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Residents - Neurology Residency Program

Class of 2025

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. 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. 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.

Class of 2026

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. 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. 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.

Birthplace: La Crosse, WI
Medical School: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Cooking, tennis, and playing the piano

Class of 2027

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. 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. 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

Class of 2028

Dr Cusack was born and raised in England, UK. Due to meningococcal meningitis at 17 Dr Cusack has had a unique educational path.

Dr Cusack completed her undergraduate work in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry at the Open University, the University of Exeter, and Montana State University. She then started her medical degree at Imperial College London where a second bout of meningitis resulted in Dr Cusack transferring to the International University of the Health Sciences whilst pursuing a successful career as a Lecturer in Biomedicine and ultimately a faculty member at the University of East Anglia.

Dr Cusack is a keen advocate of disability rights within medicine and science, and is involved in multiple activities with a view to promoting awareness within the American Academy of Neurology for disabled and/or autistic physicians.
In her free time Dr Cusack is an avid para-athlete having completed multiple triathlons and endurance events.

Birthplace: England, UK
Undergraduate: Open University; University of Exeter; Montana State University: BSc Hons. Biological and Medicinal Chemistry.
Medical School: Imperial College London; International University of Health Sciences.
Interests: Endurance Sports, Coffee and Travel.

Dr. Alvarado Torres was born and raised in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and her medical degree at Ponce Health Science University. She developed a passion for the neuroscience during her undergraduate years which translated to love for neurology during medical school. She has an ongoing interest in Neuro-immunology and Cognitive neurology.

Birthplace: Orocovis, PR
Medical School: Ponce Health Science University
Interests: Walks with her dog, playing video games, watching new series, and exploring areas in the city

Dr. Walters was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area. He received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, his master’s degree in Medical Genetics and Genomics from the Tulane University School of Medicine, and his medical degree from the University of Queensland Medical School. He first developed an interest in Neurology while taking cognitive and behavioral neuroscience courses during his undergraduate studies. He is passionate about Tex-Mex food and Texas football.

Birthplace: Kingwood, Texas
Medical School: University of Queensland Medical School
Interests: Texas/Houston sports, chess