Faculty & Staff

Richard O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D., Chief
Associate Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D., Harvard Medical School
• Residency program, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Fellowship in neuromuscular diseases - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Research on how the brain adapts to change (plasticity) and how neurodegenerative diseases alter this
• Dementia
• Stroke and peripheral neuropathy

Rafael Llinas, M.D.
Assistant Residency Director, Neurology Residency Program
Director, Cerebrovascular Neurology at Hopkins Bayview
Director, Clinical Services for Neurology at Hopkins Bayview
Associate Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - New York University School of Medicine
• Internship in internal medicine, residency in neurology, cerebrovascular fellowship program - Harvard University

Specialties/Interests:

• Stroke and acute stroke treatments
• Diffusion/perfusion imaging and transcranial Doppler
• Migraines as they relate to cerebrovascular disease
• Author of numerous publications on various neurological conditions

Richard Allen, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Neurology

Education:

• Ph.D. in psychology - Cambridge University, England

Specialties/Interests:

• Sleep medicine and circadian rhythms
• Founder of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorder Center and a licensed clinical psychologist
• Chaired the recent Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation (RLSF) workshop at NIH on diagnosis of RLS
• Served as the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the RLS Foundation
• Serves on the NIH CSR Review Panel BBBP-5
• Associate editor of Sleep Medicine and serves on the editorial board for Sleep

Karen Bolla, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Neuropsychology
Associate Professor, Neurology, Psychiatry and Environmental Health Sciences

Education:

• Ph.D. - State University of New York at Stony Brook
• Post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Neuropsychology with special interests in neurotoxicant exposure
• Normal and abnormal cognitive aging
• Substance abuse
• The effects of poor sleep on cognition
• Brain injury

Kathleen Burks, CRNP
Nurse Practitioner

Education:

• BS - Iowa State University
• BSN - University of Maryland
• MSN, post-graduate nurse practitioner degree - The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Specialties/Interests:

• Neurological disorders
• Evaluation and treatment of peripheral neuropathy

Lisa Christopher-Stine, M.D.
Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
Assistant Professor, Medicine and Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia
• MPH - The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Post-doctoral fellowship- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Internship and residency in rheumatology - MCP Hahnemann University Hospitals

Specialties/Interests:

• Development of a comprehensive database of patients with autoimmune myositis and related diseases, evaluated at The National Institutes of health and the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
• Development of improved diagnostic and classification criteria for these diseases

Christopher Earley, M.B., B.Ch., Ph.D., FRCP(I)
Associate Director, Sleep Disorders Center
Professor, Neurology

Education:

• Ph.D., M.B., B.Ch., internship, residency program - University College, Ireland

Specialties/Interests:

• Sleep disorders medicine with a special interest in restless legs syndrome (RLS)
• The pathophysiology of RLS and further elucidation of the value of various treatments in this condition
• Recipient of the American Academy of Neurology Sleep Science Award and elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland (FRCP(I)), both in recognition of his work on RLS
• Honored with the ECFMG certification and FLEX
• Served on the American Boards of Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology and Sleep Medicine

Charlene Gamaldo, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - George Washington University
• Residency in neurology - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Fellowship in sleep medicine - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Sleep medicine with a particular focus on daytime consequences of neurological disorders
• Impact of sleep deprivation of mood, cognition and daytime functioning
• Consequences of sleep apnea on neurological diseases
• Strides towards interdisciplinary approach to sleep medicine

Romergryko Geocadin, M.D.
Director, Neuro-Critical Care at Johns Hopkins Bayview
Associate Professor, Neurology/Neurosurgery/Anesthesiology-Critical Care Medicine

Education:

• M.D. - University of the Philippines
• Residency in neurology - New York University Medical Center
• Fellowship in neurocritical care - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Neurological critical care (critically ill neurological patients, peri-operative neurosurgery patients and patients who have undergone interventional neuroradiological procedures)
• Basic and clinical investigations in acute neurological injuries after global cerebral ischemia
• Novel application of neuro-electrophysiology for early detection of acute neurological injuries
• Disorders of intracranial pressure; coma and cerebrovascular disorders

Rebecca Gottesman, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Residency in neurology - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Clinical research fellowship in cerebrovascular diseases - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Ph.D. in clinical investigation - The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Specialties/Interests:

• Stroke
• Stroke after cardiac surgery
• Cognitive outcome after stroke
• Epidemiology of stroke
• Vascular dementia
• Stroke in young adults

Peter W. Kaplan, M.B., B.S., FRCP ( UK )
Director, EEG/Epilepsy Program
Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - St. Bartholomew's Medical School, London
• Fellowship - Royal College of Physicians, England
• Residency in neurology, fellowship in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology - Duke University Medical Center

Specialties/Interests:

• Epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology (EEG)
• Author of more than 100 articles, chapters and books on epilepsy, pregnacy and epilepsy, eclampsia and neurological disease in women
• Certified by the American Boards of Clinical Neurophysiology, Psychiatry and Neurology, and the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology

Thomas Lloyd, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - Baylor College of Medicine
• Internship - The Osler Medical Service
• Residency in neurology, fellowship in neuromuscular disorders - The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Specialties/Interests:

• Diseases of muscle, nerve and motor neurons, with a specific interest in degenerative diseases including inclusion body myositis (IBM), Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and muscular dystrophy
• Electromyography, nerve conduction studies, skin and muscle biopsy reading
• Genetic (drosophila) models of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases
• Mechanisms of axonal transport

Andrew L. Mammen, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Internship - The Osler Medical Service
• Fellowship and residency in neuromuscular disorders and neurology - The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Specialties/Interests:

• Diseases of muscle and nerve
• Research in rheumatology and understanding the pathogenesis of inflammatory muscle disease

Abhay Moghekar, M.B., B.S.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.B.B.S. - University of the Bombay, India
• Residency in neurology - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Fellowship in clinical neurophysiology - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Neurodegenerative disorders, with a special interest in Alzheimer's disease and disorders of cerebrospinal fluid physiology like hydrocephalus and pseudotumor cerebri

Thien Nguyen, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D., internship - University of Washington School of Medicine
• Neurology residency and neuromuscular/ neurophysiology fellowship - The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Specialties/Interests:

• Neuromuscular diseases with particular areas of focus in peripheral nerve diseases and demyelinating diseases
• Nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and nerve and muscle biopsy as well as biopsy reading
• Research in the molecular mechanisms governing axonal degeneration in demyelinating and dysmyelinating disorders, novel models of human nerve protection, and identification of promising neuroprotective agents

Michael Polydefkis, M.D.
Director, Electromyography (EMG) at Hopkins Bayview
Director, Hopkins Bayview Neuromuscular Lab
Associate Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D., residency and fellowship - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Neuromuscular diseases with particular areas of focus in peripheral nerve diseases particularly diabetic and HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy;
• Nerve conduction studies, electromyography and nerve, skin and muscle biopsy reading
• The role of nerve growth factor expression in human peripheral nerve regeneration
• Novel models of human nerve regeneration
• Identification of factors influencing nerve regeneration in diabetes and HIV infection
• Clinical trials of promising neurotrophic agents using novel measures of axonal regeneration

George A. Ricaurte, M.D.
Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - Northwestern University Medical School
• Doctorate in pharmacology - University of Chicago
• Residency in neurology - Stanford University Medical Center
• Fellowship - Parkinson's Institute in California

Specialties/Interests:

• Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders
• Neurotoxicology of amphetamine-type stimulants

Jason Rosenberg, M.D.
Director, Johns Hopkins Headache Center
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - Harvard Medical School
• Residency in neurology - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Headaches
• General neurology
• Cognitive and movement disorders

Ned Sacktor, M.D.
Associate Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• Residency in neurology, fellowship in behavioral neurology - Columbia University

Specialties/Interests:

• Dementia and behavioral neurology
• Research involving cognitive manifestations of HIV infection, including clinical, epidemiological and neuroimaging studies
• Recognized as the plenary speaker for the Fourth International Symposium on Neurovirology
• Received the Neurological AIDS Research Consortium New Investigator Award
• Former president of the Maryland Neurological Society

Rachel E. Salas, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D., residency in neurology - University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
• Fellowship in sleep medicine - The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Specialties/Interests:

• Sleep medicine
• Research involving non-invasive cortical stimulation techniques to better understand sleep and sleep disorders

Madhav Thamisbetty, M.D., Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Neurology

Education:

• M.D. (M.B.B.S.) - University of Calcut, India
• Residency in neurology, fellowship in cognitive neurology and sleep disorders - Emory University School of Medicine
• Ph.D. in clinical pharmacology - University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Specialties/Interests:

• Proteomic and neuroimaging approaches to biomarker discovery in Alzheimer's disease
• Developing novel methods to image neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases
• Epidemiology of dementia in the developing world

George R. Uhl, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, HHS/NIH/IRP/NIDA Molecular Neurobiology Branch
Adjuct Associate Professor, Neurology and Neuroscience

Education:

• M.D., Ph.D. - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Residency in internal medicine - Stanford Hospitals
• Residency in neurology - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialties/Interests:

• Molecular genetics, pharmacogenomics and molecular neurobiology of Parkinsonism and other movement disorders, dementias, pain, sleep disorders, addictions and therapeutics
• Whole-genome association studies of complex brain disorders and therapeutic responses
• Transporters
• Dopamine compartmentalization hypothesis for the cell-type, specifically of Parkinsonian neuronal damage
• Cell adhesion mechanisms
• Relationship to neuronal connectivities and brain volumes

Linda White, CRNP
Nurse Practitioner

Education:

• BS, MSN - The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Specialties/Interests:

• Headaches
• Evaluation and treatment of primary headache disorders