School of Medicine
Showing 11,701-11,800 of 12,875 Results
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Joshua Aaron Villarreal
Affiliate, Department Funds
Resident in SurgeryBioDr. Villarreal is a current clinical informatics fellow at Stanford Medicine and first surgical resident to enter the program. He began general surgery training at Stanford in 2020. Dr. Villarreal is a Texas native and hometown is in McAllen TX. He completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in 2020 and undergraduate studies in Human Biology at the University of Texas.
During residency, Dr. Villarreal has published numerous articles in a wide range of surgical fields including: pediatric surgery, liver transplantation, trauma critical care and surgical data science. He currently holds the role as president of the resident led surgical research group Surgeon’s Writing About Trauma (SWAT) and mentors medical students and undergrads in conducting surgical related clinical research. He is a member of the Artificial Intelligence in Surgery research group at Stanford focused on leveraging methods in machine learning in the care of transplant patients.
His long-term goals are to apply clinical informatics frameworks to optimize surgical care workflows, enhance intraoperative decision making, and increase accessibility of outpatient surgical services to lower income patients. -
Anne Villeneuve
Berthold and Belle N. Guggenhime Professor and Professor of Developmental Biology and of Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMechanisms underlying homologous chromosome pairing, DNA recombination and chromosome remodeling during meiosis, using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an experimental system. High-resolution 3-D imaging of dynamic reorganization of chromosome architecture. Role of protease inhibitors in regulating sperm activation.
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Mrigender Singh Virk
Clinical Associate Professor, Pathology
BioDr. Mrigender Virk completed his residency in Anatomic & Clinical Pathology at Georgetown University before joining Stanford for his Transfusion Medicine Fellowship. After completion of the fellowship, Dr. Virk joined the Department of Pathology as a member of the faculty for Transfusion Medicine. Dr. Virk is currently the Director of the Transfusion Medicine Laboratory and the Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program. His work has primarily focused on the improvement of blood bank inventory management through optimization of O-neg RBC utilization and waste mitigation of all blood products in an expanding enterprise footprint. Dr. Virk has also improved inventory efficiency and safety through the implementation of pathogen reduced platelets and pathogen reduced cryoprecipitated fibrinogen complex.
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Elisa Mariel Visher
Postdoctoral Scholar, Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsElisa Visher is broadly interested in the (co)evolution of life history strategies, niche breadth, diversification, and adaptability. They use mostly experimental evolution methods in microbial systems to test the predictions and assumptions of theoretical literature. Currently, they am especially interested in understanding the genetics of trade-offs in microbes to better understand patterns of diversity in nature and constraints to adaptation.
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Brendan C. Visser, MD
Professor of Surgery (General Surgery)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Visser's research interests span the breath of his clinical practice. Areas of active research include the multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancers, technical aspects of minimally invasive pancreatic and liver surgery, and trends in the management of hepatobiliary cancers in California, focusing on socioeconomic and instituional barriers to appropriate care.
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Amy Voedisch MD, MSCP
Clinical Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology - General
BioDr. Voedisch was born and raised in a small town in Minnesota. She received a BA from Macalester College and attended Mayo Medical School. She completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Permanent Santa Clara and a Fellowship in Complex Family Planning at Stanford School of Medicine. She also has a Masters in Epidemiology and Clinical Science Research from Stanford University. Dr. Voedisch is a board certified Complex Family Planning physician and a certified menopause practitioner through The Menopause Society. Dr. Voedisch is passionate about providing comprehensive reproductive healthcare to all women at any stage in their lives. She specializes in contraception, abortion, perimenopause and menopause. Dr. Voedisch has a particular interest in international healthcare and serves as a consultant through the Stanford Program for International Reproductive Education and Services (SPIRES), providing medical education and quality assurance in family planning internationally. Dr. Voedisch believes strongly in shared-decision making between patients and their physicians in order to help all patients reach their health goals.
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Hannes Vogel MD
Professor of Pathology and of Pediatrics (Pediatric Genetics) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Neurological Sciences and of Comparative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests include nerve and muscle pathology, mitochondrial diseases, pediatric neurooncology, and transgenic mouse pathology.
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Melissa Ann Vogelsong
Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioDr. Vogelsong is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University where she is involved in clinical work, education, and research. She completed her residency and dual fellowship training in Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford and now attends in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), Medical ICU, and cardiac ORs. This clinical work continuously reveals the ability of modern medicine to overcome seemingly insurmountable injury and illness, yet she believes that optimal care helps a patient to return to the highest level of functioning possible. Thus her research centers around finding ways to optimize the care of critically ill patients, particularly those supported on mechanical circulatory support and those who have suffered cardiac arrest. She has received funding from the Zoll Foundation and is actively engaged with the American Heart Association and Extracorporeal Life Support Organization.
Additionally, Dr. Vogelsong serves as Associate Medical Director for Life Flight, Stanford's air medical transport service and the only hospital-based flight program in California. She is actively engaged in efforts to enhance the provision of critical care within Stanford Hospital, and serves on multiple committees including the Medical Emergency Response Committee (MERC), ECMO Task Force, and CVICU Continuous Quality Improvement group.
When not at work, Dr. Vogelsong is a huge fan of life in California and can often be found hiking, on a mountain bike, in her Sprinter van, or talking to her many goats, llamas, and horses. -
Douglas Vollrath
Professor of Genetics, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Vollrath lab works to uncover molecular mechanisms relevant to the health and pathology of the outer retina. We study metabolic and other cellular interactions between the glial-like retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and adjacent photoreceptors, with the goals of understanding the pathogenesis of photoreceptor degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, and developing therapies.
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Kathan Vollrath, MD, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
BioDr Vollrath is an internal medicine primary care physician at Stanford Internal Medicine Clinic. She provides asynchronous message-based care via myHealth, including inbox coverage for faculty on vacation. She is a QuEST scholar, studying the implementation of this new service.
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Nirali Vora
Clinical Professor, Adult Neurology
BioDr. Nirali Vora is a Clinical Professor of Neurology and Neurological sciences at Stanford University. She is board certified in Adult Neurology and Vascular Neurology after completing her residency and advanced fellowship training at Stanford. She provides comprehensive care for all stroke patients, as well as hospitalized adults with acute or undiagnosed neurological conditions. She specializes in treating vascular disorders including TIA, vasculitis, dissection, venous thrombosis, and undetermined or “cryptogenic” causes of stroke.
Dr. Vora directs the Stanford Global Health Neurology program, through which she collaborated to start the first stroke unit in Zimbabwe and gained experience in HIV neurology and other neuro-infectious diseases. Additional research interests include stroke prevention, TIA triage, eliminating disparities in health care, and neurology education. She is also the Director of the Stanford Adult Neurology Residency Program. -
Ayelet Voskoboynik
Assistant Professor (Research) of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study the mechanisms by which animals differentiate between self and non-self, and how stem cells and immune cells coordinate to form tissues during development, regeneration, transplantation, and aging. By leveraging the natural stem cell-mediated development, regeneration, and chimerism in the colonial chordate Botryllus schlosseri, we investigate stem cell competition and the decline in regenerative capacity during aging.
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Allison Vreeland
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development
BioDr. Allison Vreeland (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in working with children, teens, and families. Dr. Vreeland received her PhD in Clinical Psychological Science with a minor in Quantitative Studies at Vanderbilt University. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship in Child Psychology at UCSF with specialty training through the Child Trauma Research Program. She completed a research and clinical fellowship in the Immune Behavioral Health Clinic at Stanford University, where she focused her research efforts on examining neurological markers of patients diagnosed with pediatric acute neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Clinically, Dr. Vreeland’s program of clinical care is focused on the delivery of evidence-based clinical interventions for individuals with anxiety, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, mood disorders, and behavioral challenges.
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Andre Thien Vu
MD Student with Scholarly Concentration in Bioengineering / Cardiovascular-Pulmonary Sciences, expected graduation Winter 2029
BioMy name is Andre Vu, and I am currently an MS1 at Stanford School of Medicine. Growing up in Little Saigon as a child of Vietnamese refugees, I have always felt deeply connected to my cultural heritage and community. This background has fueled my passion for addressing health disparities, particularly in underserved populations.
My interests lie in improving health disparities and fostering innovation within the healthcare sector. I believe that finding creative solutions and equitable resource distribution are crucial for improving health outcomes in marginalized communities. Outside of my academic and professional pursuits, I have a deep love for cooking Vietnamese cuisine. It is a way for me to stay connected to my roots and share my culture with others. I also enjoy expressing my creativity through painting and sculpting, which provide a wonderful balance to my studies and allow me to unwind.
I am committed to using my medical education to meaningfully impact healthcare accessibility and quality, and I am excited to be part of a future where every individual has the opportunity to achieve optimal health. -
David Vu
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases
BioDr. Vu is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist who is researching human responses to dengue virus and malaria infections. He performed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego, and obtained his medical doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He trained in general pediatrics at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, and in pediatric infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine. His present studies on pediatric dengue and malaria co-infection are supported by an NIAID Career Development Award (K23 AI127909) and a Instructor K Award Support Program Award from the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics.
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Yonatan Winetraub
Instructor, Structural Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy interests span non-invasive imaging for early cancer diagnosis and space exploration.
I'm focusing on utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and machine learning to create virtual histology tools to image cancer non invasively at a single cell resolution, allowing physicians to skip biopsy (read more about the research). Prior to my PhD at Stanford, I co-founded SpaceIL, a non-profit organization that launched the first private interplanetary robotic mission to the Moon launched 2019. -
John Wachtel
Clinical Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology - General
BioDr. Wachtel has been practicing general obstetrics and gynecology for 38 years and has personally delivered over 6,000 babies. He continues to have an active practice in general ob/gyn, serving as a Clinical Professor. He is a nationally recognized expert in patient safety, peer review and data driven quality improvement and has served numerous roles in the field and lectured nationally and internationally. Dr. Wachtel is the Assistant Secretary for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and currently serves on the ACOG National Executive Board and Executive Committee. He is the immediate Past Chair for ACOG District IX (the state of California) and also previously served for three years on the ACOG national Executive Board. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and is an Expert Medical Reviewer for the Medical Board of California.
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Masataka Wada
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioDr. Masataka (he/him/his) is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a board-certified psychiatrist and holds a PhD in neuroscience.
His clinical and research interests center on psychiatric disorders in treatment-resistant conditions. To address these challenges, Dr. Masataka is engaged in exploring electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation techniques, including repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). He spearheaded a significant Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) that involved 180 patients with treatment-resistant depression, aiming to develop an innovative rTMS-based treatment. His efforts have led to him receiving awards at international conferences on three occasions for his significant contributions.
Dr. Masataka's scholarly work includes publications on the electrophysiological characteristics of psychiatric disorders and the effects of neuromodulation on clinical symptoms and neuroimaging features. Additionally, he has been the recipient of two scholarships and three grants, further highlighting his contributions to the field. -
Lynn C. Waelde, Ph.D.
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioLynn C. Waelde, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor Emeritus in the Psychology Department at Palo Alto University. Dr. Waelde’s many collaborative publications address the impacts of traumatic events and ways to use mindfulness and meditation to promote resilience and recovery from stress and trauma. She founded and directed the Inner Resources Center which offered intervention groups and trainings to thousands of participants, clients, and therapists over the past 15 years. Dr. Waelde is the author of Mindfulness and Meditation in Trauma Treatment: The Inner Resources for Stress Program, published in 2022. She has taken a special interest in family caregivers and the Inner Resources for Stress program has been named a Best Practice by the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. She recently coauthored Family Caregiver Distress, which is forthcoming in 2023. She is on the editorial board of Journal of Traumatic Stress and an Associate Editor of Mindfulness.
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Todd Wagner, PhD
Professor (Research) of Surgery (Surgery Policy Improvement Research and Education Center) and, by courtesy, of Health Policy
BioTodd Wagner, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University. He studies health information, efficiency and value, and health care access. He is particularly interested in developing learning health care systems that provide high value care. In addition to his role at Stanford, he Directs the Health Economics Resource Center at the Palo Alto VA and co-directs the VA Center for Policy Evaluation. At VA, he is funded as a Research Career Scientist and he co-directs the VA/NCI Big Data Fellowship.
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Karen Wai, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
BioDr. Wai is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained vitreoretinal surgeon with Stanford Health Care Byers Eye Institute. She is also a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Wai is a retina specialist who diagnoses and treats retinal and macular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular occlusions (blockages), and retinal tears/detachments. The retina is a tissue layer in the back of the eye. It converts light into signals that the brain then interprets as images. The macula is the part of the retina responsible for central (straight ahead) vision. Diseases of the retina and macula can cause low vision and vision loss.
Dr. Wai’s research interests include working with data from electronic health record databases to improve patient outcomes. She has researched morbidity and mortality (illness and death) rates in patients with retinal vein occlusions and retinal artery occlusions. A retinal vein occlusion is a blocked vein to the retina that can cause vision loss. A retinal artery occlusion is when an artery to the retina is blocked, which is also sometimes referred to as eye stroke. Dr. Wai has also examined the effects of systemic medications on the retina. She has won several ophthalmology awards, including the Heed Fellowship and Harvard Medical School’s Excellence in Clinical Instruction Resident Award.
Dr. Wai has published in more than 40 peer-reviewed journals, including Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, and JAMA Ophthalmology. She has presented research at meetings and conferences around the United States.
Dr. Wai is a member of the American Board of Ophthalmology. -
Soichi Wakatsuki
Professor of Photon Science and of Structural Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUbiquitin signaling: structure, function, and therapeutics
Ubiquitin is a small protein modifier that is ubiquitously produced in the cells and takes part in the regulation of a wide range of cellular activities such as gene transcription and protein turnover. The key to the diversity of the ubiquitin roles in cells is that it is capable of interacting with other cellular proteins either as a single molecule or as different types of chains. Ubiquitin chains are produced through polymerization of ubiquitin molecules via any of their seven internal lysine residues or the N-terminal methionine residue. Covalent interaction of ubiquitin with other proteins is known as ubiquitination which is carried out through an enzymatic cascade composed of the ubiquitin-activating (E1), ubiquitin-conjugating (E2), and ubiquitin ligase (E3) enzymes. The ubiquitin signals are decoded by the ubiquitin-binding domains (UBDs). These domains often specifically recognize and non-covalently bind to the different ubiquitin species, resulting in distinct signaling outcomes.
We apply a combination of the structural (including protein crystallography, small angle x-ray scattering, cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) etc.), biocomputational and biochemical techniques to study the ubiquitylation and deubiquitination processes, and recognition of the ubiquitin chains by the proteins harboring ubiquitin-binding domains. Current research interests including SARS-COV2 proteases and their interactions with polyubiquitin chains and ubiquitin pathways in host cell responses, with an ultimate goal of providing strategies for effective therapeutics with reduced levels of side effects.
Protein self-assembly processes and applications.
The Surface layers (S-layers) are crystalline protein coats surrounding microbial cells. S-layer proteins (SLPs) regulate their extracellular, self-assembly by crystallizing when exposed to an environmental trigger. We have demonstrated that the Caulobacter crescentus SLP readily crystallizes into sheets both in vivo and in vitro via a calcium-triggered multistep assembly pathway. Observing crystallization using a time course of Cryo-EM imaging has revealed a crystalline intermediate wherein N-terminal nucleation domains exhibit motional dynamics with respect to rigid lattice-forming crystallization domains. Rate enhancement of protein crystallization by a discrete nucleation domain may enable engineering of kinetically controllable self-assembling 2D macromolecular nanomaterials. In particular, this is inspiring designing robust novel platform for nano-scale protein scaffolds for structure-based drug design and nano-bioreactor design for the carbon-cycling enzyme pathway enzymes. Current research focuses on development of nano-scaffolds for high throughput in vitro assays and structure determination of small and flexible proteins and their interaction partners using Cryo-EM, and applying them to cancer and anti-viral therapeutics.
Multiscale imaging and technology developments.
Multimodal, multiscale imaging modalities will be developed and integrated to understand how molecular level events of key enzymes and protein network are connected to cellular and multi-cellular functions through intra-cellular organization and interactions of the key machineries in the cell. Larger scale organization of these proteins will be studied by solution X-ray scattering and Cryo-EM. Their spatio-temporal arrangements in the cell organelles, membranes, and cytosol will be further studied by X-ray fluorescence imaging and correlated with cryoEM and super-resolution optical microscopy. We apply these multiscale integrative imaging approaches to biomedical, and environmental and bioenergy research questions with Stanford, DOE national labs, and other domestic and international collaborators. -
Claire E Wakefield
Professor of Pediatrics (Quality of Life and Palliative Care)
BioI am a medical psychologist and researcher dedicated to improving quality of life for children affected by serious illness, as well as their families. My research spans pediatric palliative care, precision medicine, psycho-oncology, and global health, and is grounded in a deep commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care. I have published more than 340 journal articles and am named as Chief Investigator on competitive research grants totaling more than $55M.
I served as Continental President of SIOP Oceania and as a Director on the Board of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), advocating for children with cancer across 14 countries. I advise the World Health Organization on global childhood cancer initiatives and am a proud member of the Presidential Task Force on Advocacy for the Society of Pediatric Psychology. I am passionate about building national and global capacity in pediatric palliative care and ensuring that every child and family receives not only the best medical treatment, but also the emotional and psychological support they need. -
Diane Elizabeth Wakeham
Clinical Research Coordinator Associate, Psych/General Psychiatry and Psychology (Adult)
Current Role at StanfordClinical Research Coordinator Associate, INSPIRE Clinic, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
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Heather Wakelee
Winston Chen and Phyllis Huang Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Wakelee's research is focused on clinical trials and translational efforts in patients with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies such as thymoma and thymic carcinoma. Other interests include translation projects in thoracic malignancies and collaborations with population scientists regarding lung cancer questions.
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Rebecca D. Walker
Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInterests include international development in emergency care, healthcare disparities, wilderness medicine, human rights, administration
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Grzegorz Walkiewicz
Postdoctoral Scholar, Ophthalmology
BioGrzegorz (Greg) Walkiewicz, PhD, is a neuroscientist with a strong background in retinal and neurodegenerative disease research. He completed his PhD at KU Leuven (Belgium), focusing on tau pathology and Alzheimer’s disease. His research explores the connection between brain and eye pathology, with particular interest in pTau, Aβ, and microglial activation. He has worked extensively with transgenic mouse models as well as human brain and retinal tissues. He recently joined Stanford University to investigate INPP5K-related mechanisms in retinal ganglion cell degeneration.
