Neurosurgery
Showing 1-50 of 95 Results
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Maheen Mausoof Adamson
Clinical Professor (Affiliated), Neurosurgery
Staff, Neurosurgery OperationsBioDr. Maheen Mausoof Adamson is a Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery (Affiliated) at Stanford School of Medicine, Director of Research for Women's Operational Military Exposure Network Center of Excellence (WOMENCOE), and Senior Scientist for Rehabilitation Services at VA Palo Alto Healthcare System. Adamson completed her undergraduate degrees in neurobiology and women's studies at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. She also has a Masters in Healthcare Leadership from the School of Public Health from Brown University and is a faculty fellow for Stanford Byers Biodesign Program.
Dr. Adamson’s expertise and interests span employing translational neuroscience methodologies for diagnostic and neuromodulation treatments (such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)) for frequent health problems in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), psychiatric problems, and Alzheimer's disease. She has employed advanced structural and functional imaging modalities and biomarker assessments for treatment response and diagnosis in Veteran, active military, and civilian populations with these health problems. She has been a leader in identifying sex differences in brain injury, particularly in the Veteran population. She currently serves as PI and Site-PI on numerous neuromodulation clinical trials and collaborates internationally to develop advanced diagnostic methods in neuroimaging, especially in underserved communities. As Director of the Adamson Lab, she is actively involved in translating research, such as neuromodulation and virtual and augmented reality, into clinical settings.
In her new role as Research Director of WOMENCOE, she is developing the research and education center to investigate and disseminate findings on the impact of military environmental exposure on reproductive health, cancer, psychiatric illness, cognitive decline, and other women's health issues. This network is funded by the VA Health Outcomes Military Exposure Center under Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Adamson is also the lead PI of ENIGMA-PAK study that aims to Leverage Consanguinity in Pakistan to Uncover the Genomic Architecture of Alzheimer's Disease. She has received recognition in national and international settings and serves on several editorial and industry advisory boards. She is also CEO and founder of her digital health startup Soof Solutions Inc which uses eye tracking for communication in individuals lacking the power of speech. She is also intricately involved in mentoring postdoctoral fellows, residents, undergraduates and high school students in STEM careers. -
Mostafa H. Algabri
Visiting Instructor,
BioMostafa Hikmat Saeed Algabri, M.B.Ch.B., is a physician and clinical researcher currently serving as a visiting instructor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. His research focuses on stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), neurovascular disease, and advanced neuroimaging, with particular interest in evaluating the outcomes, indications, and adverse effects of radiosurgical interventions in neurosurgical disorders such as arteriovenous malformations, vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, and paragangliomas.
Dr. Algabri graduated from the College of Medicine at the University of Baghdad and is ECFMG-certified. He successfully completed the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) steps 1 and 2 (CK). He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in neurosurgery, neurology, and neuroradiology journals and actively collaborates on international research projects involving cerebrovascular disease, spine surgery, and neurosurgical outcomes research.
In addition to his work at Stanford, Dr. Algabri serves as a peer reviewer for several scientific journals, including World Neurosurgery, World Neurosurgery: X, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery, and Cureus.
Dr. Algabri is the founder of the NeuroResearch Circle academic platform and the developer of the Stroke Localizer educational system designed to teach stroke localization and neuroanatomy through interactive learning. His research has been presented at international scientific meetings, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the Academic International Medical Summit (AIMS), and the International Student Congress of (Bio)Medical Sciences (ISCOMS). In 2025, he received the Ideal Physician Award from the Iraqi Medical Association in recognition of his dedication to patient care, professionalism, and contributions to academic medicine. -
Hanna Aliashkevich
Visiting Instructor,
BioHanna Aliashkevich is a Visiting Instructor at Stanford SIMI (Surgical Innovation & Machine Interfacing) Laboratory working at the intersection of neuroscience, medical devices, and digital health innovation. She is a research scientist and former neurosurgeon trained in Europe (Belarus) with over a decade of clinical and research experience in Neurosurgery and Neuroscience, specializing in neuro-oncology, spine surgery, facial paralysis, and cranial reconstruction. Published author in peer-reviewed journals and active member of leading professional societies (EANS, AANS, WINS, CNS, AWIS), including the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO). Her interests include neurotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, and AI-enabled healthcare solutions. She is focused on bridging clinical practice and engineering to develop impactful technologies that address unmet needs in patient care.
Awards: WCW 2024 Woman in Health, People's Choice Global Impact
Selected Grants: 2022 Endovascular and Vascular Techniques for Senior Residents AANS/NREF/Medical Education & Research Institute (MERI) -
Moustafa Elattar
Visiting Instructor,
BioDr. Moustafa Elattar is a Visiting Instructor at Stanford University’s Neuro-Oncology Laboratory. Originally from Egypt, he earned his M.B.B.Ch. with honors from Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University. Dr. Elattar has a strong background in clinical research, biostatistical analysis, and evidence-based medicine. His work at Stanford focuses on high-impact projects in Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), exploring clinical outcomes, indications, and treatment-related effects in neurosurgical diseases such as meningiomas, vestibular schwannomas, paragangliomas, and arteriovenous malformations.
Beyond his current research, Dr. Elattar is passionate about integrating clinical insight with data-driven methodologies to advance neuro-oncology and improve patient outcomes. -
Kamran Hussain
Casual - Non-Exempt, Neurosurgery
BioResearching speech neuroprosthetics at the Neuroprosthetics Translational Lab. Research interests include brain-computer interfacing, neuroprosthetics, computational systems neuroscience, and bio-inspired artificial intelligence.
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Siddhartha Joshi, PhD
Senior Research Scientist, Neurosurgery
BioI am a neuroscientist with over 20 years of experience in empirical, hypothesis-driven research. My knowledge and expertise cover a wide range of topics and methods within systems neuroscience including sensory perception, neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, eye-movements and pupillometry. My research is focused on how the brain represents and uses sensory information to drive goal-directed behaviors and in exploring how intrinsic neuromodulatory systems influence the neural circuits that drive such behaviors. At Stanford, I am looking to channel my experience towards studying human neural signals that underlie computations governing pain and attention.
My work thus far [1-4] supports the idea that there is a need for simultaneous measurements of behavior, brain state and large-scale cortical activity to understand how the brain’s circuits: (i) are modulated by ascending sympathetic activation and (ii) provide top-down control of descending sympathetic control. These are technically challenging experiments [3,4] that have thus far largely been explored in animal models. My current goal is to leverage opportunities to directly measure human brain activity via electrodes implanted for monitoring epilepsy. Towards this end, I will use state-of-the-art neurophysiological, behavioral, pupillometric techniques combined with quantitative analyses.
Representative publications:
1. Joshi S, Gold JI (2020) Pupil Size as a Window on Neural Substrates of Cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 24(6), 466-480. PMCID: PMC7271902.
2. Joshi S (2024). Control of Pupil Responses. Encyclopedia of the Human Brain (Elsevier), Second Edition, Vol.1, 374-387.
3. Joshi S, Li, Y, Kalwani R, Gold JI (2016). Relationships between pupil diameter and neuronal activity in the locus coeruleus, colliculi and cingulate cortex. Neuron 89:221-234. PMCID: PMC4707070.
4. Joshi S, Gold JI (2022) Context-Dependent Relationships between Locus Coeruleus Firing Patterns and Coordinated Neural Activity in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. eLife 11:e63490. PMCID: PMC8765756. -
Neda Kaboodvand
Basic Life Research Scientist, Neurosurgery
Current Role at StanfordApplied Scientist (Human Behavior & ML)
Neda Kaboodvand, PhD, is an Applied Scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine whose work focuses on modeling human behavior and improving system performance using data. She designs and leads human-subject studies and develops machine learning and computational modelling approaches to understand decision-making, evaluate interventions, and enable adaptive, personalized systems. Her work integrates behavioral and multimodal physiological data to support data-driven solutions in complex, real-world settings. -
Stephen Lawrence McKenna, MD
Clinical Professor (Affiliated), Neurosurgery
Staff, Neurosurgery OperationsBioDr. Stephen McKenna is a founding member of the Stanford Partnership for Spinal Cord Injury and Repair. He is currently the Chief of the Rehabilitation Trauma Center; as well as, the site director of the Advanced SCI Medicine Fellowship at SCVMC.
As a Neurocritical Care physician, Dr. McKenna specializes in ventilator-dependent Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as neuromuscular diseases. He has led first-in-human clinical trials ranging from vaccines for HIV to stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cell-based therapies for SCI. Dr. McKenna is Chairman of the Respiratory Section of the International Standards to Document Autonomic Function after SCI (ISAFSCI) and co-chair of the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) Research Education Subcommittee.
Clinical Focus:
Spinal Cord Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
Neuromyelitis Optica (Devic disease)
Professional Education:
Board Certification: Neurocritical Care, UCNS (2008)
Board Certification: Internal Medicine, ABIM (2005)
Internship & Residency: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (2002,2005)
Medical Education: Stanford University School of Medicine (2002)
Book Chapter:
Shah A, Shem K, McKenna SL, Berlly M. Management of Respiratory Failure in Spinal Cord Injury. Spinal Cord Medicine (Hardcover) by Steven, M.D. Kirshblum (Editor) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011
Selected Publications:
Exploration of surgical blood pressure management & expected motor recovery in individuals with traumatic SCI.
Ehsanian R, et al, McKenna SL.
Spinal Cord. 2020 Mar;58(3):377-386. PMID: 31649323
A Novel Pharyngeal Clearance Maneuver for Initial Tracheostomy Tube Cuff Deflation in High Cervical Tetraplegia.
Ehsanian R, et al, McKenna S.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2019 Sep;98(9):835-838. PMID: 30973517
Burden of Care Implications & Association of Intracranial Hypertension with Extremely Severe Post-traumatic Amnesia After TBI: A 5-Year Retrospective Longitudinal Study.
Quach NT, et al
Front Neurol. 2019 Jan 29;10:34. PMID: 30761071
Venous Thromboembolism is Associated with Lack of Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients with SCI & Low Vitamin D Levels.
Ehsanian R, et al
PM R. 2019 Feb;11(2):125-134. PMID: 30300766
Pulmonary outcomes following specialized respiratory management for acute cervical SCI: a retrospective analysis.
Zakrasek EC, et al, McKenna SL
Spinal Cord, 2017; Feb 21. PMID: 28220822
Dose Response Effect of Exposure to Hypotension on Expected Neurological Recovery in Individuals with Traumatic SCI.
ARCHIVES OF PM&R
Reza, E., et al, McKenna, S.
2016: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2016.09.016
Combined SCI & TBI: recovery of forelimb function after unilateral cervical SCI is retarded by contralateral traumatic brain injury (TBI), & ipsilateral TBI balances the effects of SCI on paw placement.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
Inoue T, et al.
2013 Oct 248: 136-47. PMID: 23770071
Functional electrical stimulation in SCI respiratory care.
TOPICS IN SPINAL CORD REHAB.
R Jarosz, et al, S McKenna
2012:Vol. 18, No. 4, 315-321. PMID: 23459661
Impact of mean arterial blood pressure during the first seven days post SCI.
TOPICS IN SPINAL CORD REHAB.
J Cohn, et al
2010: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1310/sci1503-96
Successful Pregnancy & Delivery in a C1 ASIA A spinal cord injured Woman: The Role of Coordinated Care Between PM&R & Obstetrics Services: A Case Report.
PM&R
Lin C, et al
2010: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.07.461
The impact of project closure on HIV incidence and mortality in a cohort of couples in Lusaka, Zambia.
AIDS CARE
Stephenson R, et al
2008 Jul;20(6):683-91. PMID: 18576170
Rapid HIV testing & counseling for voluntary testing centers in Africa.
AIDS
McKenna SL et al
1997 Sep;11 Suppl 1:S103-10. PMID: 9376093 -
Ryan Nitta
Senior Research Scientist, Neurosurgery
Current Role at StanfordThe main project of the Li lab is to elucidate the signaling pathways responsible for maintaining and initiating brain tumor growth. Previously the Li lab has identified an interesting protein, known as casein kinase 2, which plays an integral role in adult brain tumor growth. My goal is to expand on this initial finding and determine if casein kinase 2 could be a therapeutically relevant drug target in adult brain tumors and whether this protein plays a role in pediatric brain tumors. The role of the candidate would be the lead researcher on these projects, as well as managing and leading the undergraduate and medical students in the lab. In addition, I am responsible for maintaining the laboratory and assisting in grant writing.
