Bio


Dr. Chandra is clinical assistant professor in the divisions of Comprehensive Neurology and Epilepsy in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is board-certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy.

A Bay Area native, Dr. Chandra completed her undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her medical degree from Rush University Medical College and completed her neurology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), where she served as the Academic Chief Resident. She pursued her passion for medical education by founding the Clinician Educator Track for the residency program, and continued to serve as Course Director during her fellowship training in both Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy at UTSW. Dr. Chandra later served as an Associate Program Director for the Neurology residency program. Her clinical and research interests include psychiatric disorders in refractory epilepsy, perioperative management of refractory epilepsy requiring surgical intervention, women’s health in neurology, as well as medical education in clinical neurophysiology.

Current Role at Stanford


Clinical Assistant Professor
Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Clinical Focus


  • Neurology
  • Comprehensive Neurology
  • Epilepsy

Professional Education


  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Epilepsy (2024)
  • Fellowship: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2024) TX
  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology (2023)
  • Fellowship: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2023) TX
  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology (2022)
  • Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Neurology Residency (2022) TX
  • Medical Education: Rush Medical College (2018) IL

All Publications


  • Implementation of a Novel Seizure Assessment Tool for Unified Seizure Evaluation Improves Nurse Response. The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses Cubria, T., Nairon, E. B., Landers, J., Joseph, S., Chandra, M., Denbow, M. E., Hays, R., Olson, D. M. 2024; 56 (6): 245-249

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Ictal and postictal testing is an essential aspect of clinical care when diagnosing and treating seizures. The epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) has standard operating procedures for nursing care during and after seizure events, but there is limited interrater reliability. Streamlining ictal and postictal testing processes may enhance care consistency for patients in the EMU unit. The purpose of this study was to create an ictal and postictal seizure assessment tool that would increase the consistency of nursing assessment for EMU patients. METHODS: This prospective study had 4 phases: baseline assessment, instrument development, staff education, and field testing. During baseline assessment, an advanced practice provider and an epilepsy fellow graded nurse ictal and postictal assessment via survey questions. After instrument development, education, and implementation, the same survey was administered to determine if nursing consistency in assessing seizure events improved. The tool used in this study was created by a team of clinical experts to ensure consistency in the assessment of seizure patients. RESULTS: A total of 58 first seizure events were collected over a 6-month intervention period; 27 in the pretest and 31 in the posttest. Paired t test analyses revealed significant improvement in the clinical testing domains of verbal language function ( P < .005), motor function ( P < .0005), and item assessment order ( P < .005) postintervention. There was nonsignificant improvement in the domains of responsiveness (feeling [ P = .597], using a code word [ P = .093]) and visual language function ( P = .602). CONCLUSION: The data captured in this study support the need for this instrument. There is strong need to increase consistency in assessing seizure events and to promote continued collaboration among clinical teams to enhance care to EMU patients. Validation of this instrument will further improve team collaboration by allowing nurses to contribute to their fullest extent.

    View details for DOI 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000784

    View details for PubMedID 39231436

  • Tumor necrosis factor in lung cancer: Complex roles in biology and resistance to treatment. Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) Gong, K., Guo, G., Beckley, N., Zhang, Y., Yang, X., Sharma, M., Habib, A. A. 2021; 23 (2): 189-196

    Abstract

    Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its receptors are widely expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). TNF has an established role in inflammation and also plays a key role in inflammation-induced cancer. TNF can induce cell death in cancer cells and has been used as a treatment in certain types of cancer. However, TNF is likely to play an oncogenic role in multiple types of cancer, including NSCLC. TNF is a key activator of the transcription factor NF-κB. NF-κB, in turn, is a key effector of TNF in inflammation-induced cancer. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database suggest that TNF could be a biomarker in NSCLC and indicate a complex role for TNF and its receptors in NSCLC. Recent studies have reported that TNF is rapidly upregulated in NSCLC in response to targeted treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition, and this upregulation leads to NF-κB activation. The TNF upregulation and consequent NF-κB activation play a key role in mediating both primary and secondary resistance to EGFR inhibition in NSCLC, and a combined inhibition of EGFR and TNF can overcome therapeutic resistance in experimental models. TNF may mediate the toxic side effects of immunotherapy and may also modulate resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Drugs inhibiting TNF are widely used for the treatment of various inflammatory and rheumatologic diseases and could be quite useful in combination with targeted therapy of NSCLC and other cancers.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.neo.2020.12.006

    View details for PubMedID 33373873

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7773536

  • Magnetoencephalography and New Imaging Modalities in Epilepsy NEUROTHERAPEUTICS Falco-Walter, J., Owen, C., Sharma, M., Reggi, C., Yu, M., Stoub, T. R., Stein, M. A. 2017; 14 (1): 4-10

    Abstract

    The success of epilepsy surgery is highly dependent on correctly identifying the entire epileptogenic region. Current state-of-the-art for localizing the extent of surgically amenable areas involves combining high resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) source modeling of interictal epileptiform activity. Coupling these techniques with newer quantitative structural MRI techniques, such as cortical thickness measurements, however, may improve the extent to which the abnormal epileptogenic region can be visualized. In this review we assess the utility of EEG, MEG and quantitative structural MRI methods for the evaluation of patients with epilepsy and introduce a novel method for the co-localization of a structural MRI measurement to MEG and EEG source modeling. When combined, these techniques may better identify the extent of abnormal structural and functional areas in patients with medically intractable epilepsy.

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s13311-016-0506-7

    View details for PubMedID 28054328