Understanding and treating neurological disorders
Welcome to the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford!
The Department has been a center of excellence for more than four decades and includes over 140 School of Medicine faculty members with primary academic appointments in the Department at our four outstanding teaching hospitals and health care systems. The Stanford Health Care (SHC) new 824,000 square-foot state-of-the-art hospital opened in 2019 with over 600 beds, making it one of the largest inpatient facilities in California. Ranked in the top 10 for Neurology and Neurosurgical Care by US News and World Report, SHC is at the cutting edge of the latest treatments for neurological diseases. SHC boasts a dedicated outpatient Stanford Neuroscience Health Center—a facility like no other on the West Coast—as well as clinics located throughout Northern California. With over 60,000 annual outpatient visits and thus one of the largest neurology volumes in the U.S., Stanford Neurology provides care for a large and highly diverse patient population and supports excellence in clinical care, education, and research.
Antonio Omuro, MD, FAAN
Chair, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Joseph D. Grant Professor and Professor of Neurology
Neurology News
The 2024 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine
The 2024 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine has been awarded to Michelle Monje MD, PhD for her contributions to the neuroscience of cancer and their implications for therapy. Her pioneering research in cancer neuroscience has illuminated the intricate communication between neurons and glial cells in normal brain function. Her work has revealed how cancer cells can exploit this process to drive tumor growth in brain cancers. Dr. Monje's discoveries have paved the way for early clinical trials aimed at treating patients with brain cancer.
Existing high blood pressure drugs may prevent epilepsy, Stanford Medicine-led study finds
A study led by Stanford Medicine has found that angiotensin receptor blockers, a type of high blood pressure medication, may significantly reduce the risk of developing epilepsy in adults. Senior author, Kimford Meador, MD, a professor of neurology at Stanford, revealed that patients on these drugs had a 20% to 30% lower epilepsy risk, necessitating further randomized clinical trials to validate these promising findings.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching (Residents)
Nathanael Lee, MD, PhD, Stanford Neurology Resident, was awarded the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching (Residents) during the 2024 Stanford Medical Education Awards Ceremony. The Stanford Medical Education Awards Ceremony honors faculty, residents, students and staff who have made outstanding contributions to MD and MSPA student education.
American Headache Society: Above and Beyond Award
Congratulations, Niushen Zhang, MD, FAHS, on receiving the 2024 American Headache Society: Above and Beyond Award. This award is to acknowledge an AHS member or other individual(s) who have provided significant service during the past 1-2 years.
Interim Vice Chair Of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Neelam Goyal in her new role as Interim Vice Chair Of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for our department of Neurology.
2024 Grant Recipients- Juliet Knowles & Zach Grinspan
Dr. Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD, and Dr. Zach Grinspan, MD, MS, were awarded a Cure LGS 365 Grant for their study "Leveraging PELHS To Identify Risk Factors For Infantile Epileptic Spasm Syndrome (IESS) To Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Progression." LGS is a severe form of epilepsy that begins in childhood and is associated with lifelong treatment-refractory seizures and disability.
Seven Stanford faculty named AAAS Fellows
Tony Wyss-Coray, a faculty member at Stanford University, is among the newly named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He has been recognized for his distinguished research on mechanisms of brain aging and neurodegeneration, the findings of which could lead to new biomarkers and treatments for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.