Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Stanford University, Stanford, CA	BS	06/1997	Biological Sciences
UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA	MD	05/2002	Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA		06/2003	Internship, Internal Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA		06/2006	Residency, Neurology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA		06/2007	Fellowship, Movement Disorders
Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, MA	MMSc	06/2010	Clinical Investigation

My clinical and research interests focus primarily on the use of deep brain stimulation for disorders of the basal ganglia. The primary conditions for which this therapy is used include dystonia, tremor and Parkinson's disease (PD). I am interested in characterization of circuitry of specific motor phenomenology in movement disorders, such as essential tremor and gait disorder associated with Parkinson's disease.

My clinical practice consists of evaluation and ongoing treatment of movement disorders including tremor, Parkinson's disease, and dystonia. In addition, I am the co-director of our multidisciplinary deep brain stimulation (DBS) program for movement disorders along with Ron Alterman, MD (neurosurgery).

Currently ongoing projects include a translational approach to gait analysis in human subjects with Parkinson's disease along with Dr. Veronique Vanderhorst. We are examining the utility and validity of measuring gait in a velocity-dependent manner in subjects with PD under various conditions.

Other projects under development noninvasive stimulation of the cerebellum for essential tremor, study of new investigational drugs for treatment of essential tremor and standardization of screening and outcomes guiding selection of patients for deep brain stimulation therapy. I am also involved in the planning of a nationwide registry for deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease.