of the T cell response to cancer immunotherapy (PD-1 blockade) directly in cancer patient samples (Nature Biotech, 2019; Nat Med, 2019).

  • Alan F. Schatzberg

    Alan F. Schatzberg

    Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBiological bases of depressive disorders;, glucocorticoid/dopamine interactions in delusional depression;, pharmacologic treatment of depressive disorders.

  • David Schneider

    David Schneider

    Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
    On Partial Leave from 03/24/2024 To 10/23/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study innate immunity and microbial pathogenesis. We have been studying models for a variety of bacterial infections including: Listeria, Mycobacteria, Salmonella and Streptococcus as well as some fungi, malaria and viruses. Our current focus is to determine how we recover from infections.

  • Mark J. Schnitzer

    Mark J. Schnitzer

    Professor of Biology, of Applied Physics and of Neurosurgery (Adult Neurosurgery)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe goal of our research is to advance experimental paradigms for understanding normal cognitive and disease processes at the level of neural circuits, with emphasis on learning and memory processes. To advance these paradigms, we invent optical brain imaging techniques, several of which have been widely adopted. Our neuroscience studies combine these imaging innovations with behavioral, electrophysiological, optogenetic and computational methods, enabling a holistic approach to brain science.

  • Birgitt Schuele

    Birgitt Schuele

    Associate Professor (Research) of Pathology

    BioBirgitt Schüle, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on medical genetics and stem cell modeling to uncover disease mechanisms and pathways involved in neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease and related disorders. She is dedicated to developing novel therapeutic strategies that contribute to the advancement of precision medicine.
    Dr. Schüle obtained her medical training from the Georg-August University Göttingen and Medical University Lübeck, Germany, between 1993 and 2001. She earned her doctoral degree in medicine (Dr. med.) in neurophysiology from the Georg-August University Göttingen in 2001. During her neurology internship from 2001 to 2002 at the Medical University of Lübeck under the guidance of Prof. Christine Klein. Subsequently, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in human genetics with Prof. Uta Francke at Stanford University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2005.
    From 2005 to 2019, Dr. Schüle demonstrated leadership in spearheading critical clinical research programs and establishing essential biospecimen repositories for neurogenetics, translational stem cell research, and brain donation at the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center.
    Currently, Dr. Schüle serves as the Associate Core Leader, Neuropathology, within the Stanford Alzheimer Research Center (ADRC). Her contributions to ADRC include genetic characterization, biobanking, and the establishment of a human induced pluripotent stem cell and post-mortem leptomeninges tissue bank. These resources are shared with the data and tissue repositories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), facilitating collaborative research and advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.
    Dr. Schüle's expertise and dedication in the field of neurodegeneration contribute significantly to the advancement of medical knowledge. She is recognized as a respected member of the scientific community, playing an important role in the pursuit of effective treatments and precision medicine approaches.

  • Daniel Schwartz

    Daniel Schwartz

    Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Educational Technology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInstructional methods, transfer of learning and assessment, mathematical development, teachable agents, cognition, and cognitive neuroscience.

  • Neil Schwartz, MD, PhD

    Neil Schwartz, MD, PhD

    Clinical Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
    Clinical Professor (By courtesy), Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy clinical interests involve inpatient and outpatient care of patients with neurovascular diseases, mostly ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. I have a particular interest in cervical artery dissection, non-atherosclerotic vasculopathies, and stroke in the young.

  • Matthew P. Scott

    Matthew P. Scott

    Professor of Developmental Biology, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research has been focused on the genetic regulation of animal development and its relation to birth defects, cancer, and neurodegeneration. We studied mechanisms and functions of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling, which controls cell fates and growth, in the context of normal development and brain cancer. We studied a neurodegenerative disease, Niemann-Pick C syndrome, that affects intracellular organelle movements and sterol homeostasis. Due to Dr. Scott's new job, the lab is no longer active.

  • Vittorio Sebastiano

    Vittorio Sebastiano

    Associate Professor (Research) of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive and Stem Cell Biology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe thread of Ariadne that connects germ cells, preimplatation development and pluripotent stem cells is the focus of my research, with a specific interest in human development. My long-term goals are: 1. Understanding the biology of germ cells and and their ability to sustain early preimplantation development; 2. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate very early cell fate decisions in human embryos; 3. Understanding the biology of derivation and maintenance of Pluripotent Stem Cells

  • Kawin Setsompop

    Kawin Setsompop

    Associate Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Laboratory) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

    BioKawin Setsompop is an Associate Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering. His research focuses on the development of novel MRI acquisition methods, with the goal of creating imaging technologies that can be used to help better understand brain structure and function for applications in Healthcare and Health sciences. He received his Master’s degree in Engineering Science from Oxford University and his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. Prior to joining Stanford, he was a postdoctoral fellow and subsequently a faculty at the A.A. Martinos center for biomedical imaging, MGH, as well as part of the Harvard and MIT faculty. His group has pioneered several widely-used MRI acquisition technologies, a number of which have been successfully translated into FDA-approved clinical products on Siemens, GE, Phillips, United Imaging and Bruker MRI scanners worldwide. These technologies are being used daily to study the brain in both clinical and neuroscientific fields.

  • Nigam H. Shah, MBBS, PhD

    Nigam H. Shah, MBBS, PhD

    Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics) and of Biomedical Data Science

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe analyze multiple types of health data (EHR, Claims, Wearables, Weblogs, and Patient blogs), to answer clinical questions, generate insights, and build predictive models for the learning health system.

  • Nirao Shah

    Nirao Shah

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator), of Neurobiology and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology
    On Leave from 03/01/2024 To 04/19/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study how our brains generate social interactions that differ between the sexes. Such gender differences in behavior are regulated by sex hormones, experience, and social cues. Accordingly, we are characterizing how these internal and external factors control gene expression and neuronal physiology in the two sexes to generate behavior. We are also interested in understanding how such sex differences in the healthy brain translate to sex differences in many neuro-psychiatric illnesses.

  • Mehrdad Shamloo

    Mehrdad Shamloo

    Professor (Research) of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe ultimate goal of the Shamloo laboratory is to rapidly advance our understanding of brain function at the molecular, cellular, circuit and behavioral levels, and to elucidate the pathological process underlying malfunction of the nervous system following injury and neurologic disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, and autism. We have been focusing on the noradrenergic system and approaches leading to restoration of brain adrenergic signaling in these disorders.

  • Carla Shatz

    Carla Shatz

    Sapp Family Provostial Professor, The Catherine Holman Johnson Director of Stanford Bio-X and Professor of Biology and of Neurobiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe goal of research in the Shatz Laboratory is to discover how brain circuits are tuned up by experience during critical periods of development both before and after birth by elucidating cellular and molecular mechanisms that transform early fetal and neonatal brain circuits into mature connections. To discover mechanistic underpinnings of circuit tuning, the lab has conducted functional screens for genes regulated by neural activity and studied their function for vision, learning and memory.

  • Kang Shen

    Kang Shen

    Vincent V.C. Woo Director, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Frank Lee and Carol Hall Professor and Professor of Biology and of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe connectivity of a neuron (its unique constellation of synaptic inputs and outputs) is essential for its function. Neuronal connections are made with exquisite accuracy between specific types of neurons. How each neuron finds its synaptic partners has been a central question in developmental neurobiology. We utilize the relatively simple nervous system of nematode C. elegans, to search for molecules that can specify synaptic connections and understand the molecular mechanisms of synaptic as

  • Krishna Shenoy

    Krishna Shenoy

    Member, Bio-X

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe conduct neuroscience, neuroengineering and translational research to better understand how the brain controls movement, and to design medical systems to assist people with paralysis. These are referred to as brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and intra-cortical neural prostheses. We conduct this research as part of our Neural Prosthetic Systems Lab (NPSL) and our Neural Prosthetics Translational Lab (NPTL), which I co-direct with Prof. Jaimie Henderson, M.D.

  • Laura Simons

    Laura Simons

    Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Pediatric)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am a Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a clinical psychologist who evaluates and treats youth presenting with chronic pain in the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic (PPMC) at Stanford Children’s Health. My program of research aims to utilize a pain neuroscience psychology approach to gain a mechanistic understanding of cognitive and affective processes in pediatric pain, perform rigorous patient-oriented research that translates targeted assessment into mechanistically informed treatment approaches for optimal clinical care and leverage the ubiquity of digital health to enhance patient access and reach. Central to these goals are projects targeting adolescence and youth adults with chronic pain that encompass defining brain signatures of threat interpretation, evaluating the efficacy of graded exposure (NCT03699007), deriving a biosignature of improvement vs. persistence of pain and disability (NCT04285112), and evaluating the impact of virtual reality on pain rehabilitation (NCT04636177). These studies along with additional work examining the journey of pain care for youth with pain and their parents form a comprehensive research portfolio in the realm of understanding and treating chronic pain in young people. My long-term career goal is to lead a robust research program focusing on alleviating the suffering of youth and emerging adults with chronic pain.

  • Upinder Singh

    Upinder Singh

    Stanford Medicine Professor of Infectious Disease and Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine) and of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab elucidates the molecular basis of pathogenesis of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. We use genetic and genomic approaches to identify novel virulence determinants and to characterize the global epidemiology of the parasite.

  • Georgios Skiniotis

    Georgios Skiniotis

    Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, of Structural Biology and of Photon Science

    BioThe Skiniotis laboratory seeks to resolve structural and mechanistic questions underlying biological processes that are central to cellular physiology. Our investigations employ primarily cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and 3D reconstruction techniques complemented by biochemistry, biophysics and simulation methods to obtain a dynamic view into the macromolecular complexes carrying out these processes. The main theme in the lab is the structural biology of cell surface receptors that mediate intracellular signaling and communication. Our current main focus is the exploration of the mechanisms responsible for transmembrane signal instigation in cytokine receptors and G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) complexes.

  • Stephen J Smith

    Stephen J Smith

    Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsStephen Smith remains active in the computational microscopy field and is also currently using data science tools to explore new transcriptomic perspectives on signaling by neuropeptides and other neuromodulators in brains of diverse animal species. These exploration have unearthed evidence for a previous unrecognized ubiquity of local neuropeptide signaling and possible critical involvement of such signaling in memory engram formation.

  • Matthew Smuck, MD

    Matthew Smuck, MD

    Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI direct the Wearable Health Lab at Stanford, investigating medical applications of mobile technology to improve musculoskeletal and neurologic disease detection, treatment and prevention.

  • Michael Snyder, Ph.D.

    Michael Snyder, Ph.D.

    Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Genetics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory use different omics approaches to study a) regulatory networks, b) intra- and inter-species variation which differs primarily at the level of regulatory information c) human health and disease. For the later we have established integrated Personal Omics Profiling (iPOP), an analysis that combines longitudinal analyses of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, DNA methylation, microbiome and autoantibody profiles to monitor healthy and disease states

  • Raymond A. Sobel, M.D.

    Raymond A. Sobel, M.D.

    Professor of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune-mediated injury in CNS tissues that are affected in multiple sclerosis (MS). We study: 1) tissues of mice with EAE using histology and immunohistochemistry, 2) cross-recognition of neurons by antibodies against myelin proteolipid protein epitopes, and a distinct oligodendrogliopathy induced in mice by the non-protein amino acid azetidine (Aze), (which is found in the human diet); Aze-induced abnormalities mimic those in MS patient CNS tissues

  • Hyongsok Tom  Soh

    Hyongsok Tom Soh

    Professor of Radiology (Early Detection), of Electrical Engineering, of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering

    BioDr. Soh received his B.S. with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science with Distinction from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Soh served as the technical manager of MEMS Device Research Group at Bell Laboratories and Agere Systems. He was a faculty member at UCSB before joining Stanford in 2015. His current research interests are in analytical biotechnology, especially in high-throughput screening, directed evolution, and integrated biosensors.

  • Olav Solgaard

    Olav Solgaard

    Director, Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory and Robert L. and Audrey S. Hancock Professor in the School of Engineering

    BioThe Solgaard group focus on design and fabrication of nano-photonics and micro-optical systems. We combine photonic crystals, optical meta-materials, silicon photonics, and MEMS, to create efficient and reliable systems for communication, sensing, imaging, and optical manipulation.

  • Ivan Soltesz

    Ivan Soltesz

    James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences

    BioIvan Soltesz received his doctorate in Budapest and conducted postdoctoral research at universities at Oxford, London, Stanford and Dallas. He established his laboratory at the University of California, Irvine, in 1995. He became full Professor in 2003, and served as department Chair from 2006 to July 2015. He returned to Stanford in 2015 as the James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. His major research interest is focused on neuronal microcircuits, network oscillations, cannabinoid signaling and the mechanistic bases of circuit dysfunction in epilepsy.
    His laboratory employs a combination of closely integrated experimental and theoretical techniques, including closed-loop in vivo optogenetics, paired patch clamp recordings, in vivo electrophysiological recordings from identified interneurons in awake mice, 2-photon imaging, machine learning-aided 3D video analysis of behavior, video-EEG recordings, behavioral approaches, and large-scale computational modeling methods using supercomputers. He is the author of a book on GABAergic microcircuits (Diversity in the Neuronal Machine, Oxford University Press), and editor of a book on Computational Neuroscience in Epilepsy (Academic Press/Elsevier). He co-founded the first Gordon Research Conference on the Mechanisms of neuronal synchronization and epilepsy, and taught for five years in the Ion Channels Course at Cold Springs Harbor. He has over 30 years of research experience, with over 20 years as a faculty involved in the training of graduate students (total of 16, 6 of them MD/PhDs) and postdoctoral fellows (20), many of whom received fellowship awards, K99 grants, joined prestigious residency programs and became independent faculty.

  • David A. Spain, MD

    David A. Spain, MD

    David L. Gregg, MD Professor of General Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur main areas of interest are
    1. clinical research in trauma and critical illness
    2. economics of this care
    3. PTSD and stress response after critical injury or illness

  • David Spiegel

    David Spiegel

    Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor of Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Spiegel's research program involves mind/body interactions, including cancer progression, the response to traumatic stress, and the effect of hypnosis on the perception of pain and anxiety.

  • Daniel Spielman

    Daniel Spielman

    Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests are in the field of medical imaging, particularly magnetic resonance imaging and in vivo spectroscopy. Current projects include MRI and MRS at high magnetic fields and metabolic imaging using hyperpolarized 13C-labeled MRS.

  • Konstantina M. Stankovic, MD, PhD, FACS

    Konstantina M. Stankovic, MD, PhD, FACS

    Bertarelli Foundation Professor and Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur investigative efforts are organized along 3 research thrusts:
    1. Vestibular schwannoma: uncovering mechanisms of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and identifying better therapies;
    2. High-resolution imaging of the inner ear;
    3. Novel sensing of and therapies for SNHL.
    Given the complex, multifaceted nature of these problems, our approach to them involves domain-specific customization and fusion of tools from molecular biology, systems neuroscience, biotechnology and otologic surgery.

  • Creed Stary

    Creed Stary

    Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Adult MSD) and, by courtesy, of Ophthalmology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMechanisms promoting neuronal survival following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury; utilizing microRNA's to target multiple pathways to promote mitochondrial homeostasis and cell survival; anesthetic neurotoxicity; astrocyte-neuronal interaction

  • Kristen K. Steenerson, MD

    Kristen K. Steenerson, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery)
    Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences

    BioKristen Steenerson is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in otoneurology. After graduating cum laude from Claremont McKenna College where she was honored as an All-American lacrosse defensive player, she continued on to medical school at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. After four years of excellent training and annual ski passes, she proceeded to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for neurology residency. There, she discovered the beauty of the Sonoran Desert as well as an unmet need in balance disorders and vertigo, motivating her to pursue a fellowship in otoneurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. She joins Stanford with positions in both Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery and Neurology with the goal of jointly addressing the junction of inner ear and brain disorders. Her specific interests include vestibular migraine, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Ménière's disease and international neurology.

  • Marcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D.

    Marcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D.

    Professor (Research) of Medicine (Stanford Prevention Research Center), of Obstetrics and Gynecology and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMarcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D is a Professor of Medicine Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and by courtesy, Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Stefanick’s research focuses on chronic disease prevention (particularly, heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and dementia) in both women and men. She is currently the Principal Investigator the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Extension Study, having been the PI of the Stanford Clinical Center of the landmark WHI Clinical Trials and Observational Study since 1994 and Chair of the WHI Steering and Executive Committees from 1998-2011, as well as PI of the WHI Strong and Healthy (WHISH) Trial which is testing the hypothesis that a DHHS-based physical activity intervention, being delivered to a multi-ethnic cohort of about 24,000 WHI participants across the U.S., aged 68-99 when the trial started in 2015, will reduce major cardiovascular events over 8 years, compared to an equal number of “usual activity” controls. Dr. Stefanick is also PI of the Osteoporotic Study of Men (MrOS) which is continuing to conduct clinical assessments of bone and body composition in survivors of an original cohort of nearly 6000 men aged 65 and over in 2001. As founding Director of the Stanford Women’s Health and Sex Differences in Medicine (WHSDM, “wisdom”) Center, she plays a major role in promoting research and teaching on Sex and Gender in Human Physiology and Disease, Women’s Health and Queer Health and Medicine. Dr. Stefanick also plays major leadership roles at the Stanford School of Medicine, including as co-leader of the Population Sciences Program of the Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford’s NCI-funded comprehensive cancer center.

    Dr. Stefanick obtained her B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (1974), then pursued her interest in hormone and sex difference research at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, after which she obtained her PhD in Physiology at Stanford University, focusing on reproductive physiology and neuroendocrinology, with exercise physiology as a secondary focus. Her commitment to human research led to a post-doctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, which has been her academic home for nearly 40 years.

  • Gary K. Steinberg, MD, PhD

    Gary K. Steinberg, MD, PhD

    Bernard and Ronni Lacroute-William Randolph Hearst Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory investigates the pathophysiology and treatment of cerebral ischemia, and methods to restore neurologic function after stroke. Treatment strategies include brain hypothermia, stem cell transplantation and optogenetic stimulation. Our clinical research develops innovative surgical, endovascular and radiosurgical approaches for treating difficult intracranial aneurysms, complex vascular malformations and occlusive disease, including Moyamoya disease, as well as stem cell transplant.

  • Lawrence Steinman, MD

    Lawrence Steinman, MD

    George A. Zimmermann Professor and Professor of Pediatrics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory is dedicated to understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis. We have developed several new therapies for autoimmunity, including some in Phase 2 clinical trials, as well as one approved drug, natalizumab. We have developed microarray technology for detecting autoantibodies to myelin proteins and lipids. We employ a diverse range of molecular and celluar approaches to trying to understand multiple sclerosis.

  • Lars Steinmetz

    Lars Steinmetz

    Dieter Schwarz Foundation Endowed Professor and Professor of Genetics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe apply diverse genomic approaches to understand how genetic variation affects health and disease by: 1) functional and mechanistic analyses of gene regulation, 2) studies of meiotic recombination and inheritance, 3) analyses of genetic and environmental interactions, and 4) characterization of diseases in human cells and model organisms. We integrate wet lab and computational genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic approaches, and develop technologies to enable personalized medicine.

  • Aaron F. Straight

    Aaron F. Straight

    Pfeiffer and Herold Families Professor, Professor of Biochemistry and, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study the biology of chromosomes. Our research is focused on understanding how chromosomal domains are specialized for unique functions in chromosome segregation, cell division and cell differentiation. We are particularly interested in the genetic and epigenetic processes that govern vertebrate centromere function, in the organization of the genome in the eukaryotic nucleus and in the roles of RNAs in the regulation of chromosome structure.

  • Thomas Sudhof

    Thomas Sudhof

    Avram Goldstein Professor in the School of Medicine, Professor of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, of Neurology and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInformation transfer at synapses mediates information processing in brain, and is impaired in many brain diseases. Thomas Südhof is interested in how synapses are formed, how presynaptic terminals release neurotransmitters at synapses, and how synapses become dysfunctional in diseases such as autism or Alzheimer's disease. To address these questions, Südhof's laboratory employs approaches ranging from biophysical studies to the electrophysiological and behavioral analyses of mutant mice.

  • Brian Suffoletto

    Brian Suffoletto

    Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine (Adult Clinical/Academic)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Suffoletto is an emergency physician and NIH-funded investigator with a focus on collecting novel forms of longitudinal and remote data to inform temporal risk prediction and inform just-in-time adaptive interventions

  • Edith Vioni Sullivan

    Edith Vioni Sullivan

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsApplication of neuroimaging modalities and component process analysis of cognitive, sensory, and motor functions to identify brain structural and functional mechanisms disrupted in diseases affecting the brain: alcohol use disorder, HIV infection, dementia, and normal aging from adolescence to senescence.

  • Yang Sun, MD, PhD

    Yang Sun, MD, PhD

    Professor of Ophthalmology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are interested in the role of inositol phosphatases in eye development and disease, using both animal models and human disease tissue. We are a translational laboratory seeking to understand the basic function of proteins as well as developing therapeutic strategies for clinical trials.

  • Trisha Suppes, MD, PhD

    Trisha Suppes, MD, PhD

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLong-term treatment strategies for bipolar disorder, treatment for bipolar II disorder, use of treatment algorithms, and treatment of major depression.

  • Katrin J Svensson

    Katrin J Svensson

    Assistant Professor of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMolecular metabolism
    Protein biochemistry
    Cell biology and function
    Animal physiology