Ahmed is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his medical degree and a clinical intern year, he joined the department to pursue his interests in neuro-oncology, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neuroendovascular surgery.
Bio: Arti is a pre-medical undergraduate (Class of 2026) at the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Neuroscience and Economics. She is passionate about biotechnology, medicine, and entrepreneurship, with a particular interest in leveraging technological
Erin is an MD-PhD student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Erin is an M3, and in her second year of her PhD where her thesis work explores the genetic drivers of glioblastoma. Upon completing her doctoral studies, Erin aspires to pursue a research-oriented career
Jaeha Kim is a research specialist in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania. He supports clinical and translational research focused on endovascular techniques and neurovascular disease. His interests include outcomes research, imaging analysis,
Lucas Milgrim is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania from Long Island, New York. He is studying Biology with a minor in Hispanic Studies on the pre-med track, and has a strong interest in neurology
Luis (Lucho) Tierradentro, MD, is a radiology resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Neiva, Colombia, he completed his medical training at Universidad del Rosario.
Michelle is a senior at University of Pennsylvania pursuing a biochemistry degree. She is pre-med and her interests lie in neurology and cardiology. She has played the violin for over fifteen years, and you can catch her reading when outside the classroom.
Nathan is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania studying Biology and Fine Arts. His academic interests lie in neurosurgery, particularly in how translational research can advance surgical practice and patient outcomes.
Om's research passions center on developing better approaches to diagnose, monitor, and treat nervous system tumors and neurovascular disease. As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania,
Sami Almasri is a third-year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland with a strong interest in both neurosurgery and radiology. He is an academic author with a deep passion for innovating clinical research and translating scientific discovery into meaningful improvements in patient care.
Sarah Hamimi is a third-year medical student at Penn. She grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and earned her B.S. and M.S. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, where she studied the pathophysiology of chronic pain in cerebral palsy. In her free time, she enjoys playing squash, watching Formula 1, and building 3D models.
Sarah J. Snyder is originally from Palo Alto, California and received her BS in Biology at Duke University. While at Duke she was a captain of the Duke Women's Swim and Dive Team, as well as an Olympic Trials Qualifier. She is currently an MD candidate at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Philadelphia and is an aspiring neurosurgeon.
I’m a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying neuroscience and healthcare management on the pre-med track. My research interests include leveraging machine learning to enhance cerebrovascular imaging analysis and developing approaches for delivering high-quality neurosurgical care in a cost-efficient manner. In my free time, I love to hike, cook, and play with my dogs!
Warda is a final year medical student at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan. She has a strong interest in pursuing neurosurgery and will be graduating in November 2025. After graduation, she aspires to work with the lab as a postdoctoral research fellow to further her interests in cerebrovascular neurosurgery, neurosurgical oncology, neurosurgical trauma, and global neurosurgery.
Hiba Imad is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania studying neuroscience. She is on the premed track, and her interests in research are to develop lab skills in manuscript writing and data collection. Hiba has a deep passion for serving her Pakistani community, so outside of the lab she volunteers at her local masjid and helps tutors kids in STEM subjects. She also enjoys running and reading novels in her free time.
Aaron Anandarajah is a first-year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in neuroscience and minors in healthcare management and chemistry in 2024 with research interests in neuroscience, TBI, and neurosurgery. Outside the lab, he loves watching movies, playing soccer, and trying new restaurants.
Suraj Dumasia is an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 2028), pursuing a major in Neuroscience and minors in Health Care Management, South Asian Studies, and Chemistry. His research experience includes endovascular neurosurgical outcomes, barriers to surgical access at the Aravind Eye Hospital in India, contributions to clinical case reports and literature reviews,
Dr Abdullah Feroze is a neurosurgeon at Children’s National Hospital and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at George Washington University. He specializes in the care of children and adults with complex neurosurgical conditions with particular interest in cerebrovascular disorders.
Adriana L. Castano, DNP, APN, ACNP-BC, RNFA, is a board-certified Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of clinical and leadership experience spanning neurosurgery, critical care, and acute care. She currently serves as Clinical Manager of Neurosurgery and Neurology Advanced Practice Providers at Penn Medicine – Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, where she leads clinical operations, strategic initiatives, and the development of advanced practice teams.
Adriana has enjoys advancing quality, safety, and interdisciplinary collaboration in high-acuity settings.
Dallas is an endovascular neurosurgery surgery scheduler and a nursing student at la salle university in Philadelphia, where he is an active member of the student nursing association program. He is currently mentoring the sophomore cohort, guiding them through their studies and helping them adjust to the nursing program. His career goal is to work as a medical-surgical and intensive care nurse before advancing his education to earn a doctorate in nurse anesthesia. Outside of academics, Dallas enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and discovering new restaurants.
Katherine Wei is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania on the pre-med track studying Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Healthcare Management while also pursuing an Accelerated Master's in Bioengineering. Her research interests lie at the intersection of neurosurgery and cardiology. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, painting, watching F1, and learning cardistry.
Akarsh Gandagari is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania studying Neuroscience with a minor in Healthcare Management. He is originally from Sacramento, California and his research interests include neuroscience, surgery, genetics, and health policy.
Mackenzie Castellanos grew up in Indiana and earned her BS in Neuroscience from Indiana University. She is now a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, currently taking a dedicated year between her third and fourth years to pursue a Master’s in Translational Research. Her research interests focus on neural repair and operative outcomes. Outside of medicine, she enjoys playing intramural soccer and running.
Nicholas Gaston is a Post-Baccalaureate student at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Philosophy from Pacific Lutheran University. Originally from Mililani, Hawaii, Nicholas is interested in surgery, healthcare policy, and clinical outcomes research.
William Lee graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024 with a degree in Computational Biology and a minor in Chemistry. He is currently a Research Specialist in Dr. Andrew Richardson’s Lab, where he works on the development of brain–computer interfaces and investigates the neural basis of somatosensation and sleep modulation in both humans and rats.
Mikaeel joined the Choudhri Lab in 2024 and is a current medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine interested in pursuing neurosurgery. His background includes translational research in traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic epilepsy, and neuromodulation, as well as clinical research in cerebrovascular neurosurgery from his time at the Moyamoya Center, Kinderspital Zürich in Switzerland.
