Stanford Child Neurology Division - Our Team
Paul Graham Fisher, MD, MHS
Dr. Paul Graham Fisher is Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and by courtesy, Neurosurgery and Human Biology; Division Chief of Child Neurology; the Beirne Family Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology; the Bing Director of the Program in Human Biology; and Director of the Center for Brain and Behavior at Stanford University and Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. Dr. Fisher received his B.A. at Stanford and M.D. at the University of California, San Francisco, before completing residencies in pediatrics and neurology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and then a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Johns Hopkins. He also obtained a master’s degree in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.
After starting out on the faculty at Hopkins, Dr. Fisher was recruited back to Palo Alto in 1997, where he started the pediatric neuro-oncology program at Stanford University. His clinical work and research focuses on epidemiology, therapy, and late effects of childhood brain tumors, and he has authored over 170 scholarly publications on these and other neurology topics. At Stanford he directs the popular undergraduate class “Cancer Epidemiology” in Human Biology.
Dr. Fisher is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, for which he serves ex officio on the Executive Committee of the Section on Neurology. He is Associate Editor for The Journal of Pediatrics, and serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Neuro-Oncology and Frontiers in Pediatric Oncology, and previously Journal of Clinical Oncology, as well as a past question writer for the AAP’s PREP Self-Assessment. He is also an active member of the Child Neurology Society, Professors of Child Neurology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Neuro-Oncology, Children’s Oncology Group, Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium, and other professional associations. In addition, Dr. Fisher serves on the Advisory Boards of the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish and There With Care.
Dr. Fisher’s personal interests are his wife Joy and three grown children, Christopher, Graham, and Zoe, along with downhill skiing, bad golf, anything baseball, lacrosse, travel, and his dog Gizmo.
Shannon J. Beres, MD
Dr. Shannon Beres is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology in Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Beres received her B.S. at the University of California, Los Angeles, and M.D. at the Medical College of Virginia. She completed her pediatrics and neurology residencies at the University of California, San Francisco. She then completed further specialization with a pediatric and adult neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her interests in pseudotumor cerebri syndrome, optic neuritis, optic glioma, and eye movement abnormalities were extended by research in these areas. Dr. Beres joined the faculty at Stanford in 2015 as a child neurologist with a special interest in neuro-ophthalmology.
Dr. Beres’ personal interests revolve around her husband, two young daughters, and family. She enjoys being outdoors, swimming, soccer, traveling, and musicals. No day is complete without a little costume dance party with her two girls before bed.
Cynthia J. Campen, MD, MS
Dr. Cynthia Campen is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Neurology at Stanford University. She received her B.S. from University of California, Davis, and her M.D. from University of California, San Francisco, where she completed her residency in pediatrics. She then left the Bay Area briefly for her child neurology residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She returned to California for her fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, during which she also completed a master’s degree in epidemiology. Dr. Campen now attends in child neurology and pediatric neuro-oncology and has a clinical interest in neurofibromatosis type I. She is also the Program Director for Child Neurology Residency.
Dr. Campen’s research interests include epidemiology of childhood brain tumors, late effects of brain tumor treatments, intracranial vasculopathy, and neurofibromatosis. She is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Children’s Oncology Group, and Society for Neuro-Oncology.
Outside work, Dr. Campen enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking and camping in beautiful Northern California, cooking, knitting, listening to live music, and cheering on the Oakland Raiders, Athletics, and Warriors while playing with her twins.
Yoon-Jae Cho, MD
Dr. Yoon-Jae Cho is Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Stanford University. Dr. Cho received his B.A. from Rice University and M.D. from the Oregon Health Sciences University, where he also spent several years studying fibroblast growth factor signaling in development and disease. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Cho completed his child neurology training at The Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School followed by fellowship training in pediatric neuro-oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Cho was appointed as staff at Children’s Hospital Boston and faculty at Harvard Medical School, where he developed his own research program under the direction of Scott Pomeroy in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Cho was recruited to Stanford University in 2011 as a Beirne Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Cho maintains a robust research program: 1) investigating the molecular factors that initiate and sustain brain cancers; 2) identifying novel therapeutic targets and approaches for the treatment of these diseases; and 3) developing more efficient ways to test and transition these new treatments to the clinic. Dr. Cho is the recipient of a St. Baldrick’s Foundation Career Development Award and also a past recipient of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Young Investigator Award. He is the 2012 recipient of the Child Neurology Society Young Investigator Award. Dr. Cho is actively involved with the Children’s Oncology Group, and has served on advisory boards for Novartis and review boards for several journals and granting agencies in his field.
Outside work, Dr. Cho enjoys cruising the coastline looking for perfect surf and long bike rides to collect his thoughts. More than anything else, he enjoys chasing his three young kids (he has twins!) around the house, whom are most likely chasing their old yellow Labrador around the house.
John West Day, MD, PhD
Dr. John Day, a Stanford Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Pathology, trained initially in neurology with the goal of understanding brain function and disease, but ultimately chose a path into the more definable and dissectible world of neuromuscular disease. In 2011 he was recruited back to the Bay Area to head the integrated Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford Hospital, and Stanford University Neuromuscular Program, coordinating comprehensive patient care with basic, translational and clinical research for muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and related disorders. In his own research focused on identifying genetic causes and defining molecular pathophysiology, Dr. Day works at the interface of comprehensive clinical care and the development of novel therapeutic approaches for these fatal disorders.
After majoring in physics at Oberlin College, Dr. Day received his medical training at the University of Minnesota before completing a graduate program in neuroscience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After a neurology residency at University of California, San Francisco, he completed a clinical neurophysiology and neuromuscular fellowship before returning to Minnesota to establish a neuromuscular program. During the next 20 years Dr. Day founded and expanded the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center at the University of Minnesota, providing comprehensive care for patients, while creating an integrated consortium for clinical, basic and translational research on neuromuscular disorders. As head of the Wellstone Center, Dr. Day was a Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology and cared for neuromuscular patients of all ages, while also directing both a CLIA-certified neuromuscular pathology laboratory, and a clinical neurophysiology training program.
In 2011, Dr. Day moved to Stanford to expand the neuromuscular division, integrating Stanford’s strength in basic science with the unique clinical opportunities of Northern California, and again emphasizing the importance of combining excellence in patient care, collaborative research, and training opportunities for clinicians and investigators. Working with the excellent established neuromuscular faculty, and recruiting additional pediatric and adult neuromuscular neurologists, the Packard-Stanford Neuromuscular Program is already an important contributor in the worldwide effort to combat these disorders.
Dr. Day lives with Suzanne Degler, his wife of decades, two children – Nick (when he visits home) and Ibby, a student in Palo Alto.
Dawn C. Duane, MD, MPH
Dr. Dawn C. Duane is Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Duane received her B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her M.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to medical school, she worked for Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research and pursued epidemiological research in conjunction with the California Department of Health. While in medical school, Dr. Duane obtained a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She later completed her residencies in pediatrics and neurology at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.
After residency, Dr. Duane returned to the Bay Area and joined the child neurology faculty at Stanford. Now she coordinates both the child neurology resident continuity clinic and the neuropsychopharmacology clinic, a joint child neurology and child psychiatry effort, which Dr. Duane established. Dr. Duane is the Medical Director of the child neurology outpatient clinics and also leads general neurology clinics four days a week.
Dr. Duane lives in Cupertino, with her three children, Kazmiera, T.J., and Max. When Dr. Duane is not being a doctor or mother, she enjoys reading, swimming, relaxing with neighbors, and creating theme parties (famous in resident continuity clinic!).
Jorina M. Elbers, MD
Dr. Jorina Elbers is Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University.
Dr. Elbers received her B.Sc. at the University of Victoria before completing medical school at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She continued her training in pediatric neurology at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto. Following her residency, she pursued a two-year fellowship in pediatric stroke, also at the Hospital for Sick Children.
In 2011 Dr. Elbers joined our child neurology team at Stanford, where her clinical work includes attending general child neurology clinics and running a pediatric stroke program. Her clinical research interests involve the study of arteriopathies, such as moyamoya arteriopathy, and novel neuroimaging techniques to study stroke and inflammation.
In her spare time, Dr. Elbers enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling with her husband and two sons.
Jin S. Hahn, MD
Dr. Jin S. Hahn is Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Stanford. He attended Harvard College and Medical School, and then completed pediatrics and neurology residencies at The Children’s Hospital in Boston.
Dr. Hahn’s clinical research interests include congenital brain malformations, neonatal seizures, and fetal neurology. With the perinatologists and neonatologists, he plays a key role in the Center for Comprehensive Fetal Health & Maternal and Family Care. Through this center he participates in a prenatal neurology consult program.
Dr. Hahn is also a Silicon Valley “techie.” He is a Medical Director of Clinical Informatics Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and has helped implement its Epic Electronic Health Record.
When he is not with his wife and two daughters, he enjoys bicycling around the Bay Area, both road and mountain. He knows that this is one of the best areas in the country for cycling, and can always point out the best mountains, coastline, bayshore, and foothills to enjoy.
Elora Hussain, MD
Dr. Elora Hussain is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Critical Care), and by courtesy, Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Hussain received her B.A. from Hendrix College and her M.D. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she also completed her residency training in pediatrics. She then moved to Chicago, where she completed her fellowship training in pediatric critical care medicine at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital at Northwestern University. During her fellowship she developed an interest in acute brain injury, and completed an additional year of fellowship training in pediatric neurocritical care at Northwestern. After her training, Dr. Hussain joined the faculty at Northwestern University, where she served as an attending intensivist in the pediatric intensive care unit, as well as a neurointensivist on the inpatient neurocritical care service. She also staffed a follow-up clinic for neuro-critical care patients after discharge from the intensive care unit.
In 2014 Dr. Hussain joined the faculty at Stanford, where she attends in the pediatric intensive care unit at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Her clinical and academic interests primarily involve pediatric patients with acute brain injury, including primary medical and traumatic encephalopathies, as well as secondary brain injury in the setting of critical illness. She is developing collaborations between intensive care, neurology, and neurosurgery to advance the care of neurocritical care patients in the ICU. She is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Neurocritical Care Society, and Pediatric Neurocritical Care Research Group.
In her free time, Dr. Hussain enjoys international travel, fitness, playing and listening to live music, and spending time with friends and family.
Susy Shu-Hsin Jeng, MD
Dr. Susy Jeng is Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Jeng received her B.A. at Harvard College and M.D. at the University of California, San Diego. She completed her pediatrics residency at University of California, San Francisco and is board-certified in pediatrics. After practicing general pediatrics for two years, she returned to the University of California, San Francisco, for neurology residency. Upon completion of her residencies, she joined the faculty at Stanford as a child neurologist with a special interest in medical education. In particular, she enjoys serving as a liaison between pediatrics residents, general pediatricians, and the child neurology division. She has been an active educator in the community, lecturing about child neurology to pediatricians throughout the Bay Area. She has also been an active teacher in the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Jeng’s personal interests are centered around her husband, Yee-Li, and their two young children. When there is time and energy left over, she enjoys organizing art projects for school and Sunday school, reading adult and children’s literature, and sampling teas.
Christopher Lee-Messer, MD, PhD
Dr. Chris Lee-Messer is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Lee-Messer received his B.A. at Harvard University and M.D. and Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed an internship in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, before completing residency in child neurology at Stanford and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. He has also completed an epilepsy fellowship at Stanford.
Dr. Lee-Messer's research has focused on the role of neuronal microcircuits in information processing and development, and he has conducted postdoctoral research in optogenetics in the laboratory of Professor Karl Deisseroth in the departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry at Stanford. He now works as a member of the pediatric epilepsy and general child neurology groups.
Dr. Lee-Messer enjoys spending time with his wife, Jessica, and his son Beckett. His hobbies include running, volunteering at his son's school, and promoting the use of the python programming language in science and education.
Katherine Mackenzie, MD
Dr. Katherine Mackenzie is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital of Stanford University.
Dr. Mackenzie received her B.A. with honors from Stanford and her M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. She trained in pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles. She then went on to train in child neurology at Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in movement disorders at Stanford under the aegis of Dr. Helen Bronte-Stewart, and followed that with a fellowship focused on pediatric movement disorders with Dr. Jonathan Mink at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Mackenzie directs the Packard movement disorders clinic, focusing on disorders such as dystonia, chorea, tremor, ataxia, tics, and Tourette Syndrome. She is a member of the Child Neurology Society and the Movement Disorders Society.
Outside of work, Dr. Mackenzie enjoys hiking, baking, exploring the world, learning new languages, and spending time with her growing family.
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery, Pathology, and Pediatrics. Dr. Monje received her M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University. As a Ph.D. student under the mentorship of Dr. Theo Palmer, Dr. Monje studied microenvironmental determinants of neural stem cell fate choice. She discovered that brain inflammation prevents neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells, work that has proven seminal in understanding the behavior of neural stem cells in disease states and the potential of neural stem cells in regenerative medicine.
Dr. Monje completed her residency training in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School Partners program, and then returned to Stanford for a clinical fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology and a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Philip Beachy. During her postdoctoral work, Dr. Monje focused on the neurodevelopmental origins of a devastating pediatric brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) - the most fatal cancer in children. Her work on this topic resulted in identifying a previously unrecognized brainstem neural precursor cell population that is the putative cell of origin for DIPG. Dr. Monje also established new in vitro and in vivo models for studying the disease and identified important molecular targets of therapy.
The Monje Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment. This includes microenvironmental influences on neural precursor cell fate choice in normal neurodevelopment and in disease states. Areas of emphasis include neuron-glial interactions, and microenvironmental contributions to glioma pathogenesis. As a practicing neurologist and neuro-oncologist, Dr. Monje is particularly interested in the roles for neural precursor cell function and dysfunction in the origins of pediatric brain tumors and the neurological consequences of cancer treatment.
Outside work, Dr. Monje spends her time with her husband Karl, sons Cole, Alexander and Hudson and daughter Emma. She enjoys running, cooking, playing with the family dog, and exploring the area's parks, libraries, museums and zoos with her family.
Sonia Partap, MD, MS
Dr. Sonia Partap is Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University, and a neuro-oncologist at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. Dr. Partap received both her B.A. and M.D. at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, before completing residencies in pediatrics and neurology at Brown University and University of Washington, respectively. She then came to Stanford in 2006 as the first Beverly and Bernard Wolfe Fellow in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. In 2009 she completed a master's degree in Epidemiology at Stanford. Her research interests include epidemiology, international health, drug trials in neuro-oncology, and late effects of therapy. Dr. Partap attends in both child neurology and pediatric neuro-oncology and is Fellowship Director for pediatric neuro-oncology.
Dr. Partap is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Neurology. She was treasurer for the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium and is an active member of the Child Neurology Society, American Academy of Neurology, Society for Neuro-Oncology, and Children’s Oncology Group. She also serves on the Young Professional Advisory Council for Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation. Dr. Partap collaborated with the University of Melbourne to create the pediatric brain tumor program in Hanoi, Vietnam.
During her off time, Dr. Partap is a passionate traveler and oenologist. She enjoys cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Stanford Cardinal, tennis, and hot yoga.
Brenda E. Porter, MD, PhD
Dr. Brenda Porter is Associate Professor of Neurology at Stanford University. She received her M.D. and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. She traveled east to complete her child neurology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She went on to complete a combined clinical and research fellowship in epilepsy. Dr. Porter developed an interest in difficult to treat epilepsy, with a special focus on children with neuronal developmental disorders leading to epilepsy such as tuberous sclerosis and focal cortical dysplasia. Her clinical research focuses on improving outcomes in epilepsy surgery by better defining the epileptic network using a variety of intracranial EEG features. She enjoys working in her lab studying the molecular and cellular changes that contribute to the development of epilepsy. Her research has shown that suppression of CREB a transcription factor can decrease the severity of epilepsy and is hoping to expand on this finding and someday turn her research findings into a therapeutic strategy for preventing epilepsy.
She enjoys teaching students in small groups or one-on-one in the clinic. An especially enjoyable afternoon is a lively discussion while reading EEGs with the epilepsy fellows. She is director of the Stanford Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic and medical director of the EEG lab at Lucile Packard. Currently she sits on the NIH Neuroscience Training (NST-1) study section and has helped CURE and the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance with their grant reviews. Active in the American Epilepsy Society and the Child Neurology Society, she has served on numerous committees over the years.
Dr. Porter spends her evenings collaborating on family meals, including homemade desserts, with her husband Ben, and her children, Emily and Evan. Luckily, she also likes to take long walks and swim to counteract her love of pie.
Lawrence Steinman, MD
Dr. Lawrence Steinman is the George A. Zimmerman Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences; Professor of Pediatrics and, by courtesy, Genetics; and Chair of the Multidisciplinary Program in Immunology. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he has been on the faculty at Stanford since 1980.
During that time, Dr. Steinman has taken several therapies from the bench to the bedside. He has developed two antigen specific therapies, using DNA vaccines for multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Steinman was the senior author on a seminal paper reported in Nature in 1992, reporting the key role of a4b1 integrin in brain inflammation. Pre-clinical studies with a monoclonal antibody to a4b1 integrin reversed paralysis in an animal model of multiple sclerosis, which lead to the clinical development of the drug natalizumab (Tysabri). His current research focuses on what provokes relapses and remissions in multiple sclerosis, the nature of the genes that serve as a brake on brain inflammation, and the quest for a vaccine against multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Steinman was awarded the John M. Dystel Prize in 2004 for his research on multiple sclerosis, by the American Academy of Neurology and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Twice he has been awarded a Javits Neuroscience Award by the United States Congress and the NIH. In 2009 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. In 2011 he was awarded the Charcot Prize for lifetime achievement in multiple sclerosis research.
Dr. Steinman still manages to find time to attend on the neurology service at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, where the residents applaud his teaching. He also organized a course on the Brain and the Immune system that was honored as Stanford Graduate for Outstanding Teaching. Outside lab and hospital, he is an avid traveler and ardent Stanford basketball fan with season tickets.
Carolina Tesi Rocha, MD
Dr. Carolina Tesi Rocha is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Neurology at Stanford University. She received her B.A and M.D. from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she completed her residency in pediatrics and neurology. In 2001, she moved to the United States to complete an international fellowship in neuromuscular disorders, involving basic and clinical research at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. After five years of working actively in the neuromuscular field, she decided to become board certified in the US and completed her internship in pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital and a child neurology fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center. After that fellowship, Dr. Tesi Rocha was awarded a K12 Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award through the NINDS at NIH. She became the director of the neuromuscular program at Children’s. In 2013 she was recruited to Stanford University to join the expanding neuromuscular division.
Dr. Tesi Rocha’s major research interest is to develop novel treatments for neuromuscular disorders including muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy and congenital myopathies. She is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, World Muscle Society, and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
Outside work, Dr. Tesi Rocha enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, running, and hiking. She also has a passion for cooking and cheering her home soccer (football) team: River Plate. She lives with her husband Sergio and has two children, Juani, a college student in Buenos Aires who visits regularly during school breaks, and younger sister Sophia, a student in Santa Clara.
Keith P. Van Haren, MD
Dr. Keith Van Haren is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University. He spent most of his life in Catholic schools, eventually receiving his B.A. in Chemistry at the College of the Holy Cross. Following graduation, he spent a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps enlisted as a mental health case manager in western Montana. Dr. Van Haren originally intended to save the world as a primary care doctor when he enrolled for his M.D. at the University of Rochester, but stumbled upon oligodendrocytes and neurology during a medical student research fellowship. Since that time, he has focused his efforts on saving myelin, a more feasible and still very interesting task.
Dr. Van Haren completed his pediatrics residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and his neurology training at Stanford. He now runs two multidisciplinary clinics at LPCH. In the White Matter Clinic, he and Dr. Gregory Enns, Associate Professor of Genetics & Metabolism, see patients from around the country with a wide range of genetic disorders of myelin (e.g., X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy). In the Neuroinflammation Clinic, he and Dr. Jennifer Frankovich, Assistant Professor of Rheumatology, treat children with a wide range of inflammatory disorders of the nervous system (e.g., multiple sclerosis).
Dr. Van Haren completed his post-doctoral work in the Stanford laboratories of Larry Steinman and Bill Robinson, where he studied the role autoantibodies in neuroinflammation. His current laboratory work is focused on the role of monocytes and microglia in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis while his clinical research is focused on developing preventive strategies to reduce serious medical complications among leukodystrophy patients. He recently helped found the first leukodystrophy consortium in North America. His research has been supported by grants from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, the Child Neurology Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
His interests outside medicine include skiing, traveling, and discussing the country’s education crisis with his wife, Mai, a kindergarten special education teacher and behavioral therapist. Their young daughter and dog, Vinnie, join them for most of their travels and some of their conversations.
Jo Wallace, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC
Dr. Jo Wallace is a Clinical Instructor in Neurology at Stanford University. Dr. Wallace joined the Division of Child Neurology in 2015 as a Bass Society and Sobrato-Brisson Faculty Scholar. She is a pediatric neuropsychologist who provides assessments for both research and clinical based practice. She also provides therapeutic support to patients and their families.
Dr. Wallace received her B.A. from Loyola University, her M.A. from Notre Dame de Namur University, and her Ph.D. in psychology from Palo Alto University. She completed her internship training at Children’s Hospital Orange County. She has provided art therapy to pediatric oncology and hematology patients at Stanford Children’s Hospital for over 10 years. Dr. Wallace has also been an adjunct professor for the master and doctoral psychology programs at Notre Dame de Namur University for the past 15 years where she teaches and mentors graduate students.
Outside of work, Dr. Wallace can be found chasing her first hole-in-one on the golf course, seeking the perfect wave when surfing the coast of California, exploring a new art medium on canvas, or trying to master a pose in her yoga practice.
Courtney J. Wusthoff, MD, MS
Dr. Courtney Wusthoff is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and by courtesy, Pediatrics (Neonatal and Developmental Medicine) at Stanford University .She is the Director of the Neonatal Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. She received her B.A. in neuroscience and behavior at Columbia University in New York, her M.D. at the University of California, San Francisco, and her M.S. at Stanford University. Dr. Wusthoff completed her pediatrics residency at Children's Hospital Oakland, and her neurology and neurophysiology training at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is board certified in pediatrics, child neurology, epilepsy, and clinical neurophysiology.
After her fellowship, Dr. Wusthoff served as Consultant in Perinatal Neurology at the Hammersmith Hospital and Imperial College in London. While there, she enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with experts in neonatal neuroprotection, and to participate in various international teaching and training programs. She has now happily returned to the Bay Area to join the Child Neurology Division at Stanford. Her clinical and research interests include neonatal seizures, brain monitoring, and medical ethics. Dr. Wusthoff collaborates closely with her colleagues in neonatology and perinatal medicine.
Outside the hospital, Dr. Wusthoff enjoys travelling, reading, and cooking. Originally from San Diego, she has loved going to the beach for as long as she can remember.