Department of Neurology
Andre Cote, MD
Andre Cote earned his BS degree at the University of California, Davis in Neuroscience with an emphasis in Psychology. Following his undergraduate education, he worked in MRI sequence development for glioblastomas at the Bioimaging Research Laboratory at the University of California. He earned his medical degree with translational research distinction from the University of California, San Francisco specializing in Neurointerventional device development. He then earned his Master’s in Public Health from Hofstra University in New York focusing on stroke epidemiology and imaging utilization. Professionally he is interested in furthering his research in stroke assessment and intervention. In his free time, Andre enjoys photography, scuba diving, and hiking with his wife and dog.
Serdar Kazanci, MD
Serdar was born and raised in Basel, Switzerland. He earned his medical degree from the University of Basel, Faculty of Medicine. As a medical student, he attended neurology lectures at the University of Zurich and did a neurology elective at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London. Since then he has a passion for movement disorders with a special interest in Parkinson‘s disease.
Serdar describes himself as a foodie and likes exploring new restaurants. He has also an ardent interest in learning foreign languages and is currently studying Swedish.
Sarah Koch, MD
Sarah earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Wyoming in her home state (Go Cowboys). Before attending medical school, she worked at a clinic specializing in neurodegenerative diseases in Las Vegas and then moved to Columbus, Ohio to spend a year doing clinical research on neurocritical care. She attended the University of Washington through the WWAMI program for medical school and is excited to stay at her home program for residency training. Sarah is a lover off all things outdoors and likes to spend her free time hiking or working in her garden.
Evan Luxenberg, MD
Evan earned his B.S. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and a minor in French at UCLA, where he conducted clinical research in stroke neurology in addition to working for the school newspaper as a photojournalist. He went to medical school at Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York and spent two months during his fourth year working as a medical student in the neuro-oncology department of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. During residency, Evan discovered his passion for Neuroimmunology and will be staying at UW to complete a fellowship in the subspecialty. This year, Evan became one of the Chief Residents for the program. Outside of residency, Evan enjoys stand-up comedy, tennis, hiking, photography and raising his Golden Doodle puppy, Lucy, who he and his fiancée recently adopted.
Katelyn Marsden, BMBS
Katelyn was born and raised in the beautiful Okanagan in BC, Canada. She obtained both her undergraduate and master’s degree at the University of British Columbia. Her graduate research looked at cerebral blood flow dynamics following sport-related concussion. Katelyn pursued medical school all the way to Ireland at the University of Limerick where she rowed competitively on the varsity rowing team. She enjoys being outdoors and she is excited to be back on the West Coast for another grand adventure here in Seattle.
Matthew Murphy, MD
Matt grew up in a tiny little town called Valdese, North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Carolina: Chapel Hill where he researched by testing the memories of rats on cocaine (legally). He then went to the University of Virginia for medical school before coming out here to Seattle. Matt spends his free time soaking in the splendor of the Cascade Mountains with his wife, drinkin’ beer, and sitting on the deck guzzling coffee, reading anything but medicine. Matt plans to stick around for another year as a Vascular Neurology Fellow here at UWMC.
Preethy Pankaj, MBBS
Preethy was born and raised in Kuwait. She earned her medical degree from India and then went on to complete her Family medicine residency at a WWAMI network program in Puyallup, WA. During her residency, she became an active member of the Stroke committee and took initiative to enhance quality of care by creating hospital-specific stroke cards. As a resident, she also had the opportunity to present at the AAN Annual Conference. For her work with the residents and medical students, she was awarded the Resident Teaching award. After residency, she continued her involvement with the Stroke committee, by giving quarterly stroke education lectures for patients and their families. During her time off, Preethy loves to spend quality time with her family, exploring new places and hopes to learn contemporary dance someday.
Amy Steinberg, MD
Amy Steinberg received her BA in English, Creative Writing from Stanford University. Upon completion of her degree, she taught 7th-grade science, worked in journalism, and later moved to Malaysia to help establish a medical school with Johns Hopkins. She then earned her medical degree with distinction from the University of California, San Francisco, where she spent a year living and working on the Navajo Nation, writing and publishing fiction, and conducting research in Stroke epidemiology and access to care. She is a current Chief Resident and will continue her interests as a Stroke Fellow at Harborview. Amy otherwise loves the Seattle music scene, short stories, skiing, and her Great Dane, Eddie.
Zeinab Birjandian, MD
Originally from Tehran, Iran, Zeinab earned her medical degree from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran before moving to Canada. She received her master’s degree in neuroscience from Western University in London, Ontario. Her research was focused on kindled rat model of epilepsy and mechanism of seizure propagation. Later she moved to northwest and worked as a researcher on clinical and basic science projects related to stroke and spinal cord injury. She spent the internship year in Virgina Tech- Carilion hospital before joining the UW Neurology program. Zeinab enjoys reading, cooking, and trying new cuisines.
Originally from the Washington D.C. area, Victoria moved out West to attend college at Stanford University and has never looked back to her native coast. She briefly worked in healthcare consulting before starting medical school at UC San Diego, where she developed an unexpected love for neurology during her third year clerkship. Later in medical school, she pursued research in stroke and neurocritical care, although she remains undifferentiated in her subspecialty interest within our field. Outside of work, Victoria is a dedicated Pacific Northwest hiker, crazy plant lady, enthusiastic kombucha home-brewer, and avid fiction reader.
Farrah completed her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University and her M.D. and M.P.H. at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has been engaged in global health research since college, and has worked in Ecuador, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Japan, and Armenia. While in medical school, she spent a research year at the C.D.C. in the Polio Eradication Branch. She enjoys trying new coffee brewing methods, exploring cuisines from around the world, running, and hiking.
Yeo Won earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and medical degree at the University of Michigan. Though she grew up in Michigan, she often returned to her hometown Seoul for volunteer work involving children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders which inspired her interest in clinical neurology. Outside of the hospital, she likes to travel and spend time with her miniature schnauzer Gourdy.
George earned his medical degree from Tufts University. During medical school he conducted research on EEG changes under anesthesia and related outcomes. He received his undergraduate degree in Neurobiology from Harvard, where he studied the zebrafish visuomotor system. Between medical school and college he created transgenic nematodes for optogenetic research and was an EMT. In his free time he hunts down novelty-flavored snacks.
Trusha was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she spent most of her life until moving to the Midwest for her undergraduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Following this, she spent a year in New York City doing research in a glioblastoma lab before returning back to the west coast for medical school at Touro University California. Trusha was thrilled to match at UW, and has truly embraced the PNW life during her time in Seattle. In her free time, she loves to spend time outside, whether it is exploring new hiking trails, spending time on our beautiful lakes, or scavenging for the best blackberries in Seattle. In addition, she is an avid baker and devout listener of true crime podcasts.
Shannon earned her medical degree at the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo after obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. Her prior research interests include autism, addiction, and medical humanities. In her free time, Shannon enjoys live music, yoga, nonmedical literature, podcasts, beer gardens, skyping her dog, and spending time outdoors.
Kyle earned his medical degree and MPH with a focus on epidemiology from Tulane University School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, Kyle obtained a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Psychology from the University of Alabama. He worked as a middle school and high school science teacher in Phoenix, AZ for four years prior to medical school. Kyle enjoys hiking, reading, drinking coffee and watching/playing sports.
Michelle grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and studied Neuroscience and Spanish at USC before attending medical school at Columbia in New York. She is excited to be exploring her third corner of the country. Her medically related interests include cognitive disorders and palliative care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys watching and performing musical theater and choral music, running, reading, cooking, and practicing her Spanish.
Noah completed his undergraduate degree in Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine. His research interests during medical school included neurofibromatosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Noah is a self-proclaimed BBQ snob and spends much of his free time exploring the amazing food scene in Seattle. He also enjoys hiking, biking, and writing.
Sung grew up for varying number of years in Korea, Japan and Scotland before coming to the US when he was 12 yrs old. After completing both an undergraduate and master’s degree in Biology at Johns Hopkins, he pursued a MD PhD dual degree at UC Irvine, where he looked at the contribution of Zinc ions to excitotoxic neurodegeneration. Academically, Sung is interested thinking about ways basic science findings can be bridged to clinical utility. His hobbies include reading Japanese comic books, Korean webtoons and some real books every now and then. These days, he enjoys spending his free time with his wife and trying very hard to earn the affection of his new cat, Taro.
Janet completed her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology at UC Berkeley and spent 2 years investigating the role of telomeres on lung fibrosis and aging. She completed her medical degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, where she studied the use of IVC filters in neurocritical care patients. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading and cooking.
Zak earned his medical degree from Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, WV. He also received his masters in medical sciences from Marshall University. His undergraduate and graduate research was primarily in breast and lung cancer although his future research interests are heavily invested in anti-aging medicine and how it pertains to neurology specifically. When not reading, he enjoys music, movies, and anything outdoors. He has also been heavily involved in Brazilian Jujitsu for the last 5 years.
Kasra completed his undergraduate degree in Neurobiology at UC Berkeley before moving across the country to complete both his MD and MPH degrees at the University of Miami. He is passionate about medical technology and its ability to facilitate increased access to care for the underserved. His research efforts during medical school were focused on mobile technology and how it can be used to aid in secondary stroke prevention in low-income communities. As a California native and lover of all things outdoors, Kasra is happy to be back on the west coast and especially in Seattle where he can pursue his hobbies such as playing soccer, tennis, and hiking. He is also an avid lover of coffee, music, and playing guitar.
Nick completed his medical training at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where his research focused on the developing brain and gestational diabetes. Prior to medical school, he spent several years working for various Seattle Biotech companies. He enjoys board games, hiking, paddle-boarding, guitar, and wood-working.
Ian earned a B.S. in Neurobiology with a minor in philosophy at the University of Washington. He attended the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he researched the neuroactive steroid epipregnanolone as well as cannabinoid use in patients with epilepsy. He enjoys history, philosophy, video games, and hanging out with his pastry chef wife and their balding chihuahua, Odoacer.
Sonya completed her undergraduate degree in Astrophysics at UC San Diego. After working as a high school physics and calculus teacher in China, she earned her medical degree through the UC San Diego PRIME Health Equity program and a Masters of Education from Harvard. Her academic pursuits focus on evidence-based educational interventions to address health equity and compassion in medicine. In her spare time, you can find Sonya biking around Seattle, doing yoga in the park, or dancing at salsa clubs. And eating all the food.
Stephan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in Biology and Statistics. He then went on to the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he discovered an interest in Neurology during his clinical years. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, beginner level hikes, video games, and being disappointed by his Indiana sports teams.
Nicholas received his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Trinity University and his MD/PhD from McGovern Medical School. His dissertation research focused on abnormal neuronal calcium signaling in fruit fly models of age-related neurodegeneration. Nicholas spends his time reading science fiction novels and books about history and economics. He also enjoys hiking, whitewater rafting, and bouldering, which he and his wife take full advantage of in the Pacific Northwest.
Jayaji earned his medical degree from New York Medical College. In medical school, he carried out research on the topic of patient-physician communication as well as on neurological manifestations of COVID-19. Prior to medical school, Jayaji obtained a B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Biology from Stanford University and worked as a clinical research coordinator with the UCSF multiple sclerosis research group. Outside of work, Jayaji enjoys golfing, watching sports of all kinds, board games, road trips, and exploring National Parks.
Meera completed her undergraduate education in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah. She went on to conduct biomedical research during a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the NIH. In the hopes of more directly impacting patient health, she went on to earn her medical degree from Kansas City University. During the course of her medical education, she also completed a pathology
John majored in Biology and English Literature at Williams College in Massachusetts, the other school whose logo is a purple and gold ‘W.’ He then spent three years in Boston studying the pathophysiology of alpha-synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies before moving to Rhode Island, where he completed his medical degree at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. At Brown, he worked on an app that detects movement disorder symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease and essential tremor. He moved to Seattle with his partner, Annie, who works in public policy. They spend their free time outside (hiking, biking, skiing, walking – you name it), cooking, reading, and watching TV.
Jamie completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Texas at Dallas. She went on to complete her medical degree and a doctorate in biomedical research at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston. There her primary research focus was in Cardiovascular Disease. Jamie enjoys volunteering, hanging out with family, friends, and her cat Abigail Bagel, kayaking and pretty much anything near the water.
