Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Showing 601-700 of 996 Results
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Tirin Moore
Ben Barres Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study neural circuit mechanisms of visual perception, cognition and sensorimotor integration.
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Esmeralda Morales
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Pulmonary Medicine
BioEsmeralda Morales, MD is a Board-Certified Pediatric Pulmonologist who earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. She completed her subspecialty training in Pediatric Pulmonology at the University of Arizona/Arizona Respiratory Center known for its excellence in asthma care and research. She practiced in the southwestern United States for 7 years including a year as Interim Chief of the Pediatric Pulmonary Division at the University of New Mexico and was a former University of New Mexico Cystic Fibrosis Center Director, as well as co-chair of the New Mexico Council on Asthma. She has been a member of the Pediatric Pulmonary Division through the Stanford University School of Medicine for the past 7 years and is leading asthma clinical efforts in the division. Her main areas of interest are childhood asthma, aerodigestive disorders in children, respiratory disorders in children with complex healthcare needs and the care of historically marginalized patient populations.
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Arden Morris, MD, MPH, FACS
Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor of Surgery, and Professor, by courtesy, of Health Policy
BioArden M. Morris, MD, MPH is Vice-Chair for Clinical Research, the Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor of Surgery, and by courtesy Professor of Health Policy at the Stanford School of Medicine. She is Director of the S-SPIRE Center, a health services research collaborative to study patient-centered care, clinical optimization, and health care economics. In her own work, Dr. Morris uses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods to focus on quality of and equity in cancer care. To that end, she currently is funded by American Cancer Society and NIH to study access to care, clinical outcomes, and policy related to insurance design. Dr. Morris currently serves on the American Joint Commission on Cancer, the NIH Special Emphasis Panel “Topics in Health Services Research: Big Data, Health Information Technology, and Clinical Informatics,” and as Associate Editor for Surgery at JAMA Network Open.
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Ashby Morrison
Professor of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research interests are to elucidate the contribution of chromatin to mechanisms that promote genomic integrity.
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Michael Moseley
Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMR physics into tissue contrast mechanisms such as diffusion, perfusion, and functional imaging describes the research direction. Applications of cerebral stroke (brain attacks) and neurocognitive disorders are also being developed from these methods
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Heather E. Moss, MD, PhD
Professor of Ophthalmology and of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am a clinician scientist with a background in engineering, epidemiology and neuro-ophthalmology. In my research, I combine tools from these disciplines with the goal of understanding and preventing vision loss from optic nerve diseases. My focus is on papilledema, the swelling of the optic nerve head due to elevation in intracranial pressure, which we are characterizing using electrophysiological and imaging techniques. Other areas of interest are peri-operative vision loss and optic neuritis.
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Richard B. Moss
Professor of Pediatrics at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsImmunopathogenesis of chronic airways diseases of childhood, including cystic fibrosis, asthma, allergic aspergillosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Translational research: early clinical trials in airways disease of childhood, most notably CF, including gene, cytokine and drug therapy. Recent projects focus on development of biomarkers and treatments for allergic fungal lung disease, e.g. inhaled antifungals.
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Kara Motonaga
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsArrhythmias in Pediatric and Adult Congenital Heart Disease
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Philippe Mourrain
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator)
BioExpertise: Neurobiology, Sleep sciences, Molecular Genetics, Developmental Biology, Gene Silencing/Epigenetics
Methodology: Synapse Imaging (Two photon microscopy, Array Tomography), Calcium Imaging (Light Sheet Microscopy/SPIM, Light Field Microscopy), Optogenetics, CLARITY, Tol2 transgenesis, TALENs, CRISPR/Cas9, Video tracking and behavior computation. -
Claudia Mueller
Associate Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery)
On Partial Leave from 04/01/2026 To 05/31/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInvestigations of how children's beliefs of health affect their responses to illness.
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Lori Muffly
Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Muffly's interests include investigator initiated clinical trials focused on cellular therapies for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. She also has an active health outcomes research program focused on patterns of care and improving access to care for adults with acute leukemia.
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David Myung, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNovel biomaterials to reconstruct the wounded cornea
Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for corneal and ocular surface regeneration
Engineered biomolecule therapies for promote corneal wound healing
Telemedicine in ophthalmology -
Helen Nadel
Clinical Professor, Radiology - Pediatric Radiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical research and scholarly interests include topics in Pediatric Nuclear Medicine to include AI evaluation for scintigraphic quantitation, PET MR evaluation of optimized techniques for use in pediatric patient management
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Hetanshi Naik
Associate Professor (Teaching) of Genetics
BioHetanshi Naik is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics and the Research Director of the MS Program in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling. She is a board certified genetic counselor and clinical researcher with clinical expertise in the inborn errors of heme biosynthesis, the Porphyrias, lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), and pharmacogenomics, and research expertise in clinical trials, patient reported outcomes (PROs), qualitative methods, and study design.
Her research interests include developing and evaluating PROs for genetic disorders and genomics, in particular assessing PROs as outcomes for clinical trials, pharmacogenomics implementation, and genetic counseling education and processes, as well as utilizing digital health technologies to improve clinical care, genetic counseling, patient reporting, trial efficacy, and outcomes. -
Hiromitsu (Hiro) Nakauchi
Professor of Genetics (Stem Cell)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTranslation of discoveries in basic research into practical medical applications
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Shweta S. Namjoshi MD MPH
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Gastroenterology
Current Research and Scholarly Interests1. The mission of the International Intestinal Failure Registry (IIFR) is to provide the international intestinal rehabilitation and transplant community with accurate data on the outcomes and course of intestinal failure to support research, quality improvement, and policy development. https://tts.org/irta-registries/irta-ifr
2. NCT05241444 is the first-in-human, Phase 1 clinical trial will test the feasibility of the manufacturing and the safety of the administration of CD4^LVFOXP3 in up to 36 evaluable human participants with IPEX and evaluate the impact of the CD4^LVFOXP3 infusion on the disease.
3. Stanford's local Intestinal Failure Registry (SIFR) ensures ongoing assessment and improvement of intestinal failure outcomes and care provided at Stanford in collaboratiton with the Division of Pediatric Surgery. This registry focuses on clinical outcomes and social developmental outcomes for patients with short bowel syndrome, pediatric CODEs, and pseudoobstruction. -
Amrita Narang
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Gastroenterology
BioMy clinical and research interests are in neonatal cholestatic liver diseases, including biliary atresia and fatty liver disease. I'm also highly experienced in liver transplant care, with a particular focus on teen and transition of care.
In addition to my clinical and research work, I'm deeply committed to medical education and patient education. I believe that knowledge is power, and I strive to empower my patients and their families with the resources and information they need to make informed decisions about their care.
As a physician, I'm dedicated to providing the highest level of care to my patients and their families. I believe that every child deserves the best possible chance at a healthy and fulfilling life, and I'm honored to play a role in helping them achieve that goal. -
Diana Naranjo
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics - Endocrinology
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child DevelopmentBioAs a licensed clinical psychologist working in diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis clinics for the past 10 years, Dr. Naranjo focuses on the psychosocial needs of patients and families with diabetes and CF. Through clinical research, she aims to understand barriers and facilitators to diabetes self-management, how families and individuals with diabetes respond to health technology, and how to best provide services that engage youth and their families. She is a member of the Stanford Diabetes Research Center.
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Yasodha Natkunam, M.D., Ph.D
Ronald F. Dorfman, MBBch, FRCPath Professor of Hematopathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests focus on the identification and characterization of markers of diagnostic and prognostic importance in hematolymphoid neoplasia.
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Vaidehi Natu
Physical Sci Res Scientist
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Vaidehi Natu is a developmental neuroscientist. Her research program aims to study how the human brain matures from infancy to adulthood, as it acquires new life skills and behaviors: What are the origins of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain development during infancy? How does the trajectory of neural mechanisms unfold during development, as school-aged children acquire complex skills such as reading or face recognition? What are some of the parallels in brain development across primate species? What changes occur in the brain in developmental disorders such as autism, multiple sclerosis, and dyslexia?
She uses a multi-modal approach by combining various neuroimaging techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), quantitative MRI (qMRI), and diffusion MRI (dMRI) as well as behavioral observations, histology, comparative methods across humans and macaques, and intracranial electroencephalography. Combining complementary techniques provides a unified understanding of how the brain’s anatomy, function, and behavior co-develop to achieve complex human skills. -
Rosamond Naylor
William Wrigley Professor, Professor of Environmental Social Sciences, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute, and at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch Activities:
My research focuses on the environmental and equity dimensions of intensive food production systems, and the food security dimensions of low-input systems. I have been involved in a number of field-level research projects around the world and have published widely on issues related to climate impacts on agriculture, distributed irrigation systems for diversified cropping, nutrient use and loss in agriculture, biotechnology, aquaculture and livestock production, biofuels development, food price volatility, and food policy analysis.
Teaching Activities:
I teach courses on the world food economy, food and security, aquaculture science and policy, human society and environmental change, and food-water-health linkages. These courses are offered to graduate and undergraduate students through the departments of Earth System Science, Economics, History, and International Relations.
Professional Activities:
William Wrigley Professor of Earth Science (2015 - Present); Professor in Earth System Science (2009-present); Director, Stanford Center on Food Security and the Environment (2005-2018); Associate Professor of Economics by courtesy (2000-present); William Wrigley Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Woods Institute for the Environment (2007-2015); Trustee, The Nature Conservancy CA program (2012-present); Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics in Stockholm (2011-present), for the Aspen Global Change Institute (2011-present), and for the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program (2012-present); Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow in Environmental Science and Public Policy (1999); Pew Fellow in Conservation and the Environment (1994). Associate Editor for the Journal on Food Security (2012-present). Editorial board member for Aquaculture-Environment Interactions (2009-present) and Global Food Security (2012-present). -
Robert Negrin
Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur labaratory focuses on the study of immune recognition by T and NK cells with special emphasis on graft vs host disease and graft vs tumor reactions. We utilize both murine and human systems in an effort to enhance graft vs tumor reactions while controlling graft vs host disease. We have developed bioluminescence models in collaboration with the Contag laboratory to study the trafficking of immune effector cells with a special emphasis on NK, T and regulatory T cells.
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Liesl Nel-Themaat, PhD, HCLD, MBA
Clinical Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology - Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
BioDr. Nel-Themaat has been in the field of assisted reproduction for more than 20 years, with the past 11 years in clinical IVF. She possesses a unique combination of a strong academic background, broad technical experience and extensive leadership, and management training. Through a multi-dimensional approach, she has helped to improve patient care and outcomes in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
Dr. Nel-Themaat was most recently employed as the Regional IVF Lab Director for Shady Grove Fertility in Colorado and served as the IVF Lab Director at University of Colorado Advanced Reproductive Medicine. She received her PhD from LSU, Baton Rouge and recently completed an Executive Masters of Business Administration program at the University of Denver.
Her goal is to advance the field “by building strong, high performing lab teams, by carefully evaluating and adapting appropriately to industry trends, by training and educating the current and next generations, and by participating in collaborative research that enhances our understanding of reproduction.”
In her free time, Dr. Nel-Themaat loves to spend time with her husband and two children, preferably in nature. With them, she enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, swimming and anything nature has to offer. She likes to cook out and introduce our American friends to South African cuisine, especially a “braai,” which is their version of a BBQ. During school holidays, she likes to visit family in South Africa, go on safari and enjoy the beautiful beaches. Dr. Nel-Themaat enjoys jamming on the piano, guitar, drums and microphone with her family. She also considers herself very competitive and loves playing and watching sports or playing board games. -
Jennifer A. Newberry
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine (Adult Clinical/Academic)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInterests include global emergency medicine research, emergency obstetric and neonatal care in low- and middle-income countries, gender-based violence, and the intersection of emergency medicine, social justice, and development goals.
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William Newsome
Harman Family Provostial Professor and Professor of Neurobiology and, by courtesy, of Psychology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNeural processes that mediate visual perception and visually-based decision making. Influence of reward history on decision making.
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Mindie H. Nguyen, MD, MAS, AGAF, FAASLD
Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe conduct clinical trials and epidemiological, translational, and real-world studies of liver cancer, fatty liver (NASH, NAFLD), viral hepatitis B and C, liver cirrhosis, and liver transplant. We focus on risk identification for disease prevention and treatment for improvement of survival. We focus on sex, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities. We specialize in clinical trials, large international real-world consortium registry data, and large public/semi-public databases.
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Mark Nicolls
Stanford University Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab focuses primarily on the contribution of the immune response to lung disease. We are specifically examining the contribution of inflammation to the development of vascular injury in transplantation, pulmonary hypertension and lymphedema.
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Dwight Nishimura
Addie and Al Macovski Professor, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly Interestsmedical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging
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Garry Nolan
Rachford and Carlota Harris Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Nolan's group uses high throughput single cell analysis technology cellular biochemistry to study autoimmunity, cancer, virology (influenza & Ebola), as well as understanding normal immune system function. Using advanced flow cytometric techniques such as Mass Cytometry, MIBI (ion beam imaging), CODEX and computational biology approaches, we focus on understanding disease processes at the single cell level. We have a strong interest in cancer immunotherapy and pathogen-host interactions.
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Anthony Norcia
Professor (Research) of Psychology, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsVision, development, functional imaging, systems analysis
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Roeland Nusse
Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory studies Wnt signaling in development and disease. We found recently that Wnt proteins are unusual growth factors, because they are lipid-modified. We discovered that Wnt proteins promote the proliferation of stem cells of various origins. Current work is directed at understanding how Wnt signals lead to the proliferation of stem cells and on understanding Wnt signaling during repair and regeneration after tissue injury.
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Dáibhid Ó Maoiléidigh, PhD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Ó Maoiléidigh group employs mathematical and computational approaches to better understand normal hearing and hearing impairment. Because complete restoration of auditory function by artificial devices or regenerative treatments will only be possible when experiments and computational modeling align, we work closely with experimental laboratories. Our goal is to understand contemporary experimental observations, to make experimentally testable predictions, and to motivate new experiments. We are pursuing several projects.
Hair-Bundle Mechanics
Auditory and balance organs rely on hair cells to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical signals for transmission to the brain. In response to the quietest sounds we can hear, the hair cell's mechanical sensor, the hair bundle, moves by less than one-billionth of a meter. To determine how this astounding sensitivity is possible, we construct computational models of hair-bundle mechanics. By comparing models with experimental observations, we are learning how a hair bundle's geometry, material properties, and ability to move spontaneously determine its function.
Cochlear Mechanics
The cochlea contains the auditory organ that houses the sensory hair cells in mammals. Vibrations in the cochlea arising from sound are amplified more than a thousandfold by the ear's active process. New experimental techniques have additionally revealed that the cochlea vibrates in a complex manner in response to sound. We use computational models to interpret these observations and to make hypotheses about how the cochlea works. -
Hugh O'Brodovich
Arline and Pete Harman Professor for the Chair in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical:
Pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndromes (ARDS), hyaline membrane disease (HMD), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
Basic Science:
Lung epithelial sodium transport
Genetic influences on the development of BPD -
Lauren O'Connell
Associate Professor of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe O'Connell lab studies how genetic and environmental factors contribute to biological diversity and adaptation. We are particularly interested in understanding (1) how behavior evolves through changes in brain function and (2) how animal physiology evolves through repurposing existing cellular components.
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Ruth O'Hara
Director, Spectrum, Senior Associate Dean, Research and Lowell W. and Josephine Q. Berry Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. O'Hara's research aims to investigate how cognitive information processing deficits subserve affective symptoms in psychiatric disorders, and interact with key brain networks integral to these disorders. To do so, she has implemented a translational, interdisciplinary program that encompasses cellular models, brain and behavioral assays of affective and cognitive information processing systems in psychiatric disorders across the lifespan.
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Juno Obedin-Maliver
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Gynecology & Gynecologic Specialties/Generalist) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
BioJuno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS, FACOG (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Juno Obedin-Maliver is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who provides excellent clinical care, while advancing scientific knowledge through her research, and supporting personal and professional development as a physician coach.
She practices full-spectrum gynecology including outpatient, in-patient, operative, and emergency care services. This specifically includes collaborative management of cervical dysplasia and abnormal pap smears, abnormal uterine bleeding, contraception and family planning, pelvic pain, abnormal discharge, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and more. She specializes in the gynecological and reproductive health care needs of sexual and gender minority people which include but are not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) people. This interest and experience drives her research interests towards promoting the health and well-being and equity of LGBTQ people.
Dr. Obedin-Maliver, is the Co-Director of The PRIDE Study (pridestudy.org), a multi-site online prospective longitudinal cohort of sexual and gender minority individuals based at Stanford. She also serves on the medical advisory board of the University of California San Francisco Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and is helping to author the next version of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care. Dr. Obedin-Maliver has also been active in health policy, including involvement in helping to legally redefine consideration of sexually intimate partner status and to remove the Medicare Non-Coverage Determination ruling on gender -affirming surgeries.
Additionally, Dr. Obedin-Maliver continues her long-standing commitment to growth, healing, and empowerment as a Master Certified Physician Development Coach (Physician Coaching Institute, ICF Level I). In her coaching, Dr. Obedin-Maliver uses personal and professional development tools, mindfulness, and somatic frameworks to enhance health, agency, and creativity in partnering with individuals to help them achieve their professional goals and design their personal lives. She rejoices in partnering with diverse healthcare providers to use her broad skills to supercharge their authentic learning and growth, especially in times of challenge and resistance.
For more information about her research and career, please see: pridestudy.org and http://med.stanford.edu/obedin-maliver.html -
Jelena Obradović
Professor of Education
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAdaptation, resilience, and developmental psychopathology of disadvantaged children populations; Stress reactivity and biological sensitivity to contextual influences; Executive function and self-regulatory abilities; Effects of risk, adversity, and social status on children’s development.
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Caroline Okorie
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Pulmonary Medicine
BioDr. Okorie is board certified in pediatric pulmonology, sleep medicine and general pediatrics and joined the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary, Asthma and Sleep Medicine in 2018. She obtained her medical degree and Master’s in Public Health at the University of Arizona before going on to a residency and chief residency in pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University. She completed her fellowship training in both pediatric pulmonary medicine and sleep medicine at Stanford University. She has a passion for medical education and serves as an Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program at Stanford.
She treats children with a variety of lung diseases, including: asthma, chronic cough, cystic fibrosis, chronic respiratory failure, and chronic lung disease of prematurity. Her additional training in sleep medicine allows her expertise to treat sleep disorders, including: sleep disordered breathing, parasomnias, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia. -
Derick Okwan
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBroadly, the Okwan lab’s primary interest is to understand how and why the immune system contributes to nearly all chronic diseases. The immune system of the modern human has evolved from a history of stress to the species: famines, continual bouts of lethal pandemics, as well as major climate/environmental and migratory changes that exposed the immune system to novel threats. At the forefront of these challenges are innate immune cells, particularly neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes. For the first time in human history – at least in the western world- we live in an era of abundance. The Okwan lab is interested in understanding how this traumatic history creates a functional mismatch for the neutrophil, which we believe underpins their roles in chronic diseases of the modern era: cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. Rather than wholesale depletion of neutrophils and innate immune cells, we seek to identify novel approaches to leverage these cells to combat various diseases.
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John Openshaw
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research laboratory addresses questions at the intersection of infectious diseases and environmental change. We use field, laboratory, and computational approaches and our work ranges from basic epidemiologic and risk-factor studies to serologic surveys to developing new data collection tools and pathways.
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Lisa A. Orloff, MD, FACS, FACE
Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
BioLisa A. Orloff, MD, FACS, FACE, is Director of the Endocrine Head & Neck Surgery Program and Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery, Division of Head & Neck Surgery, at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is Director of the Stanford Thyroid Tumor Program within the Stanford Cancer Center. Her clinical practice focuses on the surgical management of thyroid and parathyroid tumors and disorders.
Dr. Orloff is an internationally recognized leader in the field of endocrine head and neck surgery. She is also an expert in the application of ultrasonography to the diagnosis and management of diseases of the head and neck, with an emphasis on thyroid cancer. Dr. Orloff performs minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedures such as radiofrequency ablation for the nonsurgical management of appropriate thyroid pathology. Her background in microvascular and laryngeal surgical techniques lends a unique level of refinement to her endocrine surgical practice. A major component of her clinical work is the management of persistent or recurrent thyroid cancer. Dr. Orloff’s multidisciplinary approach to the management of endocrine head and neck disease involves collaboration with her colleagues in other specialties at Stanford and throughout the country. Dr. Orloff also studies the regeneration of tissue that has been lost as a result of cancer therapies.
Dr. Orloff received her bachelor’s degree at Stanford, and her medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Washington and a visiting fellowship in Microvascular & Reconstructive Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford, she was the Robert K. Werbe Distinguished Professor in Head & Neck Cancer, and Chief of the Division of Head & Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF.)
Dr. Orloff served three consecutive terms as the Chair of the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Endocrine Surgery committee, and served for many years as a voting member of the FDA’s Panel to evaluate medical devices for Otolaryngology. She holds leadership roles within the American Head and Neck Society, the American Thyroid Association, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the American College of Surgeons. She is co-chair of the ACS Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Neck Ultrasound training program and a member of the ACS National Ultrasound Faculty executive board. She is also a member of such influential teams as the National Cancer Institute (NCI) steering committee on Thyroid Cancer Clinical Trials and the Endocrine Surgery Committee of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE). She authored the leading textbook, Head and Neck Ultrasonography (Plural Publishing), as a reference for clinicians; the second edition was published in 2017. Dr. Orloff is a former Fulbright scholar. -
Anthony Oro, MD, PhD
Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses the skin to answer questions about epithelial stem cell biology, differentiation and carcinogenesis using genomics, genetics, and cell biological techniques. We have studied how hedgehog signaling regulates regeneration and skin cancer, and how tumors evolve to develop resistance. We study the mechanisms of early human skin development using human embryonic stem cells. These fundamentals studies provide a greater understanding of epithelial biology and novel disease therapeutics.
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Ryan Christopher Padrez
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
BioRyan is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University's Division of General Pediatrics. His primary clinical practices are at Gardner Packard Children's Health Center and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. In addition to his work at Stanford, Ryan also serves as the Medical Director for The Primary School, a new integrated health and education model that serves low income children and families in East Palo Alto, CA. His work and leadership focuses on the intersection and reform of primary pediatric care and early childhood education. He works to integrate systems and promote models that ensure high quality care is accessible to all children.
Ryan graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Human Biology and earned his MD at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He completed his pediatric residency at UCSF and participated in UCSF's Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved (PLUS) program. He went on to complete a chief resident year at The San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. -
Ria Pal
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatric Neurology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Pal's research focuses on pediatric neurological conditions with emphasis on acquired brain injury (stroke, TBI, infection) and long-term outcomes in children. Her work examines the intersection of neurodevelopment with acute neurological injury. She is dedicated to advancing healthcare equity in neurological care delivery through education and policy.
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Theo Palmer
Professor of Neurosurgery, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMembers of the Palmer Lab study the biology of neural stem cells in brain development and in the adult. Our primary goal is to understand how genes and environment synergize in influencing stem cell behavior during development and how mild genetic or environmental risk factors for disease may synergize in their detrimental effects on brain development or in the risk of neuronal loss in age-related degenerative disease.
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Carolyn K. Pan, MD
Clinical Professor, Ophthalmology
BioDr. Pan is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained vitreoretinal surgeon. She focuses on retinal vascular diseases, macular degeneration, and surgical repair of retinal detachments, macular pathology, and complications from cataract surgery. She has co-authored peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from optical coherence tomography imaging to embryonic stem cells for macular degeneration.
In addition to her clinical practice, she is dedicated to the education and training of medical students, residents, and fellows. As recognition of her efforts, she received the Faculty Teaching Award in 2016 from the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University and was the recipient of the national Women in Ophthalmology Educator Award in 2024. Within the department, she was the Associate Residency Program Director from 2020 to 2023, and currently serves as the Residency Program Director. Her educational efforts also extend beyond the department - since 2016, she has served on the annual meeting planning committee for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is currently Associate Secretary of the Annual Meeting and Chair of the Special Projects Committee.
Dr. Pan's clinical practice is mainly based at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Stanford's affiliate county hospital, where she is chief of the retina service. -
Stephanie Jiaying Pan
Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioStephanie Pan, MD, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a pediatric and regional anesthesiologist at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. As the Associate Clinical Director for the pediatric anesthesiology division at Stanford, she is also a Local Mentor for the ASA Diagnostic POCUS Certificate Program, vice chair of POCUS for the SPA-SPPM UltRA POCUS SIG, and recipient of the ASRA Early-Stage Investigator Grant. Her clinical interests include perioperative methadone, pediatric regional anesthesia, pediatric POCUS, and pediatric orthopedic spine surgeries.
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Alan C. Pao
Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and, by courtesy, of Urology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are broadly interested in how the kidneys control salt, water, and electrolyte homeostasis in the body. Our disease focus is on kidney stone disease. We use cultured kidney cells, transgenic mice, human plasma/urine samples, and electronic health record data to study the pathogenesis of kidney stone disease. Our therapeutic focus is on the development of small molecule compounds that can be used for kidney stone prevention.
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David J. Park, MD, PhD, FCNS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe goal of our Laboratory is to improve patients’ care and outcomes by analyzing clinical data from thousands of patients treated at our institution. Our current primary areas of interest are benign tumors, brain and spine metastases, and neurogenetic disorders.
Our lab is led by Dr. Steven D. Chang and Dr. David J. Park and proudly hosts talented young clinical scientists from around the world.
Link: https://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/research/NeuroOncLab.html -
Karen J. Parker, PhD
Truong-Tan Broadcom Endowed Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Comparative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Parker Lab conducts research on the biology of social functioning in monkeys, typically developing humans, and patients with social difficulties.
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Julie Parsonnet
George DeForest Barnett Professor of Medicine, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am an infectious diseases epidemiologist who has done large field studies in both the US and developing countries. We research the long-term consequences of chronic interactions between the human host and the microbial world. My lab has done fundamental work establishing the role of H. pylori in causing disease and understanding its epidemiology. Currently, our research dissects how and when children first encounter microbes and the long term effects of these exposures on health.
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Sonia Partap
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Neurology
Clinical Professor (By courtesy), NeurosurgeryCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests involve the epidemiology, treatment and diagnosis of pediatric and young adult brain tumors. I am also interested in long-term neurologic effects and designing clinical trials to treat brain and spinal cord tumors.
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Josef Parvizi, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Adult Neurology) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery
BioDr. Parvizi completed his medical internship at Mayo Clinic, neurology training at Harvard, and subspecialty training in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at UCLA before joining the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford in 2007. Dr. Parvizi directs the Stanford Program for Medication Resistant Epilepsies and specializes in surgical treatments of intractable focal epilepsies. Dr. Parvizi is the principal investigator in the Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, where he leads a team of investigators to study the human brain. http://med.stanford.edu/parvizi-lab.html.
Epilepsy patient story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXy-gXg0t94&t=3s -
Anca M. Pasca, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
On Partial Leave from 01/05/2026 To 04/19/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe research focus of the lab is to understand molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders associated with premature birth, neonatal and fetal brain injury with the long-term goal of translating the lab’s findings into therapeutics. The research team employs a multidisciplinary approach involving genetics, molecular and developmental neurobiology, animal models and neural cells differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In particular, the lab is using a powerful 3D human brain-region specific organoid system developed at Stanford (Nature Methods, 2015; Nature Protocols, 2018) to ask questions about brain injury during development.
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Sergiu P. Pasca
Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsA critical challenge in understanding the intricate programs underlying development, assembly and dysfunction of the human brain is the lack of direct access to intact, functioning human brain tissue for detailed investigation by imaging, recording, and stimulation.
To address this, we are developing bottom-up approaches to generate and assemble, from multi-cellular components, human neural circuits in vitro and in vivo.
We introduced the use of instructive signals for deriving from human pluripotent stem cells self-organizing 3D cellular structures named brain region-specific spheroids/organoids. We demonstrated that these cultures, such as the ones resembling the cerebral cortex, can be reliably derived across many lines and experiments, contain synaptically connected neurons and non-reactive astrocytes, and can be used to gain mechanistic insights into genetic and environmental brain disorders. Moreover, when maintained as long-term cultures, they recapitulate an intrinsic program of maturation that progresses towards postnatal stages.
We also pioneered a modular system to integrate 3D brain region-specific organoids and study human neuronal migration and neural circuit formation in functional preparations that we named assembloids. We have actively applied these models in combination with studies in long-term ex vivo brain preparations to acquire a deeper understanding of human physiology, evolution and disease mechanisms.
We have carved a unique research program that combines rigorous in vivo and in vitro neuroscience, stem cell and molecular biology approaches to construct and deconstruct previously inaccessible stages of human brain development and function in health and disease.
We believe science is a community effort, and accordingly, we have been advancing the field by broadly and openly sharing our technologies with numerous laboratories around the world and organizing the primary research conference and the training courses in the area of cellular models of the human brain. -
Alok Patel
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics
BioAlok Patel is a pediatric hospitalist, medical journalist, on-camera expert, producer, and devotee of creative, engaging science communication tactics. He currently serves as the Faculty Director of Communications for the Department of Pediatrics. Through this role, he helps coordinate creative media strategies for awareness, education, advocacy, recruitment and more.
Dr. Patel has extensive experience in broadcast journalism, on-camera work, script writing, podcast hosting, media consulting, and designing social media campaigns and hopes to lend these skills to his work in public health messaging. He currently works as a pediatric hospitalist within the department of pediatrics at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. -
Anisha I Patel
Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Patel is a physician-scientist with a focus on community-engaged research (CEnR). She works to translate evidence to impact policies that can benefit children facing inequities due to their racial/ethnic background, poverty, and/or geography.
She leads the independently-funded research program, Partnerships for Research in Child Health, which collaborates with community partners to co-develop, implement, and evaluate innovative interventions aimed at preventing obesity and cardiometabolic diseases in low-income, minoritized populations. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Patel has led numerous studies to encourage healthy beverage intake among children and adolescents. These studies include analyses of large national data sets, conduct of randomized controlled trials in schools, child care, and community settings to examine how interventions to increase children’s intake of water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages impact child health, and the evaluation of policy efforts to improve the healthfulness of beverages offered in schools and community settings.
Long before the Flint water crisis, Dr. Patel was working with partners to address nitrate and arsenic contamination in drinking water supplies in California’s San Joaquin Valley, a rural region home to many low-income Latinx farm-working families. She secured funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to collaborate with researchers, nonprofits, water utilities, families, and advocates to develop innovative solutions to drinking water contamination in the region, helping to lead to the Agua4All program. The Agua4All initiative increased access to safe drinking water by installing filtered water stations in schools and community sites. The program’s success led to its national expansion and informed a $16.3 million-dollar water in schools grant program as well as California legislation to improve safe water access in public schools. Dr. Patel’s work with collaborators and communities was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up campaign and featured in Stanford Medicine’s award-winning magazine.
As an expert in CEnR, Dr. Patel leads initiatives at Stanford. She is Director of the Office of Community-Engaged Research at Stanford's Maternal and Child Health Research Institute. In this role, she is helping to lead several initiatives, including expanding grant funding for CEnR and implementing capacity-building training programs for both community partners and the Stanford community. She also serves as Associate Dean of Research in Stanford’s School of Medicine, where she works to enhance community engagement across the university. Dr. Patel is a Co-Investigator on Stanford’s Clinical Translational Sciences Award. She also helps lead mentoring of fellows and junior faculty in CEnR.
Dr. Patel has a diverse funding portfolio ranging from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research Program, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Patel has presented her research to local, national and international audiences. She has also been recognized for her research with awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Public Health. -
Lisa Patel
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics
BioLisa Patel received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. After college, she worked in Egypt, Brazil, and India on international development projects with community-based organizations and non-profits, focusing on conservation and development efforts. She then obtained her Master's in Environmental Sciences from the Yale School of the Environment and went on to be a Presidential Management Fellow for the Environmental Protection Agency, coordinating the US Government's efforts on clean air and safe drinking water projects in South Asia in collaboration with the World Health Organization for which she was awarded the Trudy A. Specinar Award.
Realizing the critical and inextricable links between children's health and environmental issues, she obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed her residency in pediatrics at UCSF. For the last several years, she has used her extensive experience working for government, community organizations, and non-profits to advocate for children's health priorities in the US. She is previously the co-chair for the American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Committee, California Chapter 1 (AAP-CA1) and in her time helped launch the inaugural Advocating for Children Together conference for Northern California that became a yearly occurrence. She co-founded the Climate and Health Committee for AAP-CA1, and is a member of the Executive Committee for the AAP's national Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change. In these roles, she has co-led successfully introducing board certification materials on climate change into the American Board of Pediatrics, and written policy statements and book chapers for the AAP on plant-forward diets and climate-smart schools. She is formerly the rotation director for the pediatric resident's Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy Rotation. Her extensive work in local advocacy was recognized by Stanford Children’s Health Advocacy Award in 2023.
She is currently the Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and maintains a clinical practice as a pediatric hospitalist caring for newborns, premature infants, and children requiring hospitalization. She serves on several boards and commissions, including Our Children's Trust, the legal organization that represented youth in Held v. Montana, Undaunted K12 whose mission is to facilitate climate-smart schools throughout the country, and the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health which empowers businesses to protect their workers from mounting threats to their health from climate change. She is frequently asked to advise and review on topics including sustainable healthcare, early childhood development and climate, vegetarian and plant-forward diets, and communicating climate change as a health threat.
Communications remains a central part of her work, and she serves as a Science Mom to talk to other parents and caretakers about the health harms of climate change. Her work has also appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, the New York Times, the LA Times, Bloomberg News, and multiple state and local outlets. She is interviewed regularly for her expertise on climate, health, and equity for major national media outlets like the Washington Post, US News and World Report, and CNN, among others. -
Meghna D Patel
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy current academic focus is in chronic heart failure and ventricular assist device.
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Francis Pearman
Assistant Professor of Education
BioFrancis A. Pearman is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. His research focuses on how poverty and inequality shape the life chances of children, especially in rapidly changing cities. Pearman holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. from the University of Virginia.
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Gary Peltz
Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Department Research)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe laboratory develops and uses state of the art genomic methods to identify genetic factors affecting disease susceptibility, and to translate these findings into new treatments. We have developed a more efficient method for performing mouse genetic analysis, which has been used to analyze the genetic basis for 16 different biomedical traits. We are developing novel methods, and have developed a novel experimental platform that replaces mouse liver with functioning human liver tissue.
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Jon-Paul Pepper, MD
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsFacial paralysis is a debilitating condition that affects thousands of people. Despite excellent surgical technique, we are currently limited by the regenerative capacity of the body. The mission of our research is to identify new treatments that improve current facial paralysis treatments. We do this by exploring the regenerative cues that the body uses to restore tissue after nerve injury, in particular through pathways of neurogenesis and nerve repair in small mammals.
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Claudia Katharina Petritsch
Associate Professor (Research) of Neurosurgery
Senior Research Scientist, Adult NeurologyCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Petritsch lab broadly investigates underlying causes for the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and immune suppression in brain tumors from a neuro-developmental perspective. Defective cell fate decisions fuel the intra-humoral heterogeneity and plasticity in human brain tumors and may contribute to immune suppression. We use patient-derived models as avatars to study how brain cells control the fate of their progeny, whereby we unravel novel points of vulnerabilities in brain tumor cells.
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Dmitri Petrov
Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvolution of genomes and population genomics of adaptation and variation
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Trung Hoang Minh Pham
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUncovering mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection
The immune system safeguards the health of complex organisms by rapidly eliminating invading pathogens, curbing infection-induced tissue disruptions, and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Many bacterial pathogens evade host antimicrobial mechanisms and persist in infected tissues at low levels for long periods of time even in the presence of innate and adaptive immune resistance. During persistent infection, the immune system simultaneously orchestrates antimicrobial responses to contain the pathogen, repairs damaged tissue, regulates nutrient resources, and maintains other tissue physiological functions to ensure host survival. Failure of any of these tasks leads to uncontrolled infection, devastating disease, and even death. The goals of our research are to understand:
1)What are the innate and adaptive immune cellular mechanisms that contain pathogens during persistent infection?
2)How are tissue physiological functions, such as tissue repair and nutrient regulation, maintained during persistent infection?
3)How do pathogens survive innate and adaptive antimicrobial mechanisms in infected tissues?
4)How does persistent infection impact host immunity to secondary infections of a similar or different pathogen?
Through investigating these fundamental questions, we may be able to decode the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that can be harnessed to eradicate infections, promote tissue resilience, and restore health after an infectious insult. We integrate immunology, tissue biology, microbiology, and genetics to uncover the mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection from the molecular to organismal level.
Current areas of research:
•Development, maintenance, and plasticity of macrophage functional diversity in infected tissue
•Tissue repair and nutrient regulation during persistent infection
•Cellular dynamics and bacterial persistence in lymphoid organs -
Harold Westley Phillips
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery (Pediatric Neurosurgery)
BioH. Westley Phillips, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University where he is a neurosurgeon-scientist specializing in pediatric neurosurgery with a special interest in epilepsy. Dr. Phillips received his undergraduate degree at Yale University where he was a member of the Varsity Football Team and received a Fulbright Scholarship. He completed an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a certificate of distinction in the Clinical Neuroscience Training Program. He completed neurosurgical residency at UCLA where he received 2 years of NIH funding to investigate the genetic underpinnings of epilepsy. He received fellowship training in pediatric epilepsy surgery and genetics research at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before his arrival at Stanford. At Stanford, Dr. Phillips leads a molecular genetics laboratory and has a particular interest in defining and further understanding somatic mosaicism and its role in epileptogenesis. He has published manuscripts in leading academic journals including Nature: Genetics, JAMA Neurology, Journal of Neuroscience, Scientific Reports, Epilepsia and Neurology. He is dedicated to improving the treatment and outcomes for children with drug resistant epilepsy through innovative research and cutting-edge surgical techniques.
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Benjamin Pinsky
Professor of Pathology, of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDevelopment and application of molecular assays for the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases.
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Jena Pizula, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. Pizula is a quadruple board-certified, fellowship-trained cardiologist with Stanford Health Care Cardiovascular Health. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine.
Dr. Pizula specializes in cardio-obstetrics. She works with women before, during, and after pregnancy to determine their risk of heart-related pregnancy complications and improve their cardiovascular health. She has experience managing complex cardiovascular conditions, including congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, and cardiomyopathy. Dr. Pizula develops a customized care plan for each patient she treats. As a leader in cardio-obstetrics, she’s at the forefront of the latest advances in women’s cardiovascular care.
Her research interests include the intersection of cardiovascular disease and pregnancy. She focuses on how pre-existing conditions like congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension affect pregnancy. She has also explored how physiological changes during pregnancy affect existing heart disease and long-term cardiovascular risk. She uses her unique dual background in internal medicine and pediatrics to study how adult manifestations of cardiovascular disease impact pregnancy outcomes.
Dr. Pizula is active in teaching medical students, internal medicine and obstetrical residents, and cardiology fellows. She teaches them strategies to improve how they assess and manage risk and deliver postpartum care to people with high-risk cardiac pregnancies. Dr. Pizula is the director of the Finishing School for Future Cardiologists for the California chapter of the American College of Cardiology, which offers leadership development to cardiology fellows.
Dr. Pizula’s research has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics. She has authored three book chapters on cardio-obstetrics and global emergency medicine.
Dr. Pizula has presented her research at conferences in the United States and internationally. As an expert in cardiovascular disease and pregnancy, she is frequently invited to speak to cardiologists, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists at the International Congress on Cardiac Problems in Pregnancy. She currently serves as a reviewer for the European Journal of Heart Failure and Heart Failure Reviews.
Dr. Pizula is a member of the American College of Cardiology, Stanford Medicine Cardiovascular Institute, and Stanford Medicine Maternal & Child Health Research Institute. -
Tino Pleiner
Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Pleiner lab combines mechanistic cell biology, structural biochemistry and protein engineering to dissect the pathways and molecular machines that mature human membrane proteins to a fully functional state. We also develop alpaca-derived and synthetic nanobodies as tools to modulate intracellular pathways that globally regulate protein homeostasis in health and disease.
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Celeste Poe, Ph.D., PMH-C
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development
BioDr. Celeste Poe is a licensed clinical psychologist with a certification in perinatal mental health. She completed her residency and fellowship training at the Yale Child Study Center. She received her Ph.D. from Palo Alto University, her master’s degree from Pepperdine University and she is a proud HBCU alumni of Xavier University of Louisiana where she received her bachelor’s degree.
Dr. Poe is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Attending NICU and Perinatal Psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the director of the NICU Psychology Program at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital where she provides psychological consultation and psychotherapy to parents requiring hospitalization due to high risk pregnancies and parents of infants hospitalized in the NICU. Dr. Poe’s clinical specialties include perinatal and infant mental health as well as maternal-infant critical care with a focus on child and caregiver trauma, grief, and bereavement. Her research focuses on Black perinatal mental health and mental health equity, infant and parent mental health in medical settings, and intergenerational trauma. Dr. Poe was a Zero to Three Fellow and currently serves as Co-Chair of the National Network of NICU Psychologists. In 2026 she was appointed to the American Psychological Association's committee on Children Youth and families.
Dr. Poe also holds a community faculty appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center where she works on the Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project which aims to enhance healthcare providers’ capacities to meet the needs of grieving families. -
Matthew Porteus
Sutardja Chuk Professor of Definitive and Curative Medicine
BioDr. Porteus was raised in California and was a local graduate of Gunn High School before completing A.B. degree in “History and Science” at Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and wrote an thesis entitled “Safe or Dangerous Chimeras: The recombinant DNA controversy as a conflict between differing socially constructed interpretations of recombinant DNA technology.” He then returned to the area and completed his combined MD, PhD at Stanford Medical School with his PhD focused on understanding the molecular basis of mammalian forebrain development with his PhD thesis entitled “Isolation and Characterization of TES-1/DLX-2: A Novel Homeobox Gene Expressed During Mammalian Forebrain Development.” After completion of his dual degree program, he was an intern and resident in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and then completed his Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship in the combined Boston Chidlren’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute program. For his fellowship and post-doctoral research he worked with Dr. David Baltimore at MIT and CalTech where he began his studies in developing homologous recombination as a strategy to correct disease causing mutations in stem cells as definitive and curative therapy for children with genetic diseases of the blood, particularly sickle cell disease. Following his training with Dr. Baltimore, he took an independent faculty position at UT Southwestern in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry before again returning to Stanford in 2010 as an Associate Professor. During this time his work has been the first to demonstrate that gene correction could be achieved in human cells at frequencies that were high enough to potentially cure patients and is considered one of the pioneers and founders of the field of genome editing—a field that now encompasses thousands of labs and several new companies throughout the world. His research program continues to focus on developing genome editing by homologous recombination as curative therapy for children with genetic diseases but also has interests in the clonal dynamics of heterogeneous populations and the use of genome editing to better understand diseases that affect children including infant leukemias and genetic diseases that affect the muscle. Clinically, Dr. Porteus attends at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital where he takes care of pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
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Manu Prakash
Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Oceans
BioWe use interdisciplinary approaches including theory and experiments to understand how computation is embodied in biological matter. Examples include cognition in single cell protists and morphological computing in animals with no neurons and origins of complex behavior in multi-cellular systems. Broadly, we invent new tools for studying non-model organisms with significant focus on life in the ocean - addressing fundamental questions such as how do cells sense pressure or gravity? Finally, we are dedicated towards inventing and distributing “frugal science” tools to democratize access to science (previous inventions used worldwide: Foldscope, Abuzz), diagnostics of deadly diseases like malaria and convening global citizen science communities to tackle planetary scale environmental challenges such as mosquito surveillance or plankton surveillance by citizen sailors mapping the ocean in the age of Anthropocene.
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Janey S.A. Pratt, MD
Clinical Professor, Surgery - Pediatric Surgery
BioDr. Janey S.A. Pratt, MD, FACS, FASMBS is a general surgeon who specializes in Laparoscopic and Robotic General and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS). She began her career in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a founding member of the MGH Weight Center. As surgical director she introduced minimally invasive MBS and adolescent MBS to MGH in 2001 and 2007 respectively. In 2011 Dr. Pratt took over as Director at the MGH Weight Center and continued to work on several national committees towards improving access and care for adolescents with severe obesity. Dr. Pratt continued to practice general surgery throughout her tenure at MGH seeing patients with breast cancer, hernias, and obesity. She performed advance minimally invasive surgery (MIS) as well as advanced endoscopy.
In 2016 Dr. Pratt moved to California where she began her work at Stanford University, splitting her time between the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital and the Palo Alto VA. She performs Minimally Invasive MBS as well as endoscopy. Dr. Pratt has trained in robotic surgery as well. As a Clinical Professor of Surgery, Dr. Pratt is involved in training Stanford medical students and residents both in the OR, in clinic, in simulation labs and in the classroom. Since 2023 Dr. Pratt is dedicated only to the Children's Hospital running the Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery program at LPCH. This is an MBSAQIP accredited program in a free-standing children's hospital dedicated to the multidisciplinary care of children with obesity. This program is one of the top 5 programs in the country. Dr. Pratt has been involved in creating and updated guidelines for Adolescent MBS since 2005. In 2018 she was first author on the ASMBS Pediatric Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Guidelines. Her research interests include MIS MBS, pediatric obesity treatment and the use of medications to improve outcomes of MBS. Dr. Pratt frequently lectures on the subject of Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. -
Guillem Pratx
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Physics)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Physical Oncology Lab is interested in making a lasting impact on translational cancer research by building novel physical tools and methods.
