-
Chetan Bettegowda, MD PhD
- Jennison and Novak Families Professor of Neurosurgery
- Professor of Neurological Surgery
-
Jordina Rincon Torroella, MD
- Co-director, the Brain Tumor Genetics Laboratory
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
Team Members

Our lab brings together talented researchers with a passion for patient care and neurological discovery. Our team consists of residents, medical students, graduate students and undergraduate trainees. Learn more about our team members and their backgrounds:
Principal Investigators
Team Members
Tej Azad, M.D.
Neurosurgery Resident, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Research Interests: Liquid biopsy clinical deployment, domestic health policy and health services research
Home State: Indiana
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis | Biomedical Informatics
Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Liquid biopsy clinical deployment, domestic health policy and health services research
Home State: Indiana
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis | Biomedical Informatics
Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine

Timour Al-Khindi, M.D.
Neurosurgery Resident, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Undergraduate Education: University of Toronto
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Undergraduate Education: University of Toronto
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Austin Carmichael
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, neurosurgical outcomes, clinical application of liquid biopsy
Hometown: Allen, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Playing sports, running, watching movies
Hometown: Allen, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Playing sports, running, watching movies

Ryan Gensler
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, spine pathology, neurotrauma
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Undergraduate Education: University of Notre Dame
Hobbies: Running, hiking, going to baseball games, watching sports
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Undergraduate Education: University of Notre Dame
Hobbies: Running, hiking, going to baseball games, watching sports

Veena Girijala
Research Interests: Cancer Therapeutics for Brain Tumors with a focus on GBM
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Undergraduate Education: SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India | B.Tech, Biotechnology
Graduate Education: Johns Hopkins University | MS, Biotechnology
Hobbies: I love spending my free time watching good films
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Undergraduate Education: SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India | B.Tech, Biotechnology
Graduate Education: Johns Hopkins University | MS, Biotechnology
Hobbies: I love spending my free time watching good films

Andrew Hersh
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Undergraduate Education: Princeton University | Economics
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Undergraduate Education: Princeton University | Economics

Melanie Alfonzo Horowitz
Research Interests: Neurotrauma, MPNST, Spine pathology
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Hiking, boxing, pilates, going to O's games
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Hiking, boxing, pilates, going to O's games

Tasfia Hussain
Undergraduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Clinical epidemiology, trigeminal neuralgia
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Hobbies: Hiking and badminton
Research Interests: Clinical epidemiology, trigeminal neuralgia
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Hobbies: Hiking and badminton

Kelly Jiang
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Translational neurosurgery
Hometown: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests: Translational neurosurgery
Hometown: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania

Anita Kalluri
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, neuro-trauma, global health, neurovascular disease, trigeminal neuralgia, surgical outcomes, CSF fluid mechanics
Hometown: Clarksville, Maryland
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
Hobbies: Enjoys visiting family and friends, playing with her dogs, exploring new pasta recipes
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, neuro-trauma, global health, neurovascular disease, trigeminal neuralgia, surgical outcomes, CSF fluid mechanics
Hometown: Clarksville, Maryland
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
Hobbies: Enjoys visiting family and friends, playing with her dogs, exploring new pasta recipes

Nivedha Kannapadi
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Glioblastoma immunotherapy, vaccines for brain neoplasms and liquid biopsies
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Virginia | Neuroscience, English
Research Interests: Glioblastoma immunotherapy, vaccines for brain neoplasms and liquid biopsies
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Virginia | Neuroscience, English

Kritika KC
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, neurosurgical outcomes, trigeminal neuralgia, and CSF fluid mechanics
Hometown: Rosedale, Maryland and Pokhara, Nepal
Undergraduate Education: Notre Dame of Maryland University
Hobbies: Tennis, Baking and Piano
Hometown: Rosedale, Maryland and Pokhara, Nepal
Undergraduate Education: Notre Dame of Maryland University
Hobbies: Tennis, Baking and Piano

Collin Kilgore
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Cerebrovascular disease, neuroimaging, neurodegeneration
Hometown: Cumming, Iowa
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis
Research Interests: Cerebrovascular disease, neuroimaging, neurodegeneration
Hometown: Cumming, Iowa
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis

Marvin Li
Research Interests: Intersection of aging, neurotrauma, and immune engineering
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Taking things apart to put them back together, cooking, and managing my fantasy football team
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Taking things apart to put them back together, cooking, and managing my fantasy football team

Praneethkumar Madhu
Research Interests: Trigeminal Neuralgia, Mathematics, AI/ML, Radiology
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: The Ohio State University
Hobbies: Filmmaking, Photography, Art, Tennis, Cricket, Cooking
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: The Ohio State University
Hobbies: Filmmaking, Photography, Art, Tennis, Cricket, Cooking

Josh Materi
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Surgical outcomes in neurosurgery, translational oncology of liquid biopsy and a rodent model for treatment of spinal metastases
Hometown: Thermopolis, Wyoming
Undergraduate Education: University of Wyoming
Research Interests: Surgical outcomes in neurosurgery, translational oncology of liquid biopsy and a rodent model for treatment of spinal metastases
Hometown: Thermopolis, Wyoming
Undergraduate Education: University of Wyoming

Sofia Melamed
Research Interests: Systems neuroscience, as well as intersections of developmental biology and oncology
Hometown: Sevenoaks, England
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Playing tennis, my dog Oliver, cooking, and skiing
Hometown: Sevenoaks, England
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Playing tennis, my dog Oliver, cooking, and skiing

Saket Myneni
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, surgical outcomes, CSF fluid mechanics
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Stanford University
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, surgical outcomes, CSF fluid mechanics
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Stanford University

Sumil Nair
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Global neurosurgery, neurotrauma, cerebrovascular disease and patient-centered research
Home State: New Jersey
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis | Neuroscience, Anthropology
Research Interests: Global neurosurgery, neurotrauma, cerebrovascular disease and patient-centered research
Home State: New Jersey
Undergraduate Education: Washington University in St. Louis | Neuroscience, Anthropology

Kylie Ning
Undergraduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Pancreatic cysts, trigeminal neuralgia, neonatology
Hometown: Little Rock, Georgia
Hobbies: Piano, guitar, plant enthusiast
Research Interests: Pancreatic cysts, trigeminal neuralgia, neonatology
Hometown: Little Rock, Georgia
Hobbies: Piano, guitar, plant enthusiast

Megan Parker
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, cancer genomics, social determinants of health and neurosurgical outcomes
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Undergraduate Education: Stanford University
Hobbies: Running, dancing, cooking
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, cancer genomics, social determinants of health and neurosurgical outcomes
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Undergraduate Education: Stanford University
Hobbies: Running, dancing, cooking

Divyaansh Raj
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Clinical application of liquid biopsy and neuro-oncology research
Hometown: Livingston, New Jersey
Undergraduate Education: Emory University | Economics, Neuroscience
Research Interests: Clinical application of liquid biopsy and neuro-oncology research
Hometown: Livingston, New Jersey
Undergraduate Education: Emory University | Economics, Neuroscience

Kathleen Ran
Research Interests: Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, spinal metastatic disease, cerebrovascular disorders
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Harvard University
Hobbies: Rooting for the San Antonio Spurs, outdoor grilling, reading memoirs, playing violin
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Undergraduate Education: Harvard University
Hobbies: Rooting for the San Antonio Spurs, outdoor grilling, reading memoirs, playing violin

Emily Rodriguez
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Surgical outcomes with a focus on Latino health outcomes
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: The Ohio State University
Hobbies: Boxing, reading philosophy, nail art
Research Interests: Surgical outcomes with a focus on Latino health outcomes
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: The Ohio State University
Hobbies: Boxing, reading philosophy, nail art

Sai Chandan Reddy
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology, trigeminal neuralgia, hydrocephalus, and geriatric neurosurgery
Hometown: Plymouth, Minnesota
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Exploring the great outdoors, trying new restaurants, watching sports (mainly football and basketball)
Hometown: Plymouth, Minnesota
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies: Exploring the great outdoors, trying new restaurants, watching sports (mainly football and basketball)

Sadra Sepehri
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Neurology and neurosurgery
Hometown: Columbia, Maryland and Tehran, Iran
Undergraduate Education: University of Maryland, College Park
Research Interests: Neurology and neurosurgery
Hometown: Columbia, Maryland and Tehran, Iran
Undergraduate Education: University of Maryland, College Park

Pavan Shah
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Brain tumor immunology, cancer genetics and clinical outcomes research
Home State: Arizona
Undergraduate Education: University of Southern California | Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests: Brain tumor immunology, cancer genetics and clinical outcomes research
Home State: Arizona
Undergraduate Education: University of Southern California | Biomedical Engineering

Sanika Suvarnapathaki, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Translational Neuro-oncology, Brain cancer organoids, Chemotherapeutic Drug delivery, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona and Mumbai, India
Undergraduate Education: University of Mumbai
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Hobbies: Music, Reading, Singing
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona and Mumbai, India
Undergraduate Education: University of Mumbai
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Hobbies: Music, Reading, Singing

Deepti Tantry
Research Interests: Trigeminal Neuralgia treatments, TBI outcomes
Hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
Hobbies: Running, Music, Traveling
Hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
Hobbies: Running, Music, Traveling

Dorothy Wang
Medical Student, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Trigeminal neuralgia, global health
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Undergraduate Education: Whitworth University
Hobbies: All things outdoors, jam sessions, running marathons, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen
Research Interests: Trigeminal neuralgia, global health
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Undergraduate Education: Whitworth University
Hobbies: All things outdoors, jam sessions, running marathons, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen

Anmol Warman
Research Interests: Computer Vision, Radiomics
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Undergraduate Education: Duke University
Hobbies: Chess, Tennis
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Undergraduate Education: Duke University
Hobbies: Chess, Tennis

Risheng Xu, M.D., Ph.D.
Neurosurgery Resident, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms underlying trigeminal neuralgia and translational therapies for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic pain
Undergraduate Education: Harvard University
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms underlying trigeminal neuralgia and translational therapies for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic pain
Undergraduate Education: Harvard University
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Alumni
Krish Gopalan
Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Bioinformatics in the biological and public health contexts
Hometown: SoCal, California
Undergraduate Education: University of California, Berkeley
Hobbies: Making music, reading, and playing board games
Research Interests: Bioinformatics in the biological and public health contexts
Hometown: SoCal, California
Undergraduate Education: University of California, Berkeley
Hobbies: Making music, reading, and playing board games

Chloe Dunseath
Prospective Medical Student
Research Interests: Clinical research in brain cancer, molecular and genetic factors affecting treatment outcomes, targeted treatment options in brain cancer
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: University of Notre Dame
Research Interests: Clinical research in brain cancer, molecular and genetic factors affecting treatment outcomes, targeted treatment options in brain cancer
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Undergraduate Education: University of Notre Dame

Harmon Khela
Undergraduate Student, Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Hobbies: Basketball
Research Interests: Neuro-oncology
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Hobbies: Basketball

Shelby Burk
Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University | Biotechnology
Research Interests: Brain cancer biology and biomarkers, pediatric oncology, surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Undergraduate Education: Saint Mary’s College
Research Interests: Brain cancer biology and biomarkers, pediatric oncology, surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Undergraduate Education: Saint Mary’s College
