Daniel S. Reich, MD, PhD, Senior Investigator
2009-Present: Chief, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 1994, Math and physics, Yale University
- PhD 2001, Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University
- MD 2002, Cornell University
- Internship 2003, internal medicine Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
- Residency 2005, adult neurology, Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Residency 2005, diagnostic radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Fellowship 2009, neuroradiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital
Dr. Daniel Reich is Senior Investigator at NIH/NINDS, where he directs the Translational Neuroradiology Section and leads clinical studies focusing on multiple sclerosis (MS). He studied math and physics at Yale and earned his MD from Cornell and his PhD in neurophysiology from The Rockefeller University. His training includes a fellowship in diagnostic neuroradiology and residencies in radiology and neurology at Johns Hopkins. He is a founder of the North American Imaging in MS Cooperative and serves on the Advisory Committee of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Race to Erase MS.
Dr. Reich’s lab develops advanced MRI techniques to understand MS and adapts those techniques for clinical trials and patient care. The lab harnesses noninvasive imaging modalities to dissect biological mechanisms of tissue damage — by performing longitudinal studies on time scales relevant for disease processes, by examining radiological-pathological correlations in autopsy tissue and animal models, and by elucidating the cellular and molecular pathways involved.
Govind Nair, Staff Scientist (Div. of Neuroimmunology and Neuroviriology)
2011-Present: Staff Scientist, Division of Neuroimmunology and Neuroviology, NINDS
- BT 1991, Govt. Model Engineering College, Cochin, India
- MS 2001, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
- PhD 2004, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA.
- 2008-2011, Postdoctoral fellow, Emory university, Atlanta, GA
Govind earned his baccalaureate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology in India, and his masters from Drexel University. His PhD dissertation focussed on developing novel MRI techniques for layer specific anatomical and functional imaging of the rat retina, with applications in rat model of retinal dystrophy. His main focus during his postdoctoral training was to develop imaging markers of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Developing and applying innovative MRI techniques to study neuroinflammatory and degenerative changes in the CNS. Particularly he is interested in MRI measures that can act as imaging markers of progression and therapeutic efficiency in multiple sclerosis. Improving the sensitivity of MRI to detect changes in the neuronal microenvironment could also help us better understand these disease processes.
Amanda Lee, Animal biologist & Lab Manager
2020-Present, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2017, Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park
Amanda graduated the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors in Animal Sciences, Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Passionate for working with animals, Amanda has experience being hands on with over 40 different species in laboratories, veterinary clinics, farms, and a zoological park. She specializes in new world primate behavior and veterinary care. In addition to supporting the lab with its animal work, Amanda handles a number of the lab's basic functions, including safety, inventory, histopathological processing, shipments, study protocols, and more. Amanda is ambitious to learn new laboratory techniques and connect with her colleagues.
Outside of the lab, Amanda enjoys filmmaking, riding horses, volunteering at a zoo, hiking, reading, and spending time with her dog and rabbits.
Melissa Arey, Office Manager
2016-2020, 2022-Present: Office Manager
- BS 2014, Neuroscience and Psychology, Ursinus College
Melissa Arey received her bachelor’s degree at Ursinus College in 2014 with a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology and minors in Spanish and Biology. She was the Office Manager for the Division of Neurology & Neurovirology between 2016-2020, until she moved to New Orleans, LA. Returning as Office Manager in 2022, she travels between New Orleans and Bethesda. Melissa manages all personnel, travel, acquisitions, and more for the Division.
Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, baking bread, and painting. She also loves to spend time at the beach, host family and friends, and play with her border collie, Louie-Charcot.
Rose Cuento, Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist
2017-Present
- BS 2004, University of Maryland, Baltimore
- MS 2008, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Rose is a Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist in the NINDS Clinical Trials Unit. As a clinical research professional, she has over 15 years of experience coordinating and providing regulatory support for clinical research trials. She has previously worked at the Hypertension Research Clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center at the University of California in San Diego. Prior to joining NINDS in 2016, she worked as a clinical research nurse practitioner in the Laboratory of Asthma and Lung Inflammation in NHLBI. Since 2017, Rose has assisted with the development and implementation of investigator initiated and FDA regulated research studies within the Translational Neuroradiology Section. She is the central point of contact for quality assurance, data and safety monitoring and regulatory compliance. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, working out and spending time with family.
María Inés Gaitán, M.D. Staff Clinician
2021-Present
Dr. Gaitán received her medical degree with honors at the University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine in 2004. She completed her residency training in neurology and was appointed Chief Resident at Fleni (Institute for Neurological Research), Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2009, Dr. Gaitán joined the Translational Neuroradiology Unit, Neuroimmunology Branch, NINDS, NIH, as a postdoctoral fellow, under the supervision of Dr. Reich. During this time, she did experimental and translational research. She led the authorship of several papers describing new patterns of alteration in the blood-brain barrier in multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as the perivenular development of demyelinating lesions in animal models of multiple sclerosis using high-resolution magnetic resonance. Her work has been published in top journals in the field of neurology.
Dr. Gaitán returned to Buenos Aires in 2012 to take a position as Staff Clinician in the Department of Neurology, Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Diseases Section at Fleni. In this capacity, she took care of people living with MS; oversaw clinical trials; taught neurology at the University of Buenos Aires; led postgraduate medical education; and engaged in translational research. Dr. Gaitán achieved a remarkable scientific publication track record in MS and imaging, including peer-reviewed papers in high-impact neurology, MS, and radiology journals. At the end of 2021, Dr. Gaitán rejoined the Translational Neuroradiology Section (TNS) in the NINDS, where she helped Dr. Reich lead all clinical projects in the lab.
In December 2022, she was appointed staff clinician at TNS, where she is responsible for performing and supervising projects involving human MRI scanning. She is also acting as an associate investigator for clinical interventional trials in the TNS and allied labs; works with TNS fellows to develop new protocols; and takes care of research patients in TNS protocols and neurology patients on the NINDS clinical service.
Charidimos Tsagkas, MD, MD-PhD, Special Volunteer (Planned Postdoctoral Fellowship)
- BS, MD 2008-2014: Athens Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- 2015-2019: PhD, University Hopsital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland
- 2015-present: Neurology Residency, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
- 2019-present: Postdoctoral fellow, Translational Imaging in Neurology (ThINk) research group, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
Maxime Donadieu, Postdoctoral Fellow
2018-Present
- BS 2009, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
- MS 2012, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
- PhD 2014, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
Maxime Donadieu is a French visiting post-doctoral fellow. After a Bachelor in Biology with a major in Computational Neurosciences (2009-2012, Aix Marseille University), he decided to continue with a Master in Cellular Neurosciences (2013-2015, Aix Marseille University). He was recruited by Siemens S.A.S in 2015, in collaboration with the CRMBM lab (UMR 7339, Aix Marseille University), as an Engineer and also a PhD student. His PhD was focused on the development and the application of MR spectroscopy sequences on healthy subject and MS patients at high (3T) and ultra-high (7T) fields. He defended his PhD in December 2017 and moved in TNS lab in April 2018. The core of his project in TNS is to develop and use translational imaging (conventional, non-conventional MRI and PET scan) but also histology and immunochemistry on EAE marmoset model to understand and quantify the de/remyelination and neurodegenerative processes. The main objective of this project is to develop a remyelinating therapy relevant for MS patient.
Outside sciences and lab, he is a very active person. He loves running, biking, play soccer, traveling, go to cinema/theatre but also share lot of times with friends and family.
Jing-Ping Lin, Postdoctoral Fellow
2018-Present
- BS 2008, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- MS 2010, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- PhD 2018, University of Michigan
Jing-Ping has a broad interest in life science; she received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees at the National Taiwan University in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, where she worked on zebrafish embryogenesis. Later, she joined the National Clinical Trial & Research Center of the National Taiwan University Hospital where she worked as a research assistant. Her work identified a new therapeutic target to overcome drug resistance in liver cancer.
In 2012, she came to the United States to pursue her doctorate in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School where she joined Roman Giger’s Lab in 2013. During her thesis she worked on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate the development and repair of white matter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). In 2018, she joined Daniel Reich’s lab to identify novel neuroglial markers proteins that mediate the course of CNS degeneration/regeneration by suing single-cell transcriptomic approaches in marmoset experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. She enjoys trouble-shooting of lab protocols, solving puzzles, and DIY projects fresh out of the lab recycling bin. Throughout her years in research, Jing-Ping has developed a deep love for understanding the intricacies of biology, to work in a team, network with colleagues, and use interdisciplinary approaches to tackle important questions in neuroscience.
Serhat Okar, MD.
2020-present
- 2006-2012, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine (Antalya, Turkey), MD
- 2013-2018, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology (Ankara, Turkey), Neurology Residency
- 2018, San Raffaele Hospital, Multiple Sclerosis Unit (Milan, Italy), Clinical Observer
- 2018-2020, The Turkish Ministry of Health, Kars Harakani State Hospital, Neurology Clinic, Neurologist M.D.
Serhat V. Okar is a Turkish visiting post-doctoral fellow. After graduated from Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine earning his "medical doctor" degree (2006-2012, Antalya, Turkey), he gained expertise in clinical neurology during his residency period in Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology (2013-2018, Ankara, Turkey). His main interests of research were early brain volume loss and it's retinal correlates in radiologically isolated syndrome, perfusion MR imaging in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, and stroke-related inflammatory changes affecting the contralateral hemisphere of stroke. After he worked as a Neurologist M.D. for the Turkish Ministry of Health (2018-2020, Kars, Turkey), he moved to TNS lab. In his intramural research project at TNS, he is focusing on the meningeal lymphatic system imaging aspects of multiple sclerosis.
Outside sciences and lab, he is a very active person. He loves running, biking, play soccer, traveling, go to cinema/theatre but also share lot of times with friends and family.
Ginger Smith, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2023-present, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BA 2023, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Ginger graduated with a bachelor’s of arts from the University of Virginia in 2023, where she studied neuroscience. As an undergraduate, she completed her thesis in the Kucenas Lab, investigating phagocytic activity during early neural development in zebrafish. As a post-baccalaureate fellow in NINDS, Ginger’s work utilizes MRI imaging of the marmoset EAE model to better understand the demyelination and remyelination processes in Multiple Sclerosis. After her postbac with TNS, she intends to pursue a MD/PhD degree in Neuroscience and live in Boston (hopefully!).
Outside of the lab, Ginger enjoys going on walks in DC, trying new restaurants with friends, reading at local coffee shops, being a plant mother, and watching fashion-related videos on YouTube.
Syed Ali Raza, M.D., Clinical Fellow
2022-Present, Clinical Fellow, Neuroimmunology & Neurovirology, NIH/NINDS
- MD Nishtar Medical College, Pakistan
- Clinical Stroke Research Fellow, Emory University
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience, Emory University
- Medical Internship, Louisiana State University
- Neurology Residency, Louisiana State University
Ali is a clinical fellow in TNS. He received his MD from Pakistan. In US, he worked initially at Emory University as a clinical stroke research fellow. This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship (neuroscience) in Rangaraju and Levey labs at Emory’s center for neurodegenerative disease (CND) – his research there focused on microglia and innate immune mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. During his postdoc and neurology residency training, he became interested in neuroimmunology. He joined the lab in July 2022 under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel S. Reich where his research interests include dissecting immune mechanisms of progressive MS using single-cell transcriptomic and bioinformatic approaches, glial biology, and biomarker development. Outside work, his interests include traveling, soccer, movies/theater and physics.
Matthew Greenwald, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2022-present, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2022, Duke University, Durham NC
Matt graduated with a bachelor’s of science from Duke University in 2022, where he studied neurobiology and philosophy. During his time as an undergraduate, he worked in the Ryser Laboratory to develop a model explaining the spatial evolution of ductal carcinomas, and was part of an interdisciplinary team using neuroimaging to understand the relationship between multilingualism, music and dementia. As a post-baccalaureate fellow in NINDS, Matt’s work focuses on 7T MRI imaging, as well as cognitive and acoustic testing in Multiple Sclerosis patients. He intends to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, where he hopes to study novel and non-pharmaceutical therapeutic interventions for anxiety and depression, as well as the intersection between anxiety disorders and technology addiction.
Outside of the lab, Matt enjoys doing yoga in strange places, exploring local breweries, losing chess games, engaging strangers in philosophical discussions, rereading 100 Years of Solitude, and daydreaming.
Kevin Hu, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2022-present, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2022, University of Maryland, College Park
Kevin graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2022 with degrees in Physiology and Neurobiology and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. As an undergraduate, he was a research assistant in the Computational Sensorimotor Systems Lab. He's worked on projects analyzing MEG data to understand auditory processing, and his interest in neuroimaging techniques drew him to the Translational Neuroradiology Section (TNS) at the NIH. In TNS, his research focuses on imaging biomarkers of MS and computational techniques to register MRI and histology. Outside the lab, Kevin enjoys playing chess, snowboarding, and dancing in the shower.
Hallie Gaitsch, Graduate Student
2021-Present
• Current: Graduate Student, NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program & Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Current: Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine & Medical Scientist Training Program
• BS 2019, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University
Hallie graduated from Yale University in 2019 with a BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She is currently pursuing her medical training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is an MD/PhD student. She is completing the graduate school portion of her training through the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. Her graduate training is co-mentored by Dr. Daniel Reich and Professor Robin Franklin (Cambridge) and will focus on molecular biomarkers of remyelination in MS.
Corinne Donnay, NIH-Oxford Ph.D. Scholar
2021-present, Ph.D. Student
- BA 2020, Scripps College
Corinne received her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at Scripps College in May 2020. During her time in undergrad, she was a member of Dr. Michael Spezio's Laboratory for Inquiry into Valuation and Emotion (LIVE Lab). Corinne completed her undergraduate thesis in Dr. Athina Tzovara's Lab at the University of Bern, where she investigated the neural underpinnings of predictive auditory processes in the human brain using single unit analyses. Following her undergraduate studies, she spent a year as a post-bac trainee at UC Davis in Dr. Audrey Fan's Functional Advanced Neuroimaging lab. There, Corinne studied perfusion and free water in the surrounding regions of white matter hyperintensities using ASL-MR and DTI.
Along with her professional involvement in the Public and Global Health Sector, her experiences sparked a passion for the role of neuroimaging in medical settings. She will spend two years at the TNS lab before finishing her Ph.D. at Oxford University under the co-supervision of Dr. Daniel Reich and Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg. At the TNS lab, she will be focusing on in vivo imaging of chronically inflamed rim lesions in Multiple Sclerosis. Outside the lab, Corinne enjoys traveling, playing tennis, biking, and spending time with friends and family.
Ashley Thommana, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2024-present, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS/MD Combined Program 2022-2029, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA & Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Ashley completed her undergraduate courses at Penn State University and is currently a postbaccalaureate trainee in the lab, prior to starting medical school at Thomas Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia in 2025.
In the TNS lab, Ashley’s research interests include applications of low-field MRI, leptomeningeal enhancements, and other imaging markers in the context of MS. Previously, she worked at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research with Dr. Irina Maljkovic Berry and Dr. Matthew Conte to study intrahost diversity and track patterns in viral variants of Influenza and SARS-CoV-2. During her time as an undergraduate student, Ashley analyzed cytokine expression in the neocortex of APOE4-positive mice with Dr. Elizabeth Proctor.
In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending quality time with family and friends (especially over food!), being outdoors, and learning new dance moves.
Andrea Bertozzi, Visiting Fellow
- 2014 – 2020: Florence University, Faculty of Medicine and general surgery; MD
- 2021 – ongoing: Medical Doctor under training in Neurology at University Hospital of Florence, Careggi
Andrea Bertozzi is a special volunteer from Italy. He got his medicine degree in the University of Florence and in the same place he has started his residency in Neurology in early 2021. About research he has worked on various aspects of MS: relationship between Sars-Cov-2, vaccination and MS; detection of PRL and CVS lesions; differential diagnosis implemented by imaging and liquoral markers with other CNS diseases.
He's currently spending part of his residency in TNS lab, making research in the characterization of infratentorial lesions in MS.
Outside work he loves making and watching sports, especially basketball. Furthermore he likes travelling, in particular where are hard trekking to face or archeological sites to explore. Obviously, being Italian, he enjoys good food, with special predilection for the part in which the people eat.
Jessica (Si Jie) Tang, MRSP
2023-2024: MRSP Scholar
- BS 2020, Neuroscience, Yale University
- Current: Medical Student, UC Davis School of Medicine
Jessica graduated from Yale University in 2020 with a BS in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate years, she worked in the Strittmatter Lab to study Fyn inhibition in a mouse model of Tauopathy. As a medical student at UC Davis, she was involved in the development of small Transcriptional Gene Silencing RNAs for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome and Fragile-X-associated Tremor and Ataxia Syndrome under the co-mentorship of Dr. Paul Hagerman and Dr. Randi Hagerman. She took a year off after finishing her second year of medical school to become an MRSP Scholar under the co-mentorship of Dr. Daniel Reich and Dr. Irene Cortese. At NINDS, she is currently studying the CNS uptake of an Anti-CD8 T cell PET tracer in patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy.
Outside of the lab, Jessica enjoys playing tennis, swimming, and trying to replicate her mom’s recipes. She has recently discovered embroidery and crocheting amigurumis when it’s too cold to go outside in DC.
Our Alumni
Prasanna Parvathaneni, Postdoctoral Fellow
2019-2023, Postdoctoral Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- 2015 – 2016: Junior Specialist, UCSF
- 2003 – 2014: Software Engineer
- BS BTech 2000 Regional Engineering College, Warangal, India
- MS 2013 Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
- PhD 2019, Vanderbilt University
Prasanna got her Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Vanderbilt University, Prasanna received her Master of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville and also worked as a software engineer and architect in Telecom and Auto Manufacturing industries.
Prasanna is an early stage investigator interested to be part of the research that aims to contribute to our understanding of the structure and function of the brain by analyzing neuroimaging data. During her research period, she had an opportunity to work on diverse imaging projects including processing pipelines for diffusion microstructure and cortical surface-based analysis. This had led to the experience of performing preliminary image analysis on clinical populations including Schizophrenia, Brain-tumor, Alzheimer’s disease and Mild cognitive impairment and on mindfulness-based studies in a collaborative environment.
With years of software industry experience combined with the understanding of medical image analysis in research domain, she had developed an aptitude to approach interdisciplinary problems in medical imaging with engineering perspective. She would like to continue her work to understand the evolution of the inflammation and demyelination of the brain tissues using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging techniques.
Alexis Brake, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2020-2022, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2020, University of Florida
Alexis received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida in May 2020. At UF under Dr. Kevin Otto, Alexis studied implantable neural interfaces and their associated inflammatory foreign body response in a regenerative mammalian model, the African Spiny Mouse. Her combined interests in neuroinflammation and translational research drew her to the Translational Neuroradiology Section. In July 2020, Alexis joined the TNS as a postbaccalaureate trainee, where she looks forward to learning about and contributing to a new area of research. In her free time, Alexis enjoys being outside hiking or running, taking ballet classes, and spending time with her cat, Arthur.
William Andrew Mullins, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2020-2022, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2020, Vanderbilt University
William received his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Vanderbilt University where he also worked in Dr. Ryan Darby’s lab studying frontotemporal dementia (FTD). His research included performing functional connectivity analyses on FTD neuroimaging data in order to address the issue of observed heterogeneity in atrophy regions between patients, and to show relationships between specific brain regions and clinical symptoms. In 2020 he joined the TNS lab as a postbacc IRTA where he focuses on 3T and 7T MRI image collection and processing for multiple sclerosis patients. He is particularly interested in the intersection between research and patient care and is looking to apply to med school for the 2022 cycle.
Brent Calabresi, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2020-2022, Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2020, University of Rochester
Brent received his bachelors degree from University of Rochester in 2020 with a double major in computer science and psychology. He joined the lab in 2020 as a Post-baccalaureate Trainee. His research interests include medical image processing/analysis and applying artificial intelligence to traditional research methods.
Riccardo Nistri, Visiting Fellow
- October 2010 – October 2016: Faculty of Medicine and general surgery, Florence University;
- February 2015– June 2015: Wroclaw University, Faculty of Medicine, Erasmus Program - Clinical rotation:
- December 2017 – ongoing: Neurology resident, University “La Sapienza”, Sant’Andrea Hospital (Rome);
- 2021: Visiting fellow
Sargis Manukyan, Postbaccalaureate Trainee
2020-2021, UGSP Post-bac, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2020, University of Southern California
Sargis Manukyan graduated from University of Southern California in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience. From 2019 to 2020 he has done research in Dr. Zlokovic Lab at Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute on the effects of anti-inflammatory protein 3K3A-APC on blood flow in the brain of rodents.
Erin Beck, M.D., PH.D., Clinical Fellow
2016-2021
- Recipient of a National Multiple Sclerosis Society postdoctoral fellowship award
- BA 2003, Wellesley College
- PhD 2010, Columbia University
- MD 2012, Columbia University
- Medical internship 2012-2013, New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University Medical Center<
- Neurology residency 2013-2016, New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University Medical Center
Erin Beck is a clinical fellow. She studied biology at Wellesley College as an undergraduate and then received her MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University, where her research in Brian McCabe’s lab focused on the mechanisms of synapse development and function in <em>Drosophila</em>. She stayed at Columbia for her neurology residency, where she became interested in the field of neuroimmunology. In 2016 she joined the Translational Neuroradiology Section as a clinical fellow, where her research focuses on improving MRI techniques for the visualization of cortical demyelination in multiple sclerosis and using those techniques to understand the dynamics, mechanisms, and clinical significance of cortical demyelination.
Roger Depaz, Animal Technician
2016-2019
Roger is an experienced Animal Technician that has worked with all kinds of animals during his 16 years in the research field. Some of the animals include NHP, rodents, pigs, ferrets, and rabbits. He have also learned all kinds of technical skills during those years such as mice castration, tissue collection, animal perfusion fixation, tissue culturing, running PCR assays, pump implantation and all kinds of injections to small animals and large animals as well. During his time in the lab, he helped started the PET project and updated the animal SOP’s. His number one concern has always been the well-being of all the animals that we worked with.
When not doing anything, science related, he loves spending time with his wife. He is also a huge soccer fan and plays it too with a little bit of free time. Taking care of his dog Patch is also one of the most fun things he gets to do too. Fishing is another activity he gets to do which brings me peace and serenity.
Brittany Richardson, Office Manager, NINDS
2020-2021
- BA 2010, North Carolina Wesleyan College
- MBA 2019, University of Maryland Global Campus (formerly University of Maryland University College)
Brittany earned her bachelor’s degrees in English and Entertainment/Theater from North Carolina Wesleyan College and her Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She has previous administrative and communications experience in other federal government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations. As the Office Manager, Brittany oversees personnel, travel, purchasing, and organizing of the NINDS senior investigators, clinical staff, and fellows. She is interested in learning more about all of NIND’s scientific and medical contributions to NIH while also learning additional skills in her role.
Omar Al-Louzi, Clinical Fellow
2018-2021, Clinical Fellow
- University of Jordan, MD
- Johns Hopkins Hospital, Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis Research Fellowship
- North Shore Medical Center, Internship in Internal Medicine
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Neurology Residency
Vijay Letchuman, Medical Research Scholar Program Fellow
July 2020 – May 2021
- B.A. Liberal Arts with a Minor in Chemistry (May 2020): University of Missouri – Kansas City
- M.D. (August 2017 – Present): University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine
Vijay is an NIH Medical Research Scholar Program fellow for the 2020-2021 academic year. Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, he is currently in his last year of medical school at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine. While his research career began while he was a high school student at the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport, he has continued to pursue projects throughout his recent schooling. During medical school, his research experiences have focused around using big data to identify trends and risk factors associated with various neurological conditions. He is excited to expand his current experiences in neurological research and gain the skills necessary to be a future clinician-scientist. Apart from research, Vijay writes and edits USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 practice questions for Firecracker/Wolters Kluwer. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, skiing, biking, and spending time with his family and friends.
Yeajin Song, Lab Manager
Current: Data scientist, DTI/NIA
- 2018-2020, Lab manager, biologist and data scientist, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2005, Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin at Madison
- MS 2020, Data science, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Yeajin earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UW-Madison. She has research experiences in multidisciplinary areas including neuropathology, neurophysiology, molecular biology, immunology, animal surgery, cell biology and clinical research. As a lab manager, Yeajin oversees purchasing and organizing the laboratory to ensure the safe and efficient working environment for all the lab members. In addition, she helps with pathology and molecular work in the lab. Yeajin is also interested in learning more about MR imaging and scanning lesions by machine learning process. To help this learning process in the lab, she successfully completed her master’s degree in data science field.
Pascal Sati
2011-2020 (postdoctoral fellow and staff scientist)
- MS 2004, Institute of Electronics, Information Technology, and Communications, Toulon, France
- PhD 2007, Physics, Paul Cézanne University, Marseille, France
- 2008-2009, Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis
- 2009-2011 Postdoctoral Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Unit (TNU), NINDS
- 2011-2020 Staff Scientist, TNU and Translational Neuroradiology Section (TNS), NINDS
- Current: Assistant Professor, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
Dr. Sati is a Staff Scientist at the Translational Neuroradiology Section directed by Dr. Reich at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (Bethesda, Maryland). Dr. Sati earned his MSEE in Electronics and PhD in Physics in France. After completing a postdoctoral experience at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology Washington University in St. Louis, he joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke where he became Staff Scientist in 2011.
Dr. Sati is specialized in imaging MS with MRI at high-fields. His research focuses on developing advanced MRI techniques (FLAIR*, 3D segmented EPI, short T2*) for better understanding, diagnosing and monitoring MS. He is also working on preclinical imaging of animal models of MS to investigate novel imaging biomarkers and therapeutics targeting inflammation and tissue repair. In addition to supervising fellows in the laboratory, Dr. Sati is involved in numerous intramural NIH studies as well as extramural US and international collaborative imaging studies. He is a member of the North American Imaging in MS (NAIMS) Cooperative.
Hadar Kolb, Postdoctoral Fellow
2017-2020: Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- Attending physician 2017, general neurology impatient service
- Neuroimmunology Clinic, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Neurology Residency 2016, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Medical internship 2011, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
- MD 2011, Ben Gurion University of the Negev Medical School, Beer Sheva
Dr. Hadar Kolb earned her medical degree (MD), residency in neurology at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. She joined the lab in 2017 and she is currently a research fellow in the Translational Neuroradiology Section, under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel S. Reich. Her research interests include identification of imaging biomarkers of remyelination and repair in Multiple Sclerosis, and related High-field MRI–pathology correlations.
Martina Absinta
2012-2019 (graduate student and postdoctoral fellow)
- MD 2007, Vita-Salute University-San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Residency 2012, Vita-Salute University-San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
- PhD 2016, Molecular Medicine - Experimental Neurology, Vita-Salute University-San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
- 2017-2019 Postdoctoral Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- Current: Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Martina Absinta earned her medical degree (MD), residency in neurology, and PhD in molecular medicine–experimental neurology at Vita-Salute University-San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy. She joined the lab in 2012 and she is currently a research fellow in the Translational Neuroradiology Section, under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel S. Reich. Her research interests include ultra-high-field MRI–pathology correlations in multiple sclerosis, and related identification of novel imaging biomarkers of chronic inflammation (chronic active lesions and meningeal inflammation).
Francesco La Rosa, Visiting Fellow
2019, Visiting Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- BS 2015, Physics, University of Bologna, Italy.
- MS 2017, Applied Physics, University of Bologna, Italy
- Expected PhD 2022, Electrical Engineering, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Francesco La Rosa is an Italian visiting PhD student. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s in applied physics at the University of Bologna, Italy. His master thesis was done in collaboration with Fraunhofer Mevis in Bremen, Germany. There, he worked on a project for the automatic segmentation of bones in abdominal CT scans with deep learning methods. Since 2018 he is enrolled in the Electrical Engineering PhD program at EPFL, Switzerland, under the "Translational Brain Imaging Training Network" (TRABIT) European network. The main goal of his PhD thesis is the development of automatic methods for an accurate and robust segmentation of lesions in Multiple Sclerosis patients based on advanced and clinical MRI imaging protocols
Daniel Suto, DJ
2018
- BS 2014, University of California, Los Angeles
DJ is a IRTA Post-baccalaureate who joined the Reich lab in 2018 to study cortical lesions in MS and their correlation to disease progression. He is interested in all things neuroscience, having studied Drosophila microcircuits and stroke treatments during his undergraduate at UCLA. In his free time, he likes to run, try new restaurants, hike, and find new breweries. He also worked at a museum as a tour guide, and have the stories to show for it.
Daniel Abraham, 2018-present
- BA 2014, Cornell University
Daniel graduated from Cornell University in May 2018 with a major in Biological Sciences (concentration: Neurobiology and Behavior) and minors in Information Science and Psychology. He joined the TNS as a post-bac in June 2018, where he is currently working on developing and using translational imaging to study demyelination and remyelination. In the past, Daniel studied neural pathways relating to learning and memory as well as cortical microvessel hemodynamics. Aside from research, he also enjoys playing sports, watching TV, and going on bike rides. He will start medical school in summer 2019.
Greg Warth, Data Manager
Matthew Schindler
- 2014-2018 Postdoctoral Fellow
- Current: Instructor in Neurology, University of Pennsylvania
Lynn Daboul
2019-2020, Medical Student Research Scholars Fellow, Translational Neuroradiology Section, NINDS
- 2019-2020 Medical Student Research Scholars Fellow
- Current: Medical Student, Medical School at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
- BS 2016, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- 2017-present, Medical School at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Lynn just completed her third year of medical school at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and joined the Translational Neuroradiology Section in 2019 under Dr. Daniel S. Reich’s mentorship as part of the one-year Medical Student Research Scholars Program. Prior to medical school, she graduated from University of Michigan where she studied the application of mutant P2X2 for mapping neural circuitry in Drosophila as part of her honors thesis, and graduated with Honors in Neuroscience. She is interested in understanding how the immune system interacts with the CNS in health and disease.
Stefano Filippini
- 2020 Visiting Fellow
- Current: Neurology resident, University of Florence, Italy
Nathanael Lee
- 2016-2019 Graduate Student
- Current: Medical student, Georgetown University
- BS and BA 2013, Rice University
- PhD expected 2019, Georgetown University
- MD expected 2021, Georgetown University
Nate is an aspiring physician-scientist who is currently enrolled in the combined MD/PhD dual-degree program, pursuing medical training at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and doctorate training at the National Institutes of Health through the Graduate Partnership Program. Nate graduated from Rice University with BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, BA in Cognitive Sciences (with concentration in Neuroscience), and BA in Psychology.
Nicholas Luciano
- 2015-2018 Postbaccalaureate Trainee
- Current: Master of Public Health, Johns Hopkins
Sonya Steele
- 2014-2015 Postbaccalaureate Trainee
- Current: MD, University of Maryland
Ben Ineichen
- 2017 Postdoctoral Trainee
- Current: Karolinska Institutet, Center for Molecular Medicine
Rozanna Meijboom
- Current: Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Edinburgh
Ilena George
- 2010-2012 Medical Student
- Current: Neuro-Immunology Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital