Tell us a little about your background/training. 

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I obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, then did medical school and residency training in Adult Neurology also at Northwestern University.

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I subsequently did Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship with Epilepsy focus at UCLA, and was on faculty at UC Irvine for almost 9 years as a staff Epilepsy physician specializing in the management of patients with complex epilepsy, interpreting EEGs for the hospital, and providing physician oversight of intraoperative neuromonitoring services.

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I left UC Irvine in early 2022 to join Neuromonitoring Associates as full-time physician reader providing physician oversight of intraoperative neuromonitoring services in multiple states.

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Tell us about why you chose to work in neurology, and specifically, Epilepsy - what interested you most about this field?  

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I have always enjoyed computers/electronics and this why I pursued undergrad in Electrical Engineering. In medical school, I gravitated to Neurology through rotations as there were many principles of localization and diagnosis very akin to troubleshooting computers – except that now the “hardware” was the human nervous system.

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Within Neurology, I was specifically drawn to Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology due to the fundamental basis in electrical principles, the process behind determining whether someone has epileptic seizures, the ability to treat seizures medically, and the capability to perform diagnostic studies to try to localize seizures in patients whose seizures aren’t controlled by medications alone (to see if they might be candidates for brain surgery to remove the seizure focus or neurostimulation – to ideally stop or at least significantly reduce their seizure frequency).

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What have been the things you are most proud of in your career?

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Having patients with epilepsy who had previously uncontrolled seizures become seizure-free or have substantially decreased seizure burden following medications adjustments, placement of neurostimulator, or brain surgery to remove region(s) causing seizures. I am proud to have been able to perform the necessary seizure evaluations to provide patients with Epilepsy with these options when appropriate.

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What have you learned from your patients that has helped you become a better doctor/coach/provider? 

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Gaining a deeper understanding of the pervasive impact of epilepsy in the lives of patients, and with it, appreciation for the challenges, triumphs, and unique stories of patients in their journey with epilepsy.

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