Core Principle Investigators

Associate investigators (click name to view resume):

Alisa Gean, UCSF Radiology
Pratik Mukherjee UCSF Radiology
Max Wintermark UCSF Radiology
Bob Knight UC Berkeley
Stewart Russell UC Berkeley
Praveen Mummaneni UCSF Orthopedics
Scott Panter, UCSF, VA
Jialing Liu, UCSF, VA
Grant Gaugher, UCSF, VA
Vineeta Singh UCSF, Neurology
Larry Pitts, MD

Post doctoral Researchers:

Marta Andres-Mach, Ph.D.
Karen Amanda Irvine, Ph.D.
Adam Ferguson, Ph.D.
Sergio Veiga Herrero, Ph.D.
Yvette Nout, DVM, PhD

Students and Residents:

Zsolt Zador
Jimmy Luan
Kelly Fishman
Jennifer Baure
David Powell
Ryan FergusonVincent Wang, MD, PhD

Technical Staff:

Xiaoming Yao
Dongmei Shao
Johnathan Ly
Amity Lin
Bill Levy

Administrative Staff:

Michelle Martin

Neurosurgeons

The Neurosurgeon is a medical doctor with specialized training in treating patients with traumatic brain injuries. The Neurosurgeon may have to do brain surgery to help save a person's life. The Neurosurgeons at SFGH are:

Geoffrey T. Manley, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Manley is an Associate Professor in Neurological Surgery at the UCSF medical Center, Co-Director and Principal Investigator of the Brain and Spinal Injury Center and Chief of Neurotrauma at SFGH. He completed his medical training at Cornell University medical College in 1995 and his residency in Neurological Surgery at UCSF in 2001. He is involved with various research programs and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles. He lectures frequently around the world on traumatic brain injury. He has been on the staff at UCSF/SFGH since 2001.

Shirley Stiver, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Stiver completed her medical training at the University of Toronto in 1989 and residency in Neurological Surgery at the University of Toronto in 1995. She also completed an additional fellowship at McMaster University. She, then, moved to Boston for subspecialty training in cerebrovascular neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and pursued research interests in cerebral blood vessels at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. She is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF. Her interests include new blood vessel growth (cerebral angiogenesis) during many types of brain injury. She has been on the staff at UCSF/SFGH since 2005.

Nicolas Phan, M.D.

Dr. Phan comes to SFGH via Canada.

Guy Rosenthal, M.D.

Dr. Rosenthal completed his medical training at the University of Michigan Ann Harbor in 1990 and his residency in Neurological Surgery at Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital in Jerusalem in 2004. He has been on the staff at UCSF/SFGH since 2004. His specialty includes the treatment of blast head injuries.

The Neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the diseased of the neurological system.

J. Claude Hemphill III, M.D., MAS

Vineeta Singh, M.D.

The Neuroradiologist is a doctor who reviews the X-rays, CT scans and MRI's to assist in diagnosing the patient's neurologic condition.

Alisa Gean, M.D.

The Neurointerventionalist is a doctor who diagnoses and treats neurovascular lesions by way of angiography. They perform cerebral angiograms, vascular coiling procedures and vascular stenting.

Steven Hetts, M.D.

Joseph English, M.D.

The Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an advance degreed nurse who works closely with all of the neurosurgery team members to manage the neurotrauma patient. The NP has specialized skills and training in managing the care of the patient while in the hospital.

Twyila Lay, N.P., M.S.N.

Twyila is the Neurotrauma Program Coordinator and a nurse practitioner at SFGH. She serves as a preceptor to nurse practitioner students at UCSF School of Nursing. She completed her Masters of Science in Nursing from UCSF School of Nursing in 1995. She completed specialized training in Critical Care, Trauma, and Geriatrics. She has been on staff at SFGH since 2002.

 

 

Julia Galletly, N.P., M.S.N., ACNP-BC, CCRN

Julia completed her Masters Degree as an Acute Care Nurse Practioner in 2005 from UCSF School of Nursing. She worked as a registered nurse in a medical-surgical, cardiac, and neurosurgical intensive care unit for 8 years prior to becoming a Nurse Practitioner. She holds specialized credentials in Critical Care and Trauma. She has been on staff at SFGH since 2005.

 

Sean Braden, N.P., M.S.N.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is an advance degreed nurse who works closely with the neurosurgery team to provide training and education to family members and staff about patients with traumatic brain injuries. The CNS also works hard to assure quality assurance and develops policies and procedures to maintain high quality care.

Christine Martin, R.N, M.S., C.N.S.

Christine provides nursing leadership for patients requiring neurotrauma care. She graduated from UCSF School of Nursing in 2000 with a Master's of Science in Critical Care and Trauma. She has been a trauma nurse for the past 20 years. She has been on staff at SFGH since 2000.

 

Neuropsychologist

The Neuropsychologist is a doctoral level psychologist with specialized training in working with patients with brain injuries and other neurological injuries. The role of the Neuropsychologist is to assess the cognitive skills and emotional aejustment following the traumatic brain injury.

Christina Weyer Jamora, Ph.D.

Dr. Weyer Jamora is a Neuropsychologist with the neurotrauma program. She completed her BSN at Indiana University and her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology. She completed her post-doctoral residency in Neuropsychology at San Francisco General Hospital and San Francisco Clinical Neurosciences. Her interests include the neuropsychological assessment and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, cognitive rehabilitation, and multicultural issues.

Nurses provide holistic care to the Neurotrauma patients throughout their stay at SFGH.

Registered Nurse

Registered nurses are responsible for providing all of the care for the patient while in the hospital They assess and intervene according to the patient's physiological needs.

In the Intensive Care Units at SFGH, the highly experienced nursing staff cares for neurosurgical patients using state of the art monitoring equipment and current practice standards. ICU nurses give one-on-one care to the most critically ill head injured and neurologically compromised patients. Specialized assessments focus on such neurologic parameters as a detailed clinical exam, intracranial and cerebral perfusion pressures, brain tissue oxygen and cerebral blood flow measurements and electroencephalogram recording. Nurse work collaboratively with medical staff, pharmacy, respiratory, dietary, speech pathology, and physical and occupational therapy colleagues to provide best practice to the culturally and socially diverse patient population. This challenging and rewarding environment has attracted and retained health care professionals from around the world.

Licensed Vocational Nurse

The Licensed Vocational Nurse works with the RN in providing care to the patients.

Coach/Certified Nurse Assistant

The Certified Nurse Assistant provides brain injured patients with guidance and support with eating, bathing, and mobilization. They are a critical part of the Restorative Care Program at SFGH.

The Research Nurse promotes the science of neurosurgery through the conduction of clinical research studies in which patients at SFGH participate.

Michele Meeker, R.N., B.S.N.

 

Michele is a Clinical Research Coordinator for Neurotrauma research. She completed her BSN at San Francisco State University in 1996 and is an experienced trauma ICU nurse. She has worked on numerous clinical research trials and is published in the medical and nursing literature. She has been on staff at SFGH since 1990.

 

 

 

 

The Social Worker helps to coordinate discharge planning and provides emotional support to the patients and family members while in the hospital. There is also a social worker who can see patients once they leave the hospital to help assist with the transition back home.

Trevor Towne, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Trevor (on far right) received his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1999. He has been licensed as a clinical social worker since 2001, and in California since 2005. Trevor has provided clinical social work services in a variety of medical settings including emergency, intensive care, rehabilitation and mental health. Trevor provides services to patients and families in the intensive care unit at SFGHTC. He has been on staff at the hospital since 2004.

Carrie Edmeades, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Carrie received her Master's of Social Work degree from San Jose State University in 1998. She provides services to the patients and families once they leave the ICU. She has been on staff at SFGH since 1998.

Tara Croan, M.S.W.

Tara received her Master's of Social Work degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. She provides case management and mental health serices to patients who have experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury after their hospitalization, as part of the Neurotrauma Outreach Program (NTOP).

 

 

 

Jeffrey Chen-Harding, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Jeff received his Master's of Social Work degree from San Jose State University in 2003 with a concentration in Aging. He worked with older adults in long term care settings for 5 years, focusing on immigrant older adults from Latin America. Jeff joined Neurotrauma Outreach Program (NTOP) in January of 2009 and now provides assessment, psychotherapy, and case management for individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Rehabilitation Specialists evaluate and treat brain and spinal injured patients of all ages to help patients gain maximum mobility and function to regain independence. Below are the different therapists and specialists in the Rehabilitation Department.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) Physicians

Physiatrists are experts at treating individuals with disabling conditions that result from traumatic injuries to severe illnesses. Physiatrists lead a team of medical and rehabilitation professionals to help restore individuals to their maximal function.

See: American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Lisa Pascual, M.D.

Dr. Pascual is board certified in PMR and is the Chief of Rehabilitation Services at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. Her clinical interests are in the care of patients with severe traumatic injuries from the time they are in the intensive care unit to their reintegration into the community. She is a faculty member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Trinh Tran, M.D.

Dr. Tran is board certified in PMR and is fellowship trained in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation. She also has a special interest in treating individuals with spinal cord injuries and other neurologic conditions. She is a volunteer clinical faculty member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Director of Rehabilitation Services

The person in charge of the therapist that provide rehabilitation services at SFGHTC.

Bonnie Seaman, P.T., M.A.

Bonnie has been a physical therapist for 33 years and has worked with head injured patients for most of those years in all levels of recovery. She has been the Director of Rehabilitation at SFGH for 13 years and a member of the TBI program since its inception. As director, she oversees the departments of physical therapy, speech/language pathology, and occupational therapy.

Physical Therapy

Physical Therapists (PT) improve muscle strength, joint mobility, coordination, endurance, movement, and function through exercise and modalities to reduce and prevent disabilities. Functional abilities include the ability to move in bed, to get out of bed, ambulate, climb stairs, and get in and out of cars. Therapists may utilize specialized modalities including ultrasound, electrical stimulation, TENS, traction, heat and cold to promote recovery. What is a physical therapist?

See: American Physical Therapy Association for professionals

See: Move Forward for patients

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists (OT) are specialists who work to improve function in the hands and upper body and promote activities of daily living skills (ADL'S). ADL'S include things such as : dressing, grooming, cooking, cleaning, managing finances, shopping, and commuting. OT's also improve upper extremity joint mobility and strength through exercise, splinting and modalities such as heat/cold and ultrasound. What is an occupational therapist?

See: American Occupational Therapy Association for professionals

See: What is an OT? for consumers

 

 

 

 

Speech/Language Pathology

Speech/Language Pathologists work with patients with communication, cognition, voice and swallowing (dysphagia) problems. Communication includes speech, voice, receptive and expressive language, reading, writing, nonverbal communication and alternative communication devices. Dysphagia includes diagnostic evaluation of the oral cavity, throat and vocal cords. Cognition includes attention, memory, and higher level thinking processes. What is a speech/language pathologist?

See: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for professionals

See: Communication for a Lifetime for consumers

Registered Dietician

Registered dieticians provide detailed assessments of a patient's nutritional needs and recommend appropriate dietary changes throughout their recovery.

Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory therapists are specialists who help a patient breathe adequately and are responsible for maintaining any related breathing equipment.