Overview
I am a surgeon-scientist specialized in the treatment of epilepsy and movement disorders. My laboratory conducts basic and translational neuroscience research on cortical inhibitory circuits. We are interested in 1) understanding the cellular design of inhibitory circuits in mice and humans, and, 2) advancing interneuron transplantation as a therapeutic strategy for inhibitory circuit repair.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
·
2025 - Present
Neurosurgery,
Neurosurgery
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
·
2019 - Present
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences,
University Institutes and Centers
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology
·
2022 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Associate Professor in Pathology
·
2025 - Present
Pathology,
Clinical Science Departments
Associate Professor in Neurology
·
2025 - Present
Neurology, Neurocritical Care,
Neurology
Associate Research Professor in Neurobiology
·
2025 - Present
Neurobiology,
Basic Science Departments
Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
·
2021 - Present
Duke Regeneration Center,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Scholarly Works
A guide to neuromodulation in drug-resistant epilepsy.
Journal article Epileptic Disord · August 2026 Neuromodulation is approved for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. It has been increasingly utilized over the past two decades with the approval of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) in addition to vagus nerve stimula ... Full text Link to item CiteShared latent representations of speech production for cross-patient speech decoding.
Journal article Nat Commun · July 16, 2026 Speech brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can restore communication in individuals with neuromotor disorders who are unable to speak. However, current speech BCIs limit patient usability and successful deployment by requiring large volumes of patient-specifi ... Full text Link to item CiteThalamic interictal epileptic and non-epileptic events during NREM sleep in patients with focal epilepsy: a Stereo-EEG study.
Journal article EBioMedicine · June 2026 BACKGROUND: Thalamic recordings are increasingly incorporated into stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) evaluations of drug-resistant focal epilepsy to guide neuromodulation targeting. Human thalamic electrophysiology, however, is poorly defined, limiting ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
A Study of Inhibitory Interneurons (NRTX1001) for the Treatment of Drug-resistant Bilateral Temporal Lobe Focal Seizures
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Neurona Therapeutics, Inc · 2024 - 2039A First-in-human (FIH), Multicenter, Open Label, Single Arm, Dose Escalation Study of Inhibitory Interneurons (NRTX-1001) in Drug-Resistant Unilateral Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (MTLE)
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Neurona Therapeutics, Inc · 2022 - 2036exPDite-2: A Phase 3 Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neuronal Cell Therapy (Bemdaneprocel) for Participants With Parkinson's Disease
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by BlueRock Therapeutics LP · 2026 - 2032View All Grants
Education
University of California, San Francisco ·
2011
M.D.
University of California, San Francisco ·
2009
Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ·
2001
B.S.