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Department of Neurosciences Department of Neurosciences

Principal Investigator 

  • Taha Gholipour, M.D.

    Taha Gholipour, M.D.

     I am a neurologist subspecialized to treat epilepsy. I conduct patient-oriented translational research that involves neuroimaging and electrophysiology. I am currently an Associate Professor of Neurology at UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences, and a member of the UCSD Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and Epilepsy Research Center.

    My goal is to identify brain networks and develop biomarkers to better understand the initiation, spread, and termination of seizures in epilepsy, and to improve the outcomes of medical and surgical treatments in epilepsy.

    Our lab is an active member of the ENIGMA-Epilepsy Consortium, co-Chaired by Dr. Carrie McDonald at UCSD. 

    Link to my Pubmed publications: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/tgholipourLink to my Google scholar profile: scholar.google.com

    Favorite Citrus: Seville Orange

     

Lab and Affiliate Members

  • Hoameng Ung, M.D., Ph.D.

    Hoameng Ung, M.D., Ph.D.

    Hoameng is a neurologist, epileptologist, engineer, and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. His research interest is in the application of artificial intelligence to improve clinical management and patient care. Currently, he is focused on the discovery and translation of quantitative EEG biomarkers for seizure detection, ischemia detection, and neuroprognostication.

    Link to Google scholar profile: scholar.google.com

     

    Favorite Citrus: Orange

     
  • Kiefer Forseth, M.D., Ph.D.

    Kiefer Forseth, M.D., Ph.D.

    Kiefer is a neurosurgery resident at UCSD with a background in electrical engineering and computational neuroscience. His research interests include the neurobiology of language, intracranial electrophysiology, and multimodal integration of functional imaging. 

     

     Favorite Citrus:  
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    Caroline Kelly

    Caroline is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Department of Neurosciences and the Gholipour Lab. She joined the team with experience in clinical trial, patient recruitment, and regulatory matters in patient-centered research.  

     Favorite Citrus: 

     

Student Members

  • Katie Andrade

    Katie Andrade

    Katie is a Ph.D. candidate in the Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders at UC San Diego and San Diego State University and a member of the Laboratory for the Brain Dynamics of Language (LBDL) with Dr. Stephanie Riès.

    She has a background in cognitive neuroscience and clinical training in speech and language sciences, with extensive experience in research on language disorders and epilepsy. Her work focuses on investigating the neural mechanisms underlying speech, language and cognitive control in individuals with refractory epilepsy. Currently, she investigates whether domain-general cognitive control processes used to resolve conflict are also recruited to manage competition within language.

    Favorite Citrus: Kumquat
  • Andrea Galvez-Mcdonough

    Andrea Galvez-Mcdonough

    Andrea is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders at UC San Diego and San Diego State University and a member of the Laboratory for the Brain Dynamics of Language (LBDL) with Dr. Stephanie Riès.

    Her work focuses on investigating how varying linguistic experience influences cognitive and linguistic processing and their associated neural networks in typically and neurologically impaired aging individuals. 

     Favorite Citrus: Grapefruit
  • Lauren Ostrowski

    Lauren Ostrowski

    Lauren is an M.D./Ph.D. student in the Neurosciences Graduate Program at UC San Diego with a background in computational and translational neuroscience. Her research focuses on the neural signals underlying vocal communication in human speech and birdsong. She is currently focused on dynamical systems approaches to neuroscience, context-dependent modulation, and bilingualism.
    Favorite Citrus: Mandarin
  • Margaret Seaton

    Margaret Seaton

    Margaret is an MD student at UC San Diego with a background in translational neuroscience in speech with a focus on brain computer interface. Her current research focuses on interventional options for the treatment of chronic pain and advancements in functional neurosurgery.

    Link to Google scholar: https://scholar.Google.com

    Favorite Citrus: Grapefruit
  • Sneha Sairam

    Sneha Sairam

    Sneha is an undergraduate studying Cognitive Science with a specialization in Machine Learning and Neural Computation while on the pre-health track at UC San Diego. Her research project is focused on brain mapping using resting state fMRI, and comparing motor and language mapping to task-based fMRI.

     Favorite Citrus: Clementine 
  • Arushi Munjal

    Arushi Munjal

    Arushi is an undergraduate student at UCSD completing a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Computer Science. She is interested in applying machine learning techniques to enhance health outcomes in areas such as disease diagnosis, treatment optimization, and healthcare delivery. Her research involves using fMRI data to localize brain function abnormalities in focal epilepsy.
    Arushi plans to pursue a career in biomedical data science. Outside of research, Arushi’s passions include yoga, photography, and organizing service events for health initiatives to contribute positively to her community's well-being.

     Favorite Citrus: Calamansi 

Alumni

  • Donatello Arienzo, Ph.D.

    Donatello Arienzo, Ph.D.

    Donatello has a background in neuroscience and experience in designing, implementing, and analyzing functional and structural neuroimaging data with an emphasis on brain networks using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), to study neural circuits underlying cognitive and affective functions in epilepsy patients. Lab member 2023-2025

     Favorite Citrus: Clementine

     
  •   Natalia Menendez, B.S.

      Natalia Menendez, B.S.

    Natalia graduated from UCSD with a Bachelor's in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. She is a Spanish/English bilingual clinical researcher working across multiple projects on cognitive impairment in cardiovascular disease, dementia/Alzheimer’s, HIV, and cancer. She is starting a graduate program in Clinical Neuropsychology. Lab member 2024

     Favorite Citrus: Key Lime
  • Ryan Hakim, M.D.

    Ryan Hakim, M.D.

    Ryan is a medical doctor from Loyola Chicago School of Medicine and a proud alumni of UC San Diego. He joined the lab during a research elective towards the end of his MD degree, and stayed a researcher  involved in multimodal imaging research, combining functional and structural data (EEG, SEEG, MRI, fMRI, PET) in correlation with outcomes in surgical treatment of epilepsy.
    Ryan joined University of Texas Houston Neurosciences as part of their Neurocognitive Disorders research program. Lab member 2024-2025
     Favorite Citrus: Tangerine
  • Jonathan Rodriguez

    Jonathan Rodriguez

    Jonathan is a study coordinator for our ongoing clinical trial and a research associate at the Lab of Cognitive Imaging (LOCI). He graduated from UCSD with a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science and Global Health. Jonathan is now a medical student at UC Davis , with the ultimate goal of a career in Neurology.

     Favorite Citrus: Mandarine