School of Medicine
Showing 1-10 of 13 Results
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Neda Sattarnezhad Oskouei, MD, MS
Instructor, Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology
BioDr. Neda Sattarnezhad Oskouei is a board-certified neurologist and neuroimmunologist specializing in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and neuroimmunological disorders, including Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO), MOG Antibody Disease (MOGAD), optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, autoimmune encephalitis, neuro-rheumatological conditions and neuroinfectious diseases. Her research focuses on understanding the role of pathogens in triggering autoimmunity, with a particular emphasis on the role of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) in the development of MS.
Dr. Sattarnezhad earned her MD degree with honors from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. She then completed a research fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the Brigham MS Center, Harvard Medical School. Following this, she pursued her residency in adult neurology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Sattarnezhad further specialized by completing a two-year clinical fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at Stanford University as a Sylvia Lawry Fellow of the National MS Society. She subsequently completed a fellowship in adult and pediatric immunology and rheumatology at Stanford.
Her research and training have been supported by the National MS Society (NMSS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Sattarnezhad is a member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). -
Mojtaba Sedigh Fazli
Postdoctoral Scholar, Immunology and Rheumatology
BioDr. Mojtaba Fazli is a leading scientist specializing in AI/ML, computer vision, and biomedical research. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research fellow Scientist at Stanford University and a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Ophthalmology Artificial Intelligence Lab, Harvard University, where he previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship.
Dr. Fazli's research bridges cutting-edge artificial intelligence with groundbreaking applications in multi-scale biomedical imaging, disease modeling, and drug discovery. His expertise encompasses advanced areas of AI/ML, including computer vision for 2D/3D medical image analysis, bioinformatics, and object tracking in both 2D and 3D environments. He has played a key role in developing state-of-the-art algorithms to enhance diagnostic precision and therapeutic outcomes within the biotechnology and healthcare sectors.
With a strong foundation in both academia and industry, Dr. Fazli previously served as a Senior Open Innovation Scholar at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. There, he applied his expertise in strategic planning, programming, and simulation to tackle complex biomedical challenges.
Dr. Fazli holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics, from the United States, as well as a Doctorate in Business Administration from France. His academic journey also includes master’s degrees in Economics and Management, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. His interdisciplinary approach blends AI-driven innovation with practical, impactful solutions in healthcare.
At Stanford, Dr. Fazli leads research initiatives focused on integrating multimodal data in rheumatology, advancing ultrasound imaging research in Rheumatoid Arthritis, and developing AI methodologies for clinical applications. His current work also involves leveraging Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to drive innovation in medical data analysis and clinical decision support. -
Neha Shah
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology
BioDr Shah's clinical and research interests lie in Integrative Rheumatology, healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole patient, including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapies, including those outside the realm of allopathic medicine. Specifically, she is interested in exploring the impact of diet/nutrition/botanicals on inflammation as it pertains to rheumatic diseases such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, as well as studying the impact of other lifestyle approaches such as mindful meditation, sleep, yoga, stress reduction, etc. on disease burden and quality of life of patients with rheumatic diseases. She boarded in Lifestyle Medicine and has advanced training in Functional Medicine. Dr Shah is currently pursuing additional training in Ayurvedic Medicine.
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Stanford Shoor
Clinical Professor, Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPatient Centered Care in Rheumatic Disease
Sarcoidosis -
Julia Fridman Simard
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology) and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine)
BioJulia Fridman Simard, ScD, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, and of Medicine in Immunology and Rheumatology and Obstetrics and, by courtesy, Gynecology in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Simard earned her Masters and Doctorate of Science in Epidemiology degrees at the Harvard School of Public Health. During that time she trained with investigators at the Section of Clinical Sciences, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2008, Dr. Simard relocated to Sweden to begin a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. She became an Assistant Professor in their Clinical Epidemiology Unit in 2011, and was later honored with a Karolinska Institutet Teaching Award. Leveraging the population-based registers of Sweden, Dr. Simard initiated a national register linkage study to examine the utility of registers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) research and develop an extensive data repository for future epidemiologic investigations.
While maintaining a close collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet, she joined Stanford’s Epidemiology faculty in 2013. Dr. Simard studies outcomes such as malignancy, stroke, infection, and mortality, in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases with a focus on systemic lupus erythematosus. Recently her primary research focus has shifted to the intersection between reproductive epidemiology and rheumatic disease fueled by a K01 career development award from the NIH (NIAMS) to study maternal and fetal outcomes in systemic lupus pregnancy. This led to collaborations with colleagues at Stanford, throughout the US, and abroad, and a series of projects focused on the diagnosis of preeclampsia and associated risks in pregnant women with systemic lupus. Dr. Simard was awarded a Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grant from the Preeclampsia Foundation for her lab's work examining preeclampsia risk in high-risk populations, and a McCormick Faculty Award from Stanford Medicine to take important steps towards disentangling preeclampsia from lupus nephritis. Dr. Simard is leading an international study of hydroxychloroquine in lupus pregnancy leveraging mixed methods in partnership with qualitative researchers, patients, clinicians, and epidemiologists in Sweden, Canada, and in the United States.
In addition to these issues of misclassification in reproductive rheumatology questions, Dr. Simard's lab is also interested in how misclassification, missed opportunities, and misdiagnosis contribute to disparities in complex conditions such as systemic lupus. In addition to methodologic issues around misclassification and bias and the largely clinical epidemiology focus of her work, Dr. Simard's work examines social determinants of health and health disparities. Dr. Simard was recently awarded an R01 from NIH (NIAID) to study the role of cognitive and unconscious bias in clinical decision making for female-predominant diseases including lupus. -
Soujanya Sodavarapu, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology
BioDr. Sodavarapu is a fellowship-trained rheumatologist with Stanford Health Care. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Sodavarapu is board certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine.
As a rheumatologist, Dr. Sodavarapu specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions that involve swelling of the joints, muscles, and internal organs. She diagnoses and treats conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), psoriatic arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Dr. Sodavarapu has published her research in peer-reviewed journals including Biomedicines, BMJ Case Reports, and Cureus. She has also presented her research nationwide at various professional conferences and events.
Dr. Sodavarapu is a member of the American College of Physicians.
