UW HDSA Center of Excellence Team

 

Director: Suman Jayadev, MD

Dr. Suman Jayadev is the director of the University of Washington HDSA Center of Excellence and is a board certified Neurologist. She is an Associate Professor in Neurology and adjunct in Internal Medicine. She completed a Neurology residency followed by a fellowship in Neurogenetics and Neuroinflammation at the University of Washington. Dr. Jayadev has been working with HD patients and families since 2006. She is dedicated to promoting the well being of her patients from all aspects and also directs research into the basic mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Marie Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Marie Davis is a board certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. She specializes in genetic movement disorders such as Huntington’s disease, ataxias, spastic paraplegias and hereditary forms of parkinsonism. Dr. Davis practices at both the UWMC and Seattle VA. She is also a basic scientist focused on understanding causes of neurodegeneration using fruit fly and human neuronal cell culture models. She enjoys hiking, climbing and spending time with her family.

Anny Lin, MD

Dr. Yi-Han (Anny) Lin obtained her M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She then completed her neurology residency training as well as movement disorder fellowship at the University of Washington. She is a board certified Neurologist and is currently an acting assistant professor at UW. Her clinical and research interests include both Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Lin enjoys working with her HD patients and their families in both clinical and research settings.

Thomas Bird, MD

Dr. Thomas Bird was the founding Director of the University of Washington HDSA Center of Excellence (2002). He attended Dartmouth College (BA), Cornell Medical College (MD) and Neurology Residency and Medical Genetics Fellowship at University of Washington. Dr. Bird is a professor (Emeritus) of Neurology and Medical Genetics. He was the former Chief of Neurology at Seattle VA Medical Center and former Director of the UWMC Neurogenetics Clinic. Dr. Bird is the author of the book  “Can You Help Me: Inside the Turbulent World of Huntington Disease” (2019) and the brand new blog Dr. Bird’s Nest.

Michael Schrift, DO, MA, FANPA 

Dr. Michael Schrift is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. He is board-certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with added qualification in Geriatric Psychiatry and Brain Injury Medicine. He is also board-certified in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialities. Dr. Schrift has many years of experience treating Huntington’s disease as well as other neuropsychiatric disorders. He also is an attending neuropsychiatrist in the Harborview Memory and Brain Wellness Clinic.

Ali Samii, MD

Dr. Ali Samii is a board certified neurologist at UW Medical Center and Veterans Administration Puget Sound Healthcare System, co-director of the UW Movement Disorder Fellowship and a UW professor of Neurology and an adjunct professor of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Samii specializes in movement disorders. He is the principal investigator for Enroll-HD and a number of other HD-related clinical trials at UW. He has been a member of the Huntington Study Group since 1999.

Matthew Schreiber, MD, PhD

Dr. Matthew Schreiber is a board certified psychiatrist in the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Schreiber brings his expertise in psychiatric diagnoses and management to the Center of Excellence. He collaborates with the clinical team to develop treatment plans for HD patients and families. A primary focus for Dr. Schreiber is education and training of psychiatry residents, and he appreciates the opportunity to develop connections between different disciplines working in mental health care.

Phaleen Hanson, MSW

My name is Phaleen Hanson, I have lived in the Seattle area for most of my adult life.  I earned my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Eastern Washington University in 2007. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the University of Washington HDSA Center of Excellence. I bring experience with diverse populations, including children, adolescents, adults, older adults and families facing various social and economic hardships to my role as a Huntington’s Disease Social Worker. I have assisted people managing mental health and substance abuse concerns, short and long term care planning. I look forward to bringing my experience to help those with Huntington’s Disease and their families cope and navigate the best path for them. I enjoy immersing all of my senses in the joys the Pacific Northwest has to offer, whether it is a quiet mountain hike with birds flying overhead or a walk on the beach with the waves crashing.  

Mikael Stovarsky, MS, LCGC.

Mikael Stovarsky, MS, LCGC., (or Miki) is a board-certified genetic counselor and has been at the Genetic Medicine Clinic at UW Medical Center since 2021. Miki provides genetic counseling for a variety of inherited conditions with a focus of neurological disorders. She is driven by a desire to help patients process the medical and emotional implications of genetic diseases. Miki earned her master’s in genetic counseling at Case Western Reserve University. She also has a master’s in medical genetics and genomics from Tulane University. Her professional interests include Huntington’s Disease, ophthalmology genetics, and variant interpretation.  Miki enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring Seattle. 

AMY GOOD PhD, CCR

Amy Good, PhD, is a Clinical Research Manager in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington and focuses on research of Huntington’s Disease. Amy received her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in rehabilitation and behavioral medicine. She has been involved in health-related research for more than 20 years.

Debra Del Castillo, BSEE

Debra has been a research coordinator at UW since 2015. She has coordinated observational studies and Phase 1-3 drug trials in HD including Enroll-HD, ARC-HD, Signal, Kinect-HD and uniQure CT-AMT-130-01. Research Coordinators take care of every small detail in a study and every piece of data collected must be able to stand up to regulatory scrutiny. HD families are an amazing example of the strength and resilience of the human spirit when facing a devastating illness. Being a part of the HD community drives Debra to do her best to ensure that studies for potential treatments are well executed to give accurate results.

Terry Tempkin, NP-C, MSN

Terry Tempkin, an Adult Nurse Practitioner, served 18 years as Co-Director of the UC Davis HDSA Center of Excellence in Sacramento, California. She partnered with their HD Team to build one of the largest HD programs in the country, noted for expertise in HD/JHD care. She participated in over 18 clinical trials with the Huntington’s Study Group. She was Project Manager for the PRE CELL study, which was an observational lead-in study for a planned stem cell therapy in early Huntington’s disease. Although she retired from UC Davis in 2016, she continues her passion for helping families cope with HD. She currently works with the HDSA Center of Excellence at the University of Washington as an advocate and serves on the Board of Directors for HELP 4 HD, International.