The Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 North Wolfe Street
Phipps 446
Baltimore, MD 21287
Alumni
Alexandra Walker, MHS, BA
Alex received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Duquesne University and her Master of Health Science in Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Current projects include examining the feasibility of using electronic communications to augment the care of patients with mood disorders, and investigating how passive data gathered via wearable devices can generate transdiagnostic digital phenotypes to inform the treatment outcome of major mood disorders. She has previously assisted in the neurology department studying language performance over time in conjunction with neuroimaging, longitudinal changes to language processing and emotional prosody following stroke, and FLAIR hyperintense vessel rating to predict deficits and penumbra in acute stroke.
Ana Lopez, BS, MD
Ana Lopez graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2020. She worked with Dr. Johansen during the summer as part of the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research project involves comparing the outcomes and time to treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular therapy based on the presence of atrial fibrillation.
Avi Liu
Avi Liu is an undergraduate student pursuing a BS in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. She is a research assistant in the Johansen Lab, primarily working on the NOMINATE study on atrial fibrillation and dementia. Prior to joining the Johansen Lab, she worked on research projects studying the effects of potential antibody treatments of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, as well as a longitudinal study on the role of pituitary hormone deficiency in post-COVID fatigue.
Colin Stein, BS
Colin Stein graduated with honors from Siena College with a BA in Psychology. Upon graduating, he took on several roles in the Department of Neurology of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. At Hopkins, Colin served as a laboratory manager of the Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Recovery (S.C.O.R.E.) lab under Dr. Argye Hillis and research assistant to Dr. Michelle Johansen. Colin now works with Dr. Edward Huey in the Taub Institute at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he manages clinical trials involving pharmacological symptom management of neurodegenerative disease.
Daniel Larsen
Daniel Larsen is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Visual Arts. Originally from Michigan, Daniel’s work as a certified nursing assistant shaped his interest in making clinical care, specifically palliative care, more compassionate and patient centered. Daniel is especially curious about how perception, memory, and aesthetics converge in the brain, and hopes to explore how neuroaesthetics can improve patient care in the future
Daniel Mousavi, BS, MD Candidate
Daniel Mousavi is a medical student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and a Neuroengineering graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. He graduated with Honors from Johns Hopkins University, earning a B.S. in Neuroscience and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Prior to his work on the NOMINATE Study, he worked for 4 years with Dr. Jennifer McQuade at the MD Anderson Cancer Center studying how a high fiber diet affects the gut microbiome of melanoma patients. He is most proud of his work directing Science Olympiad tournaments for Baltimore students, impacting over 10,000 students in 4 years. Daniel is currently applying to medical school. His ultimate goal is to one day serve as a physician for the first human settlements on Mars.
David Zhao, MD
David Zhao graduated from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2024 and is now completing Ophthalmology residency at the Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary. Through the Scholarly Concentrations program at the school of medicine, he worked on a clinical research project investigating the association between atrial cardiopathy and cerebral microbleeds with Dr. Johansen.
Emma Gootee, MS
Emma Gootee is a Research Coordinator with the Division of Cerebrovascular Neurology at Johns Hopkins University. She was a former Lead Research Coordinator for the Johansen Lab and is the Lead Coordinator for the DISCOVERY study's Cognitive Core. Emma received her MS in Global Health from Kings College London. While working with the Johansen Lab, Emma led a number of projects which focused on understanding the brain heart connection in acute stroke patients and post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia. Prior to joining the Johansen Lab, Emma's research focused on brain injury in low- and middle-income countries. She is now currently pursuing her MBA at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.
Jing Wang, BS, MHS
Jing was the previous Lead Research Coordinator for the Johansen Lab. Jing received her MHS in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focused on stroke etiology and its associated embolic risk factors, as well as the neural mechanisms of human cognition after brain damage. She is passionate about clinical and epidemiological research and data analysis. Jing took the lead on the DACTs study of left atrial shape and pattern in acute ischemic stroke patients and the NOMINATE study of atrial fibrillation and dementia.
Jonathan Yao, BS, MD Candidate
Jonathan is a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. During his time at Hopkins, he served the campus community as an EMT for the Hopkins Emergency Response Organization. Before joining Johansen Lab, Jonathan worked for Zhao Labs doing olfactory epithelium research. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys playing the piano for seniors at assisted living centers.
Manasi Prashant, BS, MD Candidate
Manasi Prashant is a former Research Assistant in the Johansen Lab. Manasi is a She recently graduated with Honors from Johns Hopkins University with a BS in Neuroscience with a focus in Systems Neuroscience and minored in the Writing Seminars. She is passionate about neurological research, specifically in the areas of neurodegenerative disorders, cognition, dementia, and clinical patient interaction. Manasi is a current second year medical student at UMD, hoping to continue her passion for biology and patient care.
Meghna Kommu, BS
Meghna graudated with Honors from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Neuroscience with minor in applied math and statistics. She is a trained dancer and dance for a Hopkins dance team. She is an advocate at Hopkins Community Connection. In her free time, she loves to paint.
Mya Watson, BS, MD Candidate
Mya Watson is a second-year medical student at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with degrees in Neuroscience and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Originally from South Florida, Mya has developed a fascination with the intricate relationship between the brain and other vital organs and uncovering the complicated mysteries of the brain. She is passionate about neurology and cognitive neuroscience.
Nicholas Daneshvari, MD
Nick Daneshvari is a psychiatry resident at Mass General & McLean hoping to utilize his neurologcal background to help understand psychiatric diseases. During medical school at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he began working with Dr. Johansen in his first year, hoping to explore cerebrovascular neurology. His primary work involved analyzing brain MRIs in order to understand how the volumes of ischemic strokes correlated with various stroke etiologies, in order to potentially aid in acute stroke decision making. He has also assisted with other projects, such as with writing a literature review on reperfusion therapies for acute stroke in patients with comorbid heart disease.
Royce H. Kwon, MD, MS, BA
Royce Kwon is currently general surgery resident and earned his MD from the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine. He began working with Dr. Johansen in the summer of 2020 as part of the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research project involves looking into how the pre-morbid functional status of an ischemic stroke patient affects their post-stroke recovery, independent of stroke severity.
Samantha Lee, MMSc BS, BA
Samantha Lee is a Johns Hopkins University alumna, where she earned degrees in Neuroscience and Sociology, and she holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) from Brown University. She is currently a Research Program Administrator at Beth Israel Lahey Health, where she supports clinical research initiatives. She is originally from San Jose, CA and loves to row in her free time. As she explores potential career trajectories, she plans to utilize her experience in the Johansen Lab to sculpt her career in medicine and public health.