Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Showing 451-500 of 660 Results
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Kim Butts Pauly
Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are investigating and developing, and applying focused ultrasound in neuromodulation, blood brain barrier opening, and ablation for both neuro and body applications.
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Roy Pea
Director, H-STAR, David Jacks Professor of Education and Professor, by courtesy, of Computer Science
Current Research and Scholarly Interestslearning sciences focus on advancing theories, research, tools and social practices of technology-enhanced learning of complex domains
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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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Michael Adam Pfeffer
Chief Information Officer, Stanford Health Care and Stanford School of Medicine, Associate Dean, Stanford School of Medicine, and Clinical Professor, Medicine
Clinical Professor, MedicineBioMichael A. Pfeffer, MD, FACP serves as Chief Information Officer and Associate Dean for Stanford Health Care and Stanford University School of Medicine. Michael oversees Technology and Digital Solutions (TDS), responsible for providing world class technology solutions to Stanford Health Care and School of Medicine, enabling new opportunities for groundbreaking research, teaching, and compassionate care across two hospitals and over 150 clinics. TDS supports Stanford Medicine’s mission to improve human health through discovery and care and strategic priorities to be value focused, digitally driven, and uniquely Stanford.
Michael is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine and Division of Hospital Medicine with a joint appointment in the center for Biomedical Research (BMIR) in Stanford University School of Medicine. As such, Michael continues to provide clinical care as a Hospitalist Physician as well as teaching medical students and residents on the medicine inpatient wards.
Prior to joining Stanford Medicine, Michael served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer for UCLA Health Sciences. During his tenure, Michael served as the lead physician for the largest electronic health record “big bang” go-live of its time, encompassing over 26,000 users. Michael subsequently became the first Chief Medical Informatics Officer for UCLA Health before transitioning into the Chief Information Officer position. Under his leadership, UCLA Health IT achieved numerous industry awards including the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Inpatient, Ambulatory, and Analytics Certifications; the Most Wired designation for eight consecutive years; US News & World Report’s Most Connected Hospitals; the Top Master’s in Healthcare Administration 30 Most Technologically Advanced Hospitals in the World; and the prestigious HIMSS Davies Award. Michael also implemented of one of the first ACGME-accredited Clinical Informatics Fellowship Programs and served as its Associate Program Director.
Michael has lectured worldwide on health information technology; served on the national HIMSS Physician Committee and as a HIMSS Stage 7 international site surveyor; and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on health IT. Michael was featured in Becker’s Hospital Review as 10 physician CIOs to know and 12 standout healthcare CIOs and was one of LA’s top doctors in Los Angeles Magazine. -
Suzanne Pfeffer
Emma Pfeiffer Merner Professor of Medical Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe major focus of our research is to understand the molecular basis of inherited Parkinson's Disease (PD). We focus on the LRRK2 kinase that is inappropriately activated in PD and how it phosphorylates Rab GTPases, blocking the formation of primary cilia in specific regions of the brain. The absence of primary cilia renders cells unable to carry out Hedgehog signaling that is critical for neuroprotective pathways that sustain dopamine neurons.
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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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Sharon Pitteri
Professor (Research) of Radiology (Diagnostic Sciences Laboratory)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Pitteri laboratory is focused on the discovery and validation of proteins that can be used as molecular indicators of risk, diagnosis, progression, and recurrence of cancer. Proteomic technologies, predominantly mass spectrometry, are used to identify proteins in the blood that are differentially regulated and/or post-translationally modified with disease state. Using human plasma samples, tumor tissue, cancer cell lines, and genetically engineered mouse models, the origins of these proteins are being investigated. A major goal of this research is to define novel molecular signatures for breast and ovarian cancers, including particular sub-types of these diseases. This laboratory is also focused on the identification of proteins with expression restricted to the surface of cancer cells which can be used as novel targets for molecular imaging technologies.
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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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Sylvia K. Plevritis, PhD
William M. Hume Professor in the School of Medicine, Professor of Biomedical Data Science and of Radiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research program focuses on computational modeling of cancer biology and cancer outcomes. My laboratory develops stochastic models of the natural history of cancer based on clinical research data. We estimate population-level outcomes under differing screening and treatment interventions. We also analyze genomic and proteomic cancer data in order to identify molecular networks that are perturbed in cancer initiation and progression and relate these perturbations to patient outcomes.
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Kilian M Pohl
Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Labs and Incubator) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe foundation of the laboratory is computational science aimed at identifying biomedical phenotypes improving the mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. The biomedical phenotypes are discovered by unbiased, machine learning-based searches across biological, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological data. This data-driven discovery currently supports the adolescent brain research of the NIH-funded National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA). The laboratory also investigates brain patterns specific to alcohol use disorder, depression, and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) across the adult age range, and have advanced the understanding of a variety of brain diseases including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, glioma, and aging.
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Russell Poldrack
Albert Ray Lang Professor of Psychology and, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses the tools of cognitive neuroscience to understand how decision making, executive control, and learning and memory are implemented in the human brain. We also develop neuroinformatics tools and resources to help researchers make better sense of data.
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Ada Poon
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research focuses on providing theoretical foundations and engineering platforms for realizing electronics that seamlessly integrate with the body. Such systems will allow precise recording or modulation of physiological activity, for advancing basic scientific discovery and for restoring or augmenting biological functions for clinical applications.
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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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Kathleen Poston, MD, MS
Edward F. and Irene Thiele Pimley Professor of Neurology and the Neurological Sciences and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery
On Partial Leave from 03/01/2026 To 05/31/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research addresses one of the most devastating and poorly treated symptoms that can develop in people with Parkinson's disease - Dementia. We use biological markers, multi-modal neuroimaging and genetics to understand the different underlying causes of dementia and to understand why dementia develops more quickly in some patients, but not others.
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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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James Priest
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Priest lab seeks a better understanding of the genetics and pathogenesis of congenital heart disease using translational genomics, big-data, and vertebrate models of cardiac development.
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David Prince
Edward F. and Irene Thiele Pimley Professor of Neurology and the Neurological Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsExperiments examine
1)intrinsic properties of neuronal membranes; actions of neurotransmitters that regulate neocortical and thalamic excitability
2) chronic epileptogenesis following cortical injury; changes in intracortical connectivity and receptors;
3) effects of early injury and activity on cortical development/maldevelopment Electrophysiological, anatomical and pharmacological techniques employed.
4. prophylaxis of postraumatic epilepsy
5. Neocortical interneuronal function/modulation -
Patrick Lee Purdon
Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Department Research) and, by courtesy, of Bioengineering
BioMy research integrates neuroimaging, biomedical signal processing, and the systems neuroscience of general anesthesia and sedation.
My group conducts human studies of anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, using a variety of techniques including multimodal neuroimaging, high-density EEG, and invasive neurophysiological recordings used to diagnose medically refractory epilepsy. We also develop novel methods in neuroimaging and biomedical signal processing to support these studies, as well as methods for monitoring level of consciousness under general anesthesia using EEG. -
Lei (Stanley) Qi
Associate Professor of Bioengineering
BioDr. Lei (Stanley) Qi (publishes as Lei S. Qi) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University, an Institute Scholar at Sarafan ChEM-H, and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. Trained in physics and mathematics (Tsinghua University) and bioengineering (UC Berkeley), he was a Systems Biology Fellow at UCSF before joining the Stanford faculty in 2014.
Qi is a pioneer in CRISPR technology and genome engineering. His lab created the first nuclease-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) for targeted gene regulation, establishing CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa). Since then, his group has expanded CRISPR from an editing tool into a platform for programmable control of dynamic and spatial cell state, integrating scalable perturbation, live-cell and super-resolution imaging, and computation-guided design. This work has produced technologies for multiplexed transcriptome regulation, programmable 3D genome organization, spatial RNA logistics control, and real-time visualization of chromatin and transcriptional events in living cells.
A distinctive focus of the Qi lab is closed-loop biology, combining perturbation with high-content measurements to infer mechanisms and iteratively refine control strategies. The lab develops platforms spanning multiplexed transcriptional and epigenetic control, spatial genome–transcriptome organization, and quantitative live-cell imaging of chromatin and transcriptional dynamics. A compact nuclease-dead CRISPR epigenetic editor from this technology lineage has advanced to first-in-human clinical testing for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD; NCT06907875), underscoring the translational potential of principle-driven control systems.
Beyond single-cell control, Qi’s lab is building a framework for synthetic cell–cell communication, with particular emphasis on the bidirectional interplay between immune cells and neurons. The lab’s goal is to move beyond describing molecular parts to discovering fundamental control principles in living systems: how regulatory landscapes create stable states and memory, how spatial genome–RNA organization shapes dynamic responses, and how engineered cell–cell interactions can generate emergent multicellular behaviors. By integrating experimental bioengineering with computation and machine learning, the lab aims to identify generalizable rules linking molecular programs to systems-level physiology and disease trajectories and to translate those rules into next-generation therapeutic cells. -
Xiang Qian
Stanford Medicine Endowed Director
Clinical Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Clinical Professor (By courtesy), NeurosurgeryCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical Interests
-Pain Medicine:
Facial pain
Migraine and headache
Trigeminal Neuralgia and Glossopharyngeal neuralgia
Cancer Pain
Spine Disease
Neuropathic pain
Interventional Surgery
CT guided Procedure
Opioid Management
-Facial Nerve neuralgia and neuropathy
Hemifacial Spasm
CT guided awake RFA of facial nerve
Research Interests:
-Medical device development
-AI based headache diagnosis and management
-CT guided intervention
-Intra-nasal endoscopy guided procedure
-Optogenetics
-Mechanisms of neuropathic pain
-Ion channel and diseases
-Neurotoxicity of anesthetics -
Jian Qin
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
BioJian Qin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Stanford University. His research focuses on development of microscopic understanding of structural and physical properties of soft matters by using a combination of analytical theory, scaling argument, numerical computation, and molecular simulation. He worked as a postdoctoral scholar with Juan de Pablo in the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and with Scott Milner in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of David Morse and Frank Bates. His research covers self-assembly of multi-component polymeric systems, molecular origin of entanglement and polymer melt rheology, coacervation of polyelectrolytes, Coulomb interactions in dielectrically heterogeneous electrolytes, and surface charge polarizations in particulate aggregates in the absence or presence of flow.
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Xiaojie Qiu
Assistant Professor of Genetics and, by courtesy, of Computer Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAt the Qiu Lab, our mission is to unravel and predict the intricacies of gene regulatory networks and cell-cell interactions pivotal in mammalian cell fate transitions over time and space, with a special emphasis on heart evolution, development, and disease. We are a dynamic and interdisciplinary team, harnessing the latest advancements in machine learning as well as single-cell and spatial genomics by integrating the predictive power of systems biology with the scalability of machine learning,
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Stephen Quake
Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Bioengineering, of Applied Physics and, by courtesy, of Physics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSingle molecule biophysics, precision force measurement, micro and nano fabrication with soft materials, integrated microfluidics and large scale biological automation.
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Sean Quirin
Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical & Translational Neurosciences Incubator)
BioDr. Quirin's laboratory develops minimally invasive methods to explore the causal role individual neurons play in the emergence of behavior. To this end, the lab's strength is the development of techniques which manipulate light to both detect and restoratively modulate brain activity down to the single-neuron scale. His lab continues to innovate with new tools which map these functional relationships onto the molecular and anatomical architecture of the brain. Utilizing these techniques, the lab aims to characterize how ensembles of neurons coordinate to encode and communicate information throughout the brain for sensing and behavior.
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Jennifer Anne Rabbitts
Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine (Pediatric) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics
BioJennifer Rabbitts, MD is Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pain Management at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Rabbitts directs an NIH-funded research laboratory focused on improving long-term pain and health outcomes in children and adolescents undergoing surgery. Her research is devoted to understanding and preventing chronic postsurgical pain, a disabling condition affecting 20% youth undergoing major surgery. Her current research studies investigate the role of biopsychosocial mechanisms including child psychosocial factors, parental/family factors, and psychophysical processes underlying acute to chronic pain transition. Current clinical trials focus on testing feasibility and efficacy of psychosocial and complementary and integrative interventions to improve acute postsurgical pain and prevent transition to chronic pain.
Dr Rabbitts is passionate about mentoring, and is a PI for the NIH HEAL PAIN Training grant in Maternal and Child Pain and Health at Stanford. She serves as section editor for Psychology, Psychiatry and Brain Neuroscience Section for Pain Medicine, and serves on the editorial boards for Pediatric Anesthesia and Journal of Pain.
Read more about the Rabbitts Lab and opportunities here: https://rabbittslab.stanford.edu/ -
Nilam Ram
Professor of Communication and of Psychology
BioNilam Ram studies the dynamic interplay of psychological and media processes and how they change from moment-to-moment and across the life span.
Nilam’s research grows out of a history of studying change. After completing his undergraduate study of economics, he worked as a currency trader, frantically tracking and trying to predict the movement of world markets as they jerked up, down and sideways. Later, he moved on to the study of human movement, kinesiology, and eventually psychological processes - with a specialization in longitudinal research methodology. Generally, Nilam studies how short-term changes (e.g., processes such as learning, information processing, emotion regulation, etc.) develop across the life span, and how longitudinal study designs contribute to generation of new knowledge. Current projects include examinations of age-related change in children’s self- and emotion-regulation; patterns in minute-to-minute and day-to-day progression of adolescents’ and adults’ emotions; and change in contextual influences on well-being during old age. He is developing a variety of study paradigms that use recent developments in data science and the intensive data streams arriving from social media, mobile sensors, and smartphones to study change at multiple time scales. -
Ashwin Ramayya, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
BioDr. Ramayya is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. He specializes in the treatment of patients with chronic pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. His research program will focus on understanding brain mechanisms underlying pain experience and how to alleviate pain using brain stimulation.
Dr. Ramayya specializes in neuromodulation, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal cord stimulation, MRI-guided laser therapy, and focused ultrasound. Dr. Ramayya obtained his MD and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also completed his neurosurgery residency and a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.
His research efforts have identified neural substrates underlying learning, memory, and decision-making using computational behavioral modeling, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging.
Dr. Ramayya has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Neuroscience, NeuroImage, and Cerebral Cortex. He has also presented his work at national and international meetings, including those for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Pan Philadelphia Neurosurgery Conference. -
Thomas Rando, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms regulating stem cell function, the effects of aging on skeletal muscle and skeletal muscle stem cells, and the pathogenesis and experimental therapeutics for hereditary muscle diseases, specifically the muscular dystrophies.
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Natalie L. Rasgon
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult) at the Stanford University Medical Center, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Rasgon has been involved in longitudinal placebo-controlled neuroendocrine studies for nearly two decades, and she has been involved in neuroendocrine and brain imaging studies of estrogen effects on depressed menopausal women for the last eight years. It should be noted that in addition to her duties as a Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr. Rasgon is also the Director of the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Program and of the Women's Wellness Program.
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Jennifer L. Raymond
Berthold and Belle N. Guggenhime Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study the neural mechanisms of learning, using a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational approaches. The model system we use is a form of cerebellum-dependent learning that regulates eye movements.
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Lawrence Recht, MD
Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Adult Neurology) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory focuses on two interrelated projects: (1) assessment of glioma development within the framework of the multistage model of carcinogenesis through utilization of the rodent model of ENU neurocarcinogenesis; and (2) assessment of stem cell specification and pluripotency using an embryonic stem cell model system in which neural differentiation is induced.
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David Rehkopf
Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics, of Health Policy and of Sociology
BioI am a social epidemiologist and serve as a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health. I joined the faculty at Stanford School of Medicine in 2011.
I am Director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences. In this position, I am committed to making high-value data resources available to researchers across disciplines in order to better enable them to answer their most pressing clinical and population health questions.
My own research is focused on understanding the health implications of the myriad decisions that are made by corporations and governments every day - decisions that profoundly shape the social and economic worlds in which we live and work. While these changes are often invisible to us on a daily basis, these seemingly minor actions and decisions form structural nudges that can create better or worse health at a population level. My work demonstrates the health implications of corporate and governmental decisions that can give the public and policy makers evidence to support new strategies for promoting health and well-being. In all of his work, I have a focus on the implications of these exposures for health inequalities.
Since often policy and programmatic changes can take decades to influence health, my work also includes more basic research in understanding biological signals that may act as early warning signs of systemic disease, in particular accelerated aging. I examine how social and economic policy changes influence a range of early markers of disease and aging, with a particular recent focus on DNA methylation. I am supported by several grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to develop new more sensitive ways to understand the health implications of social and economic policy changes. -
Richard J. Reimer, MD
Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Adult Neurology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsReimer Lab interests
A primary interest of our lab is to understand how nerve cells make and recycle neurotransmitters, the small molecules that they use to communicate with each other. In better defining these processes we hope to achieve our long-term goal of identifying novel sites for treatment of diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson Disease. In our studies on neurotransmitter metabolism we have focused our efforts on transporters, a functional class of proteins that move neurotransmitters and other small molecules across membranes in cells. Transporters have many characteristics that make them excellent pharmacological targets, and not surprisingly some of the most effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders are directed at transporters. We are specifically focusing on two groups of transporters vesicular neurotransmitter transporters that package neurotransmitters into vesicles for release, and glutamine transporters that shuttle glutamine, a precursor for two major neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA, to neurons from glia, the supporting cells that surround them. We are pursuing these goals through molecular and biochemical studies, and, in collaboration with the Huguenard and Prince labs, through physiological and biosensor based imaging studies to better understand how pharmacological targeting of these molecules will influence neurological disorders.
A second interest of our lab is to define mechanism underlying the pathology of lysosomal storage disorders. Lysosomes are membrane bound acidic intracellular organelles filled with hydrolytic enzymes that normally function as recycling centers within cells by breaking down damaged cellular macromolecules. Several degenerative diseases designated as lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are associated with the accumulation of material within lysosomes. Tay-Sachs disease, Neimann-Pick disease and Gaucher disease are some of the more common LSDs. For reasons that remain incompletely understood, these diseases often affect the nervous system out of proportion to other organs. As a model for LSDs we are studying the lysosomal free sialic acid storage disorders. These diseases are the result of a defect in transport of sialic acid across lysosomal membranes and are associated with mutations in the gene encoding the sialic acid transporter sialin. We are using molecular, genetic and biochemical approaches to better define the normal function of sialin and to determine how loss of sialin function leads to neurodevelopmental defects and neurodegeneration associated with the lysosomal free sialic acid storage disorders. -
Allan L. Reiss
Howard C. Robbins Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Radiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy laboratory, the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR), focuses on multi-level scientific study of individuals with typical and atypical brain structure and function. Data are obtained from genetic analyses, structural and functional neuroimaging studies, assessment of endocrinological status, neurobehavioral assessment, and analysis of pertinent environmental factors. Our overarching focus is to model how brain disorders arise and to develop disease-specific treatments.
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Anthony J. Ricci, PhD
Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) and, by courtesy of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study hearing from biophysical, molecular and signal processing perspectives. One focus is mechanotransduction, where sound is converted into an electrical signal. As a major site for dysfunction, a more detailed understand will provide a means toward intervention. We develop new antibiotics to limit ototoxicity. We investigate drug delivery methods from surgical approaches to slow release systems, including gene therapy tools. We are studying cognitive decline following hearing loss.
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Juan Rivas-Davila
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsModern applications demand power capabilities beyond what is presently achievable. High performance systems need high power density and bandwidth that are difficult to achieve.
Power density can be improved with better semiconductors and passive componets, and by reducing the energy storage requirements of the system. By dramatically increasing switching frequency it is possible to reduce size of power converters. I'm interested in high performance/frequency circuits switching >10 MHz. -
Tawna L. Roberts, OD, PhD
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology (Pediatric) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research efforts are funded by grants from the National Eye Institute, Department of Defense, and various foundations to study vision development in infants and young children as well as binocular vision disorders in adolescents and adults with concussions. Our focus is to identify underlying mechanisms that will inform clinical treatment approaches and ultimately leading to the prevention of strabismus, amblyopia, and binocular vision disorders.
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Carolyn Rodriguez
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
BioDr. Carolyn Rodriguez is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Stanford University School of Medicine and a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs. As the Director of the Stanford OCD Research Lab and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Rodriguez leads studies investigating the brain basis of severe mental disorders. Her landmark clinical trials pioneer rapid-acting treatments for illnesses including OCD and related disorders. Her NIH-, foundation-, and donor-funded mechanistic and clinical efficacy studies span targeted glutamatergic and opioid pathway pharmacotherapy, noninvasive brain stimulation, psychotherapy and suicide prevention.
Dr. Rodriguez also serves as Deputy Editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry and Deputy Editor of Neuropsychopharmacology. She serves as a member of several scientific councils for non-profit research and advocacy groups including Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Orchard OCD and the International OCD Foundation. She has won several national awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which recognizes investigators who are pursuing bold and innovative projects, the 2022 Dolores Shockley Mentoring Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the 2025 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Research Mentoring Award.
Carolyn received her B.S. in Computer Science from Harvard University, followed by an M.D. from Harvard Medical School-M.I.T. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Genetics from Harvard Medical School. -
Rajat Rohatgi
Professor of Biochemistry and of Medicine (Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly Intereststhe overall goal of my laboratory is to uncover new regulatory mechanisms in signaling systems, to understand how these mechanisms are damaged in disease states, and to devise new strategies to repair their function.
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Jessica Rose
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Rose's research investigates neuromuscular mechanisms underlying cerebral palsy (CP) and early brain and motor development in preterm children. Research examines gait biomechanics as well as neonatal brain microstructure on DTI, physiology and motor function in CP. Dr. Rose served on NIH Taskforce on Childhood Motor Disorders, AACPDM Research Committee, NIH Steering Committee on CDE for CP neuroimaging diagnostics, BOD of SBMT and serves on the IAACD Research Committee.
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Daniel Rubin
Professor of Biomedical Data Science and of Radiology (Integrative Biomedical Imaging Informatics at Stanford), Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interest is imaging informatics--ways computers can work with images to leverage their rich information content and to help physicians use images to guide personalized care. Work in our lab thus lies at the intersection of biomedical informatics and imaging science.
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Mirabela Rusu
Assistant Professor of Radiology (Integrative Biomedical Imaging Informatics) and, by courtesy, of Biomedical Data Science and of Urology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Mirabela Rusu focuses on developing analytic methods for biomedical data integration, with a particular interest in radiology-pathology fusion. Such integrative methods may be applied to create comprehensive multi-scale representations of biomedical processes and pathological conditions, thus enabling their in-depth characterization.
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Brian Rutt
Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab), Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests center on MRI research, including high-field and high-resolution MRI technology development as well as applications of advanced MRI techniques to studying the brain, cardiovascular system and cancer.
