The Stanford Movement Disorders Team
Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD, MSE
The John E. Cahill Professor,
Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Director Stanford Movement Disorders Center
Director Stanford Human Motor Control and Balance Laboratory
Dr. Bronte-Stewart received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics from the University of York in England, her Master's Degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and her MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Following her internship in medicine and residency in neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Bronte-Stewart completed post-doctoral fellowships in movement disorders and in single unit electrophysiology and motor control with Dr. Stephen Lisberger, at the University of California in San Francisco. She is board certified in psychiatry and neurology. Her expertise in single neuronal electrophysiology in primates has been transferred to the operating room where she performs the intra-operative microelectrode mapping during deep brain stimulations (DBS) procedures.
Dr. Bronte-Stewart's research goal is to understand how the brain controls movement. She developed computerized technology to measure human movement and currently uses this in conjunction with recordings of neuronal and neural network activity in the brain to correlate brain signals with different movements in Parkinson's Disease, tremor and dystonia. She and her team have discovered that people with Parkinson's Disease may have signature "brain arrhythmias" in the subthalamic nucleus in the brain. These rhythms are reduced by DBS at intensities that improve movement. She and her team are now investigating whether these rhythms are directly associated with abnormal movement and therefore whether that can be used as a biomarker for demand brain pacemakers, similar to demand cardiac pacemakers. They are also investigating whether this abnormal rhythm comes from the cortex and whether this will be another potential site for electrical stimulation to treat movement disorders. Dr. Bronte-Stewart is also very interested in balance and gait disorders and has an active research program in this area.
Dr. Bronte-Stewart has authored or co-authored over 60 articles, abstracts, book chapters and other materials on Parkinson's Disease, deep brain stimulation, and related issues, and has lectured widely on these topics all over North America. Throughout her career she has held many teaching positions, beginning during her undergraduate years with directorships of 2 dance companies. In addition, she has been a principal investigator in several studies of treatments for Parkinson's Disease. Her research has been supported by the generous donations of the Kinetics Foundation, the Vincent Coates Foundation, the Robert and Ruth Halperin Foundation, the John A. Blume Foundation, and the Cahill Family Foundation as well as by the NIH.
Jun Ding, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Ding received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from the East China Normal University, his Master’s degree in Neurobiology from the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, and his PhD from the Northwestern University. Following a postdoctoral stint at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Ding is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences.
Dr. Ding seeks to understand the connections between cellular events and circuit mechanisms underlying motor behavior. Dr. Ding is interested in researching the interconnected relationships between the motor cortex, sensory cortex, thalamus and basal ganglia. The laboratory uses combined electrophysiology, state-of-the-art 2-photon laser scanning microscopy and 2-photon laser uncaging to study synaptic connections and neurotransmitter release in deep neural tissues. The laboratory also employs mouse genetics, optogenetics and genetics techniques to further their research goals.
Dr. Ding’s long term goals are to construct functional motor circuit diagrams and discover the relationships between specific groups of neurons, circuit function, animal motor behavior and motor learning; thereby, the processes by which basal ganglia process information and guide motor behavior can be elucidated. This is of particular importance in constructing the details of psychomotor disorder circuit diagrams, such as the pathophysiological changes in Parkinson’s disease. His research has been supported by the John A. Blume Foundation, the Klingenstein Foundation as well as by the NIH.
Safwan Jaradeh, MD
Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Director, Autonomic Disorders Program
Dr. Jaradeh's clinical interests include autonomic disorders, small fiber neuropathies and the development of effective methods of testing and treating these disorders. Prior work has focused on small fiber, painful and autonomic neuropathies; syncope and syndromes of orthostatic intolerance including postural orthostatic tachycardia (POTS); gastrointestinal motility dysfunction; cyclic vomiting; neurology of gastroesophageal reflux; non-allergic rhinitis syndromes; and the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and normal or abnormal sleep. Additional areas of interest include the neurology of phonation and swallowing disorders, autoimmune neuromuscular disorders, hereditary neuropathies, and peripheral nerve injury and repair.
Dr. Jaradeh is board certified in Neurology and in Clinical Neurophysiology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is also board certified in Electrodiagnostic Medicine by the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and board certified in Autonomic Disorders by the UCNS Board of the American Autonomic Society.
Prior to his arrival at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Dr. Jaradeh was the Chair and a Professor at Medical College of Wisconsin from 2000 to 2011.
Dr. Jaradeh is passionate about teaching. He won several teaching awards in Wisconsin, and more recently won the L. Forno Award for Teaching Excellence in the Neurology Department in 2013. He was also nominated by Stanford medical students in 2013 for the Neurology Clerkship Award. He has also been included in Top Doctors list for more than a decade.
Jin Hyung Lee, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, of Neurosurgery and of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Jin Hyung Lee is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Neurosurgery, and Electrical Engineering (Courtesy) at Stanford University. Dr. Lee received her Bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University and Masters and Doctoral degree from Stanford University, all in Electrical Engineering. She is a recipient of the 2008 NIH/NIBIB K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the 2010 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the 2010 Okawa Foundation Research Grant Award, and the 2011 NSF CAREER Award, the 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the 2012 Epilepsy Therapy Project award, the 2013 Alzheimer’s Association New Investigator Award. As an Electrical Engineer by training with Neuroscience research interest, her goal is to analyze, debug, and engineer the brain circuit through innovative technology.
Melanie Lising, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Melanie Lising is a board-certified neurologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University.
Dr. Lising received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Cell Biology with an emphasis in Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She went on to obtain her MD at Chicago Medical School and completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Southern California (USC-LAC) where she served as Chief Resident.
Dr. Lising completed her clinical fellowship in Movement Disorders at UCSF and the SF VA medical centers. She now specializes in the treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia using deep brain stimulation and botulinum toxin therapy, atypical parkinsonian syndromes, Huntington’s disease, ataxia and other movement disorders.
Her research interests include DBS and neuromodulation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia and their clinical outcomes. Dr. Lising is also interested in investigating common non‐motor symptoms and cognitive functioning in Parkinson’s disease and its relevance to medical and surgical therapeutics and quality of life. She is interested in a multidisciplinary and supportive care approach, including physical and rehabilitative interventions for the late stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as PD and atypical parkinsonian syndromes.
Katherine Mackenzie, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
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 LPCH 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.
Kathleen Poston, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Poston received her Bachelor's of Science in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, her Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and her MD at Vanderbilt University. She completed her Neurology residency training at UCSF, where she was Chief Resident. She also completed a fellowship in clinical Movement Disorders under the mentorship of Dr. Stanley Fahn at Columbia University and post-doctoral training in Functional Neuroimaging with Dr. David Eidelberg at the Feinstein Institute.
Dr. Poston's clinical expertise include Parkinson's Disease, atypical Parkinsonian disorders, Essential Tremor, Huntington's Disease, and tics. She also has interest in the treatment of dystonia and blepharospasm with botulinum toxin.
Dr. Poston's research focuses on the development of novel neuroimaging biomarkers to improve diagnostic accuracy and monitor the efficacy of investigational treatments for Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders. She is also the Principle Investigator for clinical trials in movement disorders, such as Gene Therapy in Parkinson's disease.
Veronica E. Santini, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Santini received her Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry at the University of Miami before traveling to Boston to complete a Master’s of Arts and her Medical Doctorate Degree at Boston University, School of Medicine. She continued her training there as a Resident in Neurology, becoming chief resident in her final year, as well as her fellowship in Movement Disorders under Dr. Saint Hilaire.
Dr. Santini is a board-certified neurologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Stanford University specializing in the diagnosis and management of movement disorders including Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism, Huntington's disease, dystonia, tic disorder, tremor, & ataxia. Dr. Santini also has a special interest in disorders of the autonomic nervous system which is the primary focus of her research. She takes a holistic approach to patient care and hope to integrate conservative and alternative therapies where appropriate. She is also proficient in the use of DBS and Botox.
Dr. Santini is passionate about medical student and resident education and has taken multiple leadership roles in these areas. She was the first fellow to take on the role of Assistant clerkship director for the medical student Neurology clerkship at Boston University, School of Medicine and has continued in this role at Stanford University. She has mentored over 30 medical students, residents, and fellows and has a keen eye for curriculum development and novel student centered initiatives.
Dr. Santini also is enthusiastic about global health and started an initiative to bring multidisciplinary teams of attendings, trainees, nurses, physical therapists, and pharmacists to travel to Haiti and provide much needed neurologic care. She was recently appointed an ambassador to the St. Luke Foundation in Port-au-Prince and hopes to continue working nationally with other neurologists to bring more continuous neurologic care to underserved areas and expand her focus to Africa and South America.
Sharon Sha, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Sha received her Bachelor’s degrees in Cognitive Science and Molecular Cell Biology emphasizing in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley. She went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Physiology and MD from Georgetown University. She trained in Neurology at UCLA and Stanford University and completed a clinical and research fellowship in behavioral neurology at UCSF where she focused on identifying biomarkers for genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and caring for patients with movement disorders and cognitive impairment.
Dr. Sha’s clinical expertise include Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy Body disease, corticobasal syndrome, progressive supranuclear palsy, Huntington’s disease, ataxia, multiple system atrophy, and other dementias. She is currently co-director of the Huntington’s disease and Ataxia clinic with Dr. Veronica Santini.
Dr. Sha’s non-clinical time is spent conducting clinical trials in order to identify disease modifying treatments for dementia. She has a special interest in genetic forms of dementia and the cognitive impairment in parkinsonian-related disorders. She is also director of the Stanford Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Clinical Fellowship.
James Tetrud, MD
Clinical Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Tetrud has a BEE in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, an MD from NYU Medical School, completed neurology residency at VA Wadsworth in Los Angeles and a movement disorder fellowship from Stanford. In the early 1980s, he co-authored a report on the discovery of MPTP-induced parkinsonism in IV drug users. He joined Dr. Bill Langston in establishing the Parkinson’s Institute in 1988 and was the Medical Director for over 25 years. His focus has been the medical management of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He has been the PI on numerous clinical drug trials, primarily in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and has special interest in quantification of motor function. He has joined the Stanford Neurology Department as Clinical Professor in the Movement Disorders Section with Dr. Bronte-Stewart and her colleagues.
Laurice Yang, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Laurice Yang received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Cell Biology at the University of California in Berkeley. Subsequently, she earned a master’s degree in Health Administration at the University of Southern California where she received the high honor as a Dean Merit Scholar. She went on to obtain her medical degree from the University of Vermont and completed her neurology residency at the University of Southern California where she was appointed Neuroscience Chief Resident and spent the year revamping the entire medical student/resident education curriculum. She completed her clinical training as a movement disorders fellow at the University of California in Los Angeles under Dr. Jeff Bronstein.
Dr. Laurice Yang is a board certified neurologist, specializing in the diagnosis of movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonian disorders, Essential Tremor, and Huntington’s disease. Dr. Yang has a particular interest in dystonia and spasticity and has been trained to perform botulinum toxin injection under ultrasound guidance to better ensure accuracy and efficacy with each procedure.
Dr. Yang’s research interest lies in understanding how rehabilitation and sensorimotor retraining techniques could improve dystonia. Simple interventions such as watching or imagining certain motor tasks can improve motor performance in patients with many neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke and cerebral palsy, however their use in dystonia remains unclear. Dr. Yang’s research involves using these unique rehabilitation techniques to alleviate the symptoms of dystonia.
Hokuto Morita, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Hokuto Morita received a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology with a Neurobiology emphasis at the University of California at Berkeley, subsequently attaining a Master’s degree in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, where he did research on cell models of Huntington’s disease and other triplet repeat disorders. Following this, he finished both medical school and internship at Penn State Hershey. He completed his neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He then went on to complete a 2 year movement disorders fellowship with a special emphasis in both DBS and hereditary ataxias and choreas at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Okun. During his fellowship he performed approximately 100 intraoperative microelectrode recordings for DBS surgery.
His initial interest in movement disorders stemmed from his own experiences with a movement disorder, but thereafter fell in love with the underlying science. He was very impressed with Dr. Rodolfo Llinas‘s assertion that movement was a key driving force in the evolution of nervous systems. His interest in movement is not just restricted to abnormal movement, but also appreciates the beauty of movement in all of its forms and enjoys watching athletes, dancers, and animals in movement. He regularly attends dance performances and is excited about the possibilities of dance and other expressive movements for the treatment of movement disorders.
Dr. Morita has clinical expertise in the treatment and diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonism, Huntington’s disease, ataxia, tremor, dystonia, myoclonus. He has also written publications related to DBS targeting and management. Dr. Morita has a special research interest in hereditary movement disorders, particularly familial forms of ataxia and chorea, and hyperkinetic movement disorders.
He enjoys working with nonprofit movement disorder patient organizations and has written several patient education articles.
