Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Our Residents - Neurology Residency Program
Dr. Carlos Cevallos Chonillo
Education Chief 2023-2024
Dr. Cevallos was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He completed his MD
training at the Catholic
University of Santiago de Guayaquil. He developed an interest in medicine and neurology since little
based on
family
background and real life experiences. Dr. Cevallos considers himself a very spiritual person who
inspired by
his catholic faith tries every day to be better as a human, friend and physician. Notable awards
include
valedictorian of his class
as
well as best graduation thesis. In his free time he likes to play video games, eat and
travel.
Birthplace: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Medical School:
Catholic University of Santiago
de Guayaquil
Interests: Education, teaching and neurosciences in general
Notable publications and presentations:
Jimmy Achi Arteaga, David Martínez Neira, Bolívar Cárdenas Mera, Jacques Lara Reyna, Martha
Burgos Morales. Solid
cerebellar hemangioblastoma Case report and literature review. Revista Ecuatoriana de Neurología.
2013, Jan; 22(1-3):
127-131. Pub Status:Published.
Jurado MB, Santibáñez R, Palacios-Mendoza M, Moreno-Zambrano D, Peñaherrera C, Duarte MC, Gamboa
X, Cevallos C,
Regato
I, Palacio A, Tamariz L. Cognitive Impaitment in Diabetic Patients Between 55 And 65 Years Old.
Final Report of a
Cross-Sectional, Observational Study in Guayaquil City. Revista Ecuatoriana de Neurología. 2018,
Jan; 27(1): 41-50.
Pub
Status: Published.
Palacios-Mendoza M, Jurado M, Gamboa X, Cevallos C, Moreno-Zambrano D, Duarte M, Penaherrera C,
Tamariz L, Palacio A,
Santibanez R. Diabetes is associated with cognitive decline in middle-aged patients. Metabolic
Syndrome and Related
Disorders. 2018, Nov; 16(10): 1-7. Cited in PubMed; PMID: 30311847. Pub Status: Published.
Peñaherrera-Oviedo, C., Moreno-Zambrano, D., Palacios, M., DuarteMartinez, M. C., Cevallos, C.,
Gamboa, X. &
Santibañez,
R.. Does intensive glucose control prevent cognitive decline in diabetes? A metaanalysis.
International journal of
chronic diseases. 2015, Aug; 2015(2015): 1-8. Cited in PubMed; PMID: 26464871. Pub Status:
Published.
Jurado, MB., Palacios, M., Moreno-Zambrano, D., Cevallos, C., Regato, I., Gamboa, X., Duarte,
MC., Penaherrera, C.,
Tamariz, L., Santibanez, R. (February, 2019). Comorbidity of depression and diabetes is not
associated with increased
cognitive impairment in middle aged adults Poster presented at: Final program forty seventh annual
meeting
international
neuropsychological society; New York, NY, USA.
Jurado, MB., Palacios, M., Moreno-Zambrano, D., Cevallos, C., Regato, I., Gamboa, X., Duarte,
MC., Penaherrera, C.,
Tamariz, L., Santibanez, R.. (April, 2017). Cardiovascular risk factors contribute differentially to
cognitive
functioning in middle-aged adults Poster presented at: American Academy of Neurology 69th Annual
Meeting; boston, MA,
USA.
Jurado, MB., Palacios, M., Regato, I., Cevallos, C., Gamboa, X., MorenoZambrano, D.,
Penaherrera, C., Duarte, M-C.,
Tamariz, L., Santibanez, R. (April, 2016). Verbal Memory and Processing Speed Deficits in
Middle-Aged Individuals with
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Poster presented at: American Academy of Neurology 68th Annual Meeting;
vancouver, BC, CAN.
Martin, j., Cevallos, C. (October, 2013). Factors that determine the inappropriate use of
contraceptives in young
people
between 16 and 24 years of the Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University in 2012 Poster presented
at: III congreso
binacional de ciencia, tecnología e innovación AUSENP; chiclayo, PER.
Cevallos, C., A. ; Martin, J., D. (2016, September 22). Valoración de los ingresos hospitalarios
a través de los
servicios de medicina interna y cirugía de la emergencia del Hospital Regional Dr. Teodoro Maldonado
Carbo, de acuerdo
al Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol vigente. http://repositorio.ucsg.edu.ec..., Pub Status: Published.
Dr. Alexander Maslov
Research Chief 2023-2024
Dr. Maslov was born in Neumünster, Germany and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. He
moved to Costa Rica during his
sophomore year of high school. He completed his Bachelor of Science at Simon Fraser University and
received
his medical degree from the University of Queensland. Throughout his travels and education,
Alexander
developed an interest in Neurology and reducing social disparities in health care.
Birthplace: Germany
Undergraduate: Simon Fraser University,
BS General
Science
Medical School: University of Queensland,
MD
Interests:
Cooking (especially BBQ), running, and live music.
Notable Publications and Presentations:
Khan, F. A., McIntyre, C., Khan, A. M., & Maslov, A. (2020). Headache and
Methemoglobinemia.
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 60(1), 291-297.
Proactive Ochsner Encounters: engaging all members of the neurology clinical care team in
reminding patients
of their overdue cancer screenings and immunisations. (175), Alexander Maslov,
Caitlin Ernst,
Julia Deyeva, Mohona Reza, Ravi Chilukuri, Jose Posas. Neurology, Apr 2020, 94 (15 Supplement)
175;
Implementation of self-reported questionnaires to assess feasibility and adoption of 3D printing
(3DP) and 3D
virtual reality (VR) patient models in three complex spinal surgical cases (5055) Alexander
Maslov, Stephen Fletcher, Caleb Stewart, Jack McGee, Alec Slayden, James Kalyvas, Korak
Sarkar.
Neurology, Apr 2020, 94 (15 Supplement) 5055;
Manayan O, Masterson C, Poulton H, Ye A, Maslov A, Giddens N, Jin S, Blackie A,
Van den
Heever J, Chung J. Type II Diabetes Mellitus in Indigenous Australians. Oral presentation at
University of
Queensland Indigenous Health Symposium, October 2016, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Ponzi, D., Zilioli, S., Mehta, P. H., Maslov, A., & Watson, N. V. (2016).
Social network
centrality and hormones: The interaction of testosterone and cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 68,
6-13.
Maslov A, Cobarrubias K, Anmole G, Kuang X, Shahid A, Markle T, Le A, Brumme Z,
Brockman M.
Construction of a Chimeric Antigen Receptor for a T Cell. Poster presentation at Molecular Biology
and
Biochemistry Colloquium, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, April, 2015.
Dr. Sofia Matta Rodriguez
Administrative Chief 2023-2024
Dr. Sofía Matta Rodríguez was born and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico. She
attended the University of Puerto
Rico for undergrad and completed her MD at San Juan Bautista School of Medicine. She was unaware she
was
interested in Neurology, until starting medical school, but she did know she wanted to practice in a
field
where sports and rehabilitation were involved. After her clerkships with Multiple Sclerosis
patients, she
realized Neurology was the
specialty to go to. She plans on going on to a fellowship that will allow her to practice outpatient
care. As
someone born on an island, she enjoys going to the beach the most and tries staying up to date with
upcoming
local art festivals and
restaurants.
Birthplace: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Medical School: San Juan
Bautista
School of Medicine- Caguas, Puerto Rico
Interests: Food, Cooking,
Traveling/Roadtrips,
music, board games
Dr. Michelle Tsai
Dr. Tsai was born in Ohio and grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She received her bachelor’s degree in
Anthropology and Human Biology at Emory University and medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School. Her interest in Neurology began during her medical school rotation as she saw the wide array
of
ways neurological conditions can present. In her free time she likes to hang out with her cats, read fiction,
and
go to pilates class.
Birthplace: Dallas, TX
Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School
Interests: reading, photography, travel
Dr. Masoud Yeganegi
Dr. Yeganegi grew up in Toronto, Canada after spending his childhood in Iran where he was born. He completed
a
Masters in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, before pursuing medicine at Jagiellonian
University in Krakow, Poland, a 650 year-old university where Nicolaus Copernicus once studied. Having been an
avid programmer since the age of 12, Dr. Yeganegi's research aspirations include applications of signal
processing, brain computer interfaces and artificial neural networks to the field of neurology. He follows
politics closely and is interested in science and public health policy. He helped create the annual Canadian
Science Policy Conference and Center, the first of its kind in Canada, while pursuing his research-based
masters.
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Masters and Undergraduate: University of
Toronto,
Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: Jagiellonian
University
Hobbies: Self-taught pursuit of piano and guitar. Masoud enjoys salsa and
bachata
dancing, photography, as well as cooking.
Notable Publications and Presentations:
Masoud Yeganegi, Pooia Fattahi. Management and Prevention of Cerebrovascular Accidents in
SARS-CoV-2–Positive Patients Recovering from COVID-19: a Case Report and Review of Literature, SN
Comprehensive
Clinical Medicine. January 16, 2021
Pooia Fattahi, Masoud Yeganegi, Katherine Kedzierski. "Neurologic Disorders and
Maxillofacial
Surgery" in "Perioperative Assessment of the Maxillofacial Surgery Patient", Springer 2018 (Book Chapter)
Yeganegi, M., Kandel, RA, Santerre, JP. Characterization of a biodegradable electrospun
polyurethane nanofiber scaffold: Mechanical properties and cytotoxicity. Journal of Acta Biomaterialia, 2010
Yeganegi, M., Kandel, RA., Santerre, JP. Characterization of a Biodegradable Electrospun
Polyurethane Nanofiber Scaffold: Mechanical Properties and Cytotoxicity. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative
Medicine International Society, World Congress (TERMIS WC 2009), Oral presentation, Seoul, South Korea, 2009
Chau, T., Eaton-Russel, C., Yeganegi M., Blain, S. (2006). Investigation of experimental
communication access pathways, Oral presentation. 12th Biennial International Conference of the International
Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC), Oral presentation, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2006
Aarabi, P., Wang, Q.H., Yeganegi, M. Integrated Displacement Tracking And Sound
Localization.
Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP 2004), Montreal,
Canada, 2004
Dr. Ariyana Bozzorg
Dr. Bozzorg was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia. He attended Georgia Tech where he earned a BS in
Applied Psychology and continued to earn a MS in Human-Computer Interactions. He attended Medical College of
Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. His interest in medicine stems from his work in memory research at Georgia Tech
and
neurorehabilitation research at the Atlanta VA in Parkinsons’ and dementia.
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Undergraduate:
Georgia
Institute of Technology, BS in Applied Psychology; MS in Human-Computer Interactions
Medical
School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Interests: Rock
climbing,
yoga, and cooking
Notable Publications and Presentations:
Bozzorg, Ariyana, Moon, Nathan, Todd, Robert & Utschig, Tristan. Evaluation of Programmatic
Interventions to Improve Postsecondary STEM Education for Students with Disabilities: Findings from SciTrain
University. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. (2011); 24(4): 331-349.
Drucker, Jonathon H., Sathian, K., Crosson, B., Krishnamurthy, V., McGregor, K. M., Bozzorg,
Ariyana, ... & Evatt, M.. Internally guided lower limb movement recruits compensatory cerebellar
activity in people with Parkinson's disease. Frontiers in neurology. (2019); 10(10): 537. Cited in PubMed;
PMID:
31231297.
Hackney, M. E., Byers, C., Butler, G., Sweeney, M., Rossbach, L., & Bozzorg, A.. Tango
improves
mobility, motor–cognitive function, and gait but not cognition in older adults in independent living. Journal
of
the American Geriatrics Society. (2015); 63(10): 2105-2113.
Cited in PubMed; PMID: 26456371.
McKay, J. L., Bozzorg, A., Nocera, J., & Hackney, M. E.. (2017, April 11). The Influence of
Parkinson’s Disease and Neurotypical Aging on Cognitive Performance Among Volunteers for an Exercise-based
Rehabilitative Intervention. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/126607v1.full
Moon, N. W., Baker, P. M., Roy, R. G., & Bozzorg, A.. Disability Issues and Planning
Education:
Findings from a Longitudinal Survey of Planning Programs and Lessons for Urban e-Planning.. International
Journal
of E-Planning Research. (2014); 3(3): 38-52.
Silverstein, H. A., Hart, A. R., Bozzorg, A., & Hackney, M. E.. Improved Mobility,
Cognition,
and Disease Severity in Corticobasal Degeneration of an African American Man After 12 Weeks of Adapted Tango:
A
Case Study.. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. (2019); 99(2): 21-27. Cited in PubMed;
PMID:
30801264.
Utschig, T. T., Moon, N. W., Bozzorg, A., & Todd, R. L.. Impact of faculty development on
classroom accessibility as measured using a classroom observation instrument.. International Journal of
Process
Education. (2012); 4(1): 61-77.
Dr. Ariyana Bozzorg
Dr. Bozzorg was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia. He attended Georgia Tech where he earned a BS in
Applied Psychology and continued to earn a MS in Human-Computer Interactions. He attended Medical College of
Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. His interest in medicine stems from his work in memory research at Georgia Tech
and
neurorehabilitation research at the Atlanta VA in Parkinsons’ and dementia.
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Undergraduate:
Georgia
Institute of Technology, BS in Applied Psychology; MS in Human-Computer Interactions
Medical
School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Interests: Rock
climbing,
yoga, and cooking
Notable Publications and Presentations:
Bozzorg, Ariyana, Moon, Nathan, Todd, Robert & Utschig, Tristan. Evaluation of Programmatic
Interventions to Improve Postsecondary STEM Education for Students with Disabilities: Findings from SciTrain
University. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. (2011); 24(4): 331-349.
Drucker, Jonathon H., Sathian, K., Crosson, B., Krishnamurthy, V., McGregor, K. M., Bozzorg,
Ariyana, ... & Evatt, M.. Internally guided lower limb movement recruits compensatory cerebellar
activity in people with Parkinson's disease. Frontiers in neurology. (2019); 10(10): 537. Cited in PubMed;
PMID:
31231297.
Hackney, M. E., Byers, C., Butler, G., Sweeney, M., Rossbach, L., & Bozzorg, A.. Tango
improves
mobility, motor–cognitive function, and gait but not cognition in older adults in independent living. Journal
of
the American Geriatrics Society. (2015); 63(10): 2105-2113.
Cited in PubMed; PMID: 26456371.
McKay, J. L., Bozzorg, A., Nocera, J., & Hackney, M. E.. (2017, April 11). The Influence of
Parkinson’s Disease and Neurotypical Aging on Cognitive Performance Among Volunteers for an Exercise-based
Rehabilitative Intervention. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/126607v1.full
Moon, N. W., Baker, P. M., Roy, R. G., & Bozzorg, A.. Disability Issues and Planning
Education:
Findings from a Longitudinal Survey of Planning Programs and Lessons for Urban e-Planning.. International
Journal
of E-Planning Research. (2014); 3(3): 38-52.
Silverstein, H. A., Hart, A. R., Bozzorg, A., & Hackney, M. E.. Improved Mobility,
Cognition,
and Disease Severity in Corticobasal Degeneration of an African American Man After 12 Weeks of Adapted Tango:
A
Case Study.. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. (2019); 99(2): 21-27. Cited in PubMed;
PMID:
30801264.
Utschig, T. T., Moon, N. W., Bozzorg, A., & Todd, R. L.. Impact of faculty development on
classroom accessibility as measured using a classroom observation instrument.. International Journal of
Process
Education. (2012); 4(1): 61-77.
Dr. David Benhuri
Dr. Benhuri was born and raised in New York City. He received his medical degree from the University of
Toledo
College of Medicine and Life Sciences. His interest in neurology first started in the anatomy lab and
continued
during the clinical years, especially pertaining to localization and neuroimaging. In his free time he
enjoys
watching movies, listening to new records, and playing board games.
Birthplace: New York, NY
Undergraduate: Hunter College, The City
University
of New York, BA in History
Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine and
Life
Sciences
Interests: Film, Music, Stand-up comedy, Chess, Backgammon
Dr. Tyler Cochran
Dr. Cochran was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate work at the
University of South Carolina Honors College where he majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and
minored
in
Neuroscience. He then completed his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina. He developed
an
interest in medicine and neurology after working in an assisted living facility and minoring in
neuroscience.
He
has an ongoing interest in vascular neurology and cognitive neurology. In his free time, he enjoys boating,
biking, and playing the saxophone.
Birthplace: Greenville, SC
Undergraduate: University of South
Carolina,
BS
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Medical School: Medical University of South
Carolina
Interests: Music, Gardening, Outdoors
Dr. Evan Nelson
Dr. Nelson is from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He completed an undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Minnesota, and received his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. He developed a passion for neurology during his clinical years of medical school, and is particularly interested in neuroimmunology. When he is not working, he enjoys cooking, tennis, and playing the piano.
Dr. Daniel Leon-Ariza
Dr. Leon-Ariza was born in Colombia and raised in Japan. He received his MD at the Universidad de
Santander.
Ever
since he was a kid, he developed interests in Neurology and Neurosciences. He is passionate about research
in
brain
tumors and vascular neurology, with extensive experience in the development of Phase I and Phase II
neuro-oncology
clinical trials.
Birthplace: Bucaramanga, Colombia
Medical School: Universidad de
Santander
Interests: Running, Crossfit, Futbol and Traveling
Notable publications and presentations:
Leon-Ariza DS, Leon-Ariza JS, Nangiana J, Grau GV, Leon-Sarmiento FE, Quiñones-Hinojosa A. Evidences in
neurological
surgery and a cutting edge classification of the trigeminocardiac reflex: a systematic review. World
Neurosurgery
2018; 117:4-10
Leon-Ariza DS, Campero A, Romero Chaparro RJ, Prada DG, Vargas Grau G, Rhoton Jr AL. Key aspects in
foramen
magnum
meningiomas: From old neuroanatomical conceptions to current far lateral neurosurgical intervention. World
Neurosurgery 2017; 106:477-483
Leon-Ariza DS, Romero Chaparro RJ, Rosen L, Leon-Ariza JS, Leon-Sarmiento FE, Villalonga JF,
Quinones-Hinojosa
A,
Campero A. Combined Presigmoid-Subtemporal Approach in a Semi-Sitting Position for Petroclival
Meningiomas: A
Technical Report. Cureus. 2021; 13:e19609
Leon-Ariza DS, Leon-Ariza JS, Leon-Sarmiento FE. Territorial and extraterritorial trigeminocardiac
reflex: a
review
for the neurosurgeon and a type IV reflex vignette. Cureus 2020; 12(11): e11646
Leon-Ariza DS, Leon-Ariza JS, Bayona EA, Bayona-Prieto J, Leon-Sarmiento FE. Remote dysfunctions in
spinal
cord
injury: Closer than ever. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 2015; 133:102-103
Leon-Sarmiento FE, Peckham E, Leon-Ariza DS, Bara-Jimenez W, Hallett M. Auditory and lower limb tactile
prepulse
inhibition in primary restless legs syndrome: clues to its pathophysiology. Journal of Clinical
Neurophysiology
2015;
32:369-374
Leon-Sarmiento FE, Gonzalez-Castaño A, Rizzo-Sierra CV, Aceros J, Leon-Ariza DS, Leon-Ariza JS, Prada DG,
Bara-Jimenez W, Wang ZY. Neurophysics assessment of the muscle bioenergy generated by transcranial
magnetic
stimulation. Research (Science) 2019; 3: 7109535
Leon-Ariza JS, Prada DG, Leon-Ariza DS, Castillo C, Leon-Sarmiento FE. The three nociceptive responses of
the
orbicularis oculi reflex in alzheimer’s disease: state of the evidence and meta-analysis. Clinical EEG and
Neuroscience 2019; 50: 354-360
Leon-Sarmiento FE, Contreras VA, Leon-Ariza JS, Leon-Ariza DS, Bayona-Prieto J, Boutros N. Fractal
neurophysiological
meta-analysis of the blink reflex in Tourette syndrome. Biological Psychiatry 2007; 61 (Suppl 1): 237
Leon-Sarmiento FE, Leon-Ariza JS, Leon-Ariza DS. Rapid modulation of motor cortex after playing a
videogame.
Neurology 2006; 66: 179-180
Dr. Fatima Pina
Dr. Pina was born and raised in the suburbs of Miami, FL. She completed her undergraduate work at The
Pennsylvania
State University and received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. She first
developed
an
interest in Neurology while shadowing in a General Neurology clinic during her pre-medical studies. She
has an
ongoing
interest in Neuro-Immunology and Cognitive Disorders. In her free time, she likes to travel and read.
Birthplace: Hialeah, FL
Undergraduate: The Pennsylvania State University; B.S. Biology, B.S. Human Development & Family
Studies
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Traveling, reading, and event planning
Dr. Levi Stone
Dr. Stone was born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama. He completed his undergraduate work at the
University of
Alabama at
Birmingham, earning his bachelor’s degree in Biology while being an active member of the university
drumline.
He
continued studying at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, where he
received
his
MD. His
passion to pursue neurology developed after volunteering at a rehabilitation center during his
undergraduate
studies. He
is particularly interested in Epilepsy and Vascular Neurology. In his free time, he enjoys drumming,
indoor
gardening,
and finding new places to explore with his dog.
Birthplace: Sylacauga, Alabama
Undergraduate: The University of Alabama at Birmingham, BS in Biology
Medical School: The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Heersink School of Medicine
Interests: Music, Indoor plants, Film
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