Dr. Shawniqua Williams Roberson is an epileptologist and clinical neurophysiologist with dual appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Her focus of work lies at the intersection of clinical neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, engineering and critical care. With advanced training in electrical engineering and computer science, Dr. Williams Roberson utilizes biophysical signal processing for the study and treatment of neurologic disease. Her clinical interests concentrate on the evaluation and management of refractory epilepsy, critical illness encephalopathy and related neurological disorders, with an emphasis on their cognitive and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. 

Dr. Williams Roberson has served on a number of boards and committees throughout her career, currently serving on the American Academy of Neurology Guidelines and Meeting Management subcommittees, the editorial board of Neurology Today, the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and Eastern Tennessee and the VUMC Early Career Physician Council. She is a regularly invited presenter and lecturer in both academic and professional settings, and has served as a reviewer for such peer-reviewed publications as Chest, JAMA and Neurology, among several others. She is board certified in both Neurology and Epilepsy. 

Dr. Williams Roberson completed her Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She later earned her MD with Honors in Research at Weill Cornell Medical College, during which she had the privilege of participating in the Consortium for the Advanced Study of Brain Injury under the guidance of Dr. Nicholas Schiff. Her primary research initiative involved the study of neurophysiologic signals underlying chronic disorders of consciousness. This work was funded through the Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (PI: Dr. Barry Coller). She subsequently pursued residency training at Johns Hopkins, where she worked with Dr. Barry Gordon investigating EEG signal properties of acute coma. She went on to complete a clinical neurophysiology fellowship with specialization in epilepsy at University of Pennsylvania, where, under the guidance of Dr. Brian Litt, she used high gamma activity measurements in intracranial electroencephalography to probe the neuronal activation patterns associated with verbal fluency, a common neurocognitive assessment task. Dr. Williams Roberson then pursued a postdoctoral translational research fellowship at the Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics at University of Pennsylvania, during which she undertook a number of projects, including a collaboration with other clinicians and engineering graduate students to develop a platform for automated, real-time ICU physiologic data monitoring, signal processing and caretaker notification. 

Prior to her appointment at Vanderbilt, Dr. Williams Roberson worked as a Clinical Instructor at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Derek Riebau is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

Dr. Riebau graduated with a BS from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1997 and earned his MD from the University of Wisconsin Medical School at Madison in 2001. He completed his internship with the department of Medicine at Evanston Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. At Vanderbilt University, he completed his residency with the department of Neurology in 2005 and served as the Chief Resident of Neurology from 2004-2005. Subsequently, he completed a Vascular Neurology fellowship in 2007 and is currently on faculty in the Stroke division.

In addition to his clinical activities, Dr. Riebau has been heavily involved in education where his roles have included co-director of the Medical Neuroscience Course and director of the Neurology Clerkship in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and co-director of the Neuroscience for Mental Health Practitioners Course in the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.  He has received numerous awards and honors for his teaching, including twice recipient of the Shovel Award given by the graduating medical school class to the faculty member they identify as having the most positive and meaningful influence on their education. 

Nicole Poirier is an ANCC Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, specializing in Sleep Medicine. She was awarded faculty appointment to the VUMC School of Medicine’s Neurology department in January 2018 as an Advanced Practice Provider. She has been an active member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine since 2019. She has taken special interest in assisting pediatric and adult patients optimize their treatment of sleep apnea through the CPAP Success Clinic. Nicole lives in South Williamson County with her husband, Jonathan, and their two children James and Ada Rose. She enjoys working out, cooking, gardening and being active in the outdoors with her family.

She began her career in healthcare as an RN in 2008 after earning her undergraduate degree in nursing at Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. In May 2011 she was the recipient of the Award for Professional Nursing Clinical Excellence presented by Regional Cooperative for Professional Nurses. With eight years of experience as a registered nurse and a background in emergency nursing, Nicole earned her Master’s of Science in Nursing from Lincoln Memorial University Caylor School of Nursing in Knoxville, TN in 2016. She was invited to serve as a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society in 2015-2016.

Dr. Fenna Phibbs is currently Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) specializing in movement disorders and deep brain stimulation (DBS). She focuses on DBS and its applications in various movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, tremor, and dystonia.

Dr. Phibbs began her career at Vanderbilt in 2003 as a Neurology resident, and in 2007 she completed a fellowship in movement disorders with a focus on DBS. She joined the Neurology faculty as Assistant Professor, and completed her MPH thereafter. She graduated with a BS in biology from the Colorado State University in 1996. In 2002, Dr. Phibbs received her MD from the University of Colorado, where she also completed an internship year.

Dr. Amanda Peltier is a Professor of Neurology and Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she serves as the Associate Vice Chair of Academic Affairs and Division Chief for the department’s Neuromuscular division. She holds certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Neurology), the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Neuromuscular Medicine), and the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties (Autonomic Disorders).

She is an active member, serving in several leadership capacities, of a number of professional organizations including the American Academy of Neurology, American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American Autonomic Society, American Diabetes Association, Peripheral Nerve Society, and American Neurology Association.

Dr. Peltier’s research, part of the Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center, focuses on Peripheral Neuropathy, Diabetic Neuropathy, Amyloid Neuropathy, autonomic disorders, and identification of secondary endpoints for clinical trials in Neuropathy. Her work has been published in such journals as Neurology, Journal of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Medicine, Muscle and Nerve, among others. She is also the primary investigator for a skin biopsy biomarker trial in CIDP, and several trials in ALS and myasthenia gravis.

Dr. Peltier completed a Clinical EMG/Neuromuscular Disorders fellowship, as well as a Clinical Research fellowship at the University of Michigan, where she also completed her residency in Neurology. She earned her M.D. at Ohio State University, later earning an M.S. in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the University of Michigan. She earned her B.A. in Classics and Biology from Denison University, where she graduated summa cum laude.

Dr. Siddharama Pawate is currently Associate Professor of Neurology specializing in neuroimmunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is the director of the neuroimmunology fellowship program.

Dr. Pawate first came to VUMC in July 2006 as a clinical fellow in neuroimmunology, and joined the faculty in July 2009 as assistant professor in the Department of Neurology. He is a graduate of Karnatak Medical College, Hubli, India. He completed his internship at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY in 2000 and his Neurology residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC in 2006, where he was the chief resident in 2005-2006.

Dr. Nobis is a board-certified epileptologist, licensed to practice medicine in Tennessee with certifications in Neurology and Epilepsy from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He joined Vanderbilt as a faculty member in the Epilepsy division in September 2018.

Dr. Nobis graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University in 2000 and then completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at Vanderbilt University in 2011 where he earned both his M.D. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. He did his internship and residency in Neurology at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he served as chief resident in 2015.  He subsequently completed an Epilepsy fellowship at Northwestern in 2017. 

Dr. Harold Moses is currently Associate Professor of Neurology, specializing in Neuroimmunology, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

In 1999 Dr. Moses joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University as assistant professor of Neurology, and in 2011, he became an associate professor. 

Dr. Moses earned his undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of North Carolina, graduating with honors in 1985. He received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in 1993, and began his post-graduate training at the university as a medical intern in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Moses then completed a residency at the Mayo Clinic in the Department of Neurology in 1997, and came to Vanderbilt University as a Neurology instructor/fellow. 

Dr. Karl Misulis is a neurologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in Hospital Neurology. He is currently Professor of Clinical Neurology and Director of the Neurology Hospitalist service. He has a secondary appointment as Professor of Clinical Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Misulis teaches medical students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and non-clinical environments.

Dr. Misulis is board certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, certified in Clinical Informatics by the American Board of Preventative Medicine, and certified in EEG by the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Misulis has published more than 20 books, some translated into multiple languages. He has taught medicine around the world, working directly with physicians on four continents, and lecturing on six.

He received a BSc From Queen's University, Canada, majoring in Life Sciences. He subsequently received a MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a PhD in Physiology from State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse. He was Resident and then Chief Resident in Neurology at Vanderbilt. After a fellowship in neurophysiology, he joined the Vanderbilt faculty practicing general neurology and researching nerve regeneration and brain tumor biology.

Dr. Misulis transitioned to West Tennessee Healthcare where he was a hospital neurologist and Chief Medical Information Officer, while retaining his faculty appointment at Vanderbilt. He has returned to full-time practice at Vanderbilt University Hospital in his current roles. 

Dr. Misulis has published more than 20 medical books, including these, since 2000.

• Zimmerman E, Samuels MA, Kirshner HS, Misulis KE: Neurologic Localization and Diagnosis: How Neurologists Think. Elsevier, Philadelphia. In prep for Q1 2021.
• Abou-Khalil BA, Sonmezturk H, Ess K, Misulis KE, Atlas of EEG, Seizure Semiology, and Management. Oxford University Press In prep Q4 2020.
• Frisse ME, Misulis KE, Essentials of Clinical Informatics. Oxford University Press, 2019.
• Misulis KE, Murray EL, Essentials of Hospital Neurology. Oxford University Press 2017.
• Misulis KE, Head TC; Netter’s Concise Neurology. Updated edition. Elsevier, Philadelphia 2017.
• Misulis KE; Atlas of EEG, Seizure Semiology, and Management. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press 2013. With Bassel Abou-Khalil
• Misulis KE, Head TC; Netter’s Guide to Clinical Neurology. Elsevier, Philadelphia 2007.
• Abou-Khalil B, Misulis KE, Atlas of EEG & Seizure Semiology, Elsevier, Philadelphia, 2005
• Misulis KE; Review Manual for Neurology in Clinical Practice 4th edition. Elsevier, Philadelphia 2004
• Misulis KE, Head TC: Essentials of Clinical Neurophysiology. 3rd ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston 2002
• Shevlin B, Misulis KE, Samuels M: Shared Care in Neurology. Martin- Dunitz, London 2001

Dr. Michael McLean has been Associate Professor of Neurology, specializing in epilepsy, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center since 1993. His current efforts include use of acupuncture to treat neurological conditions and pain.

From 1989 – 1993 and from 2016 to the present, Dr. McLean also has worked in the Department of Neurology at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville. Since 2016, he has established clinics specializing in the care of veterans with traumatic brain injuries and in acupuncture. He maintains an epilepsy clinic and is developing a neuro-acupuncture clinic in collaboration with Anesthesiology/Pain at Vanderbilt under the guidance of Dr. Dane Chetkovich and Dr. David Edwards.

Dr. McLean earned a BA in Biology from University of Chicago in 1970, and received his PhD in Physiology in 1976 and his MD in 1978 from University of Virginia and University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. McLean then pursued postdoctoral studies with Dr. Nick Sperelakis in the Department of Physiology at University of Virginia, and served an internship and his first year of residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University from 1978 – 1980. In 1983 he completed his residency in Neurology at University of Michigan Hospitals. Dr. McLean was instructor of Neurology, then assistant professor of Neurology at University of Michigan Medical Center from 1983 – 1985. During those years he also studied antiepileptic drug mechanisms of action under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Macdonald. He then joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he continued laboratory and clinical investigations of antiepileptic drugs and studied potential therapeutic effects of magnetic fields on neurons in cell culture and animal seizure models until 2010. Since then he has concentrated on clinical efforts.