Sarah Graves, MSN, FNP-BC

Sarah
Graves
M.S.
Assistant
Neurology

Sarah Graves is a family nurse practitioner in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a position she has held since 2016. In her role, she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to manage the outpatient General Neurology patient population. She assesses, diagnoses and manages patients with a variety of neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, headache, migraine, essential tremor, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. 

Prior to her current position in the outpatient clinic, Sarah also served as a critical care nurse in the Neurology ICU at VUMC. She received her BSN at Florida Gulf Coast University, and later earned her MSN from Belmont University in 2015. 

Research Presentations

Presented at the 11th Annual Cleveland Clinic Nursing Research Conference in Aurora, OH. Balance, C., Graves, S., Harvey, M., Lucas, E., & Smith, A. (2014). Strategies for medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a system review.

Martin J. Gallagher, MD, PhD

Martin
J.
Gallagher
MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Neurology
Vice Chair
Basic Science Research

Dr. Gallagher is currently Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with a predominant clinical focus in the medical and surgical treatment of patients with epilepsy. He is board certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in three specialties, Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy Monitoring. 

Dr. Gallagher earned his BS in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1989, graduating summa cum laude. He was a visiting scholar in neurobiology at Harvard University Medical School from 1992 to 1996, and earned a PhD in molecular biophysics and an MD from Washington University in 1997. He began his postgraduate training with an internship in internal medicine at Washington University, completed a neurology residency at Washington University in 2001, and a surgical epilepsy fellowship at Washington University from 2001 to 2002. Dr. Gallagher became an instructor of Neurology at Washington University in 2001 and joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as assistant professor of Neurology in 2002 and was promoted to associate professor (tenured) in 2010.

Dr. Gallagher’s main research interest is the elucidation of the interactions between epilepsy genes and environmental factors, such as traumatic brain injury, that promote the formation of epileptic circuits and that inhibit the normal functioning of cognitive networks. He uses electrophysiological techniques coupled with advanced signal processing analyses to interrogate the networks and then employs molecular and electrical neuromodulation approaches to restore normal neurophysiological functioning. 

Dr. Gallagher earned his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1989, graduating summa cum laude. He was a visiting scholar in neurobiology at Harvard University Medical School from 1992 to 1996, and earned a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and an M.D. from Washington University in 1997. He began his postgraduate training with an internship in internal medicine at Washington University, completed a neurology residency at Washington University in 2001, and a surgical epilepsy fellowship at Washington University from 2001 to 2002. Dr. Gallagher became an instructor of Neurology at Washington University in 2001 and joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as assistant professor of Neurology in 2002.

Dr. Gallagher is board certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology in three specialties, Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy Monitoring, and he is currently an attending physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His main research interest is in the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which mutations in epilepsy genes cause disease. His predominant clinical focus is in the medical and surgical treatment of patients with epilepsy.

Kenneth J. Gaines, MD, MBA

Kenneth
J.
Gaines
MD, PhD
Professor
Clinical Neurology

Dr. Kenneth Gaines is currently Professor of Neurology specializing in stroke medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. He also is a Scholar for the Center for Health Services Research. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), American EEG Society, the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Physician Executives, in addition to numerous other professional memberships. Dr. Gaines is also currently a hospital staff neurologist for Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, LA, as well as over 30 additional hospitals via telemedicine. He is a current reviewer for Lancet Neurology and Journal for Neurological Sciences.

Dr. Gaines is the recipient of several honors and awards, including System Physician of the Year for Oschner Clinic Foundation (2010), Innovative Project of the Year for Oschner Clinic Foundation (2011), serving as a Governor-appointed Commissioner for the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (2012-2016), and an election to the Palatucci Leadership Forum for the American Academy of Neurology (2004). Throughout his career, Dr. Gaines has held positions in numerous leadership offices and committees, currently participating in the Telemedicine Work Group for the American Academy of Neurology, the Hospital Alliance of Tennessee Telemedicine Task Force, and the Tennessee Department of Health Stroke Task Force.

Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt, which began in 2015, Dr. Gaines served in a number of academic positions at institutions including the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), Wright State University, Louisiana State University, University of South Carolina, Meharry Medical College, Michigan State University, University of Tennessee, and the University of Mississippi. In addition to his academic roles, his clinical experience includes private practice, hospital staff appointments, telemedicine, and consulting neurology. 

Dr. Gaines earned his MD from the University of Tennessee, followed by his Neurology residency and a Fellowship in Neurophysiology, also at the University of Tennessee. He later earned his MBA degree from the University of Memphis.

Dr. Gaines has acted as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on dozens of clinical trials and studies throughout his career, both industry-sponsored and NIH funded. He is currently Co-Investigator for a study on rural ambulance telemedicine sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a National Principal Investigator for a C3FIT (Comprehensive, Coordinated, Collaborative, Family-focused, Integrated, Technology Enabled) Stroke Care Delivery Design Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial.

Michael Froehler, MD, PhD

Michael
Froehler
MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Neurology

As a neuro interventionalist and stroke neurologist, Dr. Froehler cares for patients with brain aneurysms, AVMs, arterial narrowing in the head and neck, and other related cerebrovascular diseases. 

Dr. Froehler obtained his MD from the University of Rochester, where he also earned a PhD in neuroscience. He then performed internship and residency in neurology at Johns Hopkins, before moving to UCLA for fellowship training in vascular neurology and then interventional neuroradiology. He then joined the faculty at the University of Iowa before coming to Vanderbilt in 2013. He is now part of the Vanderbilt Cerebrovascular Service. 

Dr. Froehler maintains an active research program, and is currently the Vanderbilt PI for the NIH-sponsored StrokeNet – a national network for clinical research in cerebrovascular disease. 

John Y. Fang, MD

John
Y.
Fang
MD
Associate Professor
Neurology

Dr. Fang is Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At Vanderbilt since 1998, Dr. Fang focuses on the treatment of early Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. He is also a staff physician at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.

From 1995-98, Dr. Fang served in the Public Health Service, working in the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Experimental Therapeutics Branch of the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, focusing on clinical studies in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Fang earned a BS degree, with Distinction, from the Pennsylvania State University in 1989 and received his MD from Jefferson Medical College in 1991. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, PA (1991-92), and performed his residency in Neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (1992-95) where he was Chief Resident.

Dr. Fang’s research interest is in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (and other movement disorders) and in particular conducting clinical trials to delay the progression to disability in neurodegenerative conditions. Through a combination of local and international studies, his research work is geared towards identifying early interventions that may lessen disability over time.  Additionally, identification of markers of disease and disease severity may allow simpler studies to be done at lower cost. Studying the use of these technologies may allow better diagnostic accuracy and better treatments over time.

Wiaam Falouji, MBBS

Wiaam
Falouji
MBBS
Assistant Professor
Clinical Neurology

Dr. Wiaam Falouji is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She diagnoses and manages patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings with a full range of neurological disorders, including ADD, ADHD, headaches, dementia, seizure disorders, stroke, neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, and disorders of the spine. Performs and interprets electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction studies, and interprets electroencephalogram (EEG). She regularly presents lectures in the academic neurology/medical setting, as well as for the general public. 

Prior to her appointment at Vanderbilt, Dr. Falouji worked as a private practice neurologist. She completed her Neurology residency, serving as chief resident her final year, at George Washington University. Subsequently, she completed a fellowship in Neurophysiology (with a focus on EEG/EMG) at the University of Mississippi. 

Holly Hasty, MSN

Holly
Hasty
MSN
Nursing Staff
Neurology

Holly Dunn is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her practice specializes in outpatient Stroke and General Neurology. She is an active member of the American Society of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Association for Psychological Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Prior to her current position, Holly worked as a nurse practitioner in outpatient pain management, and has nursing experience in several other clinical areas. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, completing the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Accelerated Program, and fulfilling preceptorships in Neurosurgery ICU, Surgical ICU, the Neurosurgery Spinal Team, and the Neurosurgery Brain Tumor Team. She received her BS in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA). 

Logan Dumitrescu, PhD

Logan
Caneel
Dumitrescu
PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Neurology

Dr. Logan Dumitrescu is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a faculty member of the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, and the co-leader of the Computational Neurogenomics Team with Dr. Timothy Hohman. As a computational geneticist focused on the characterization of common genetic variants that influence common diseases and phenotypes, Dr. Dumitrescu also serves as a collaborator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Dumitrescu earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University and continued her training at Vanderbilt, where she earned an M.S. in Applied Statistics and a Ph.D. in Human Genetics. Dr. Dumitrescu joined the VUMC faculty in 2018.

Leveraging her training as a computational geneticist with expertise in applied statistics, Dr. Dumitrescu employs advanced statistical approaches to identify genetic drivers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related traits with the goal of uncovering novel treatment targets for AD. She has led numerous multi-institutional, large-scale genetic analyses of AD and cognitive aging leveraging biomarker, cognitive, neuroimaging, and ‘omic data sources to identify molecular drivers of disease. 

Dr. Dumitrescu’s primary area of focus is the sex-specific genetic architecture of AD endophenotypes. Of the more than five million people in the United States afflicted with this disease, two-thirds are women. Women with AD have more neuropathology than men with AD, have more severe cognitive symptoms, and more severe neurodegeneration, suggesting that the disease affects male and female brains in different ways. The Dumitrescu’s central hypothesis is that certain genetic factors act in a sex-specific manner to drive the presentation and progression of AD. Using this framework, her team performs sex-aware analyses to identify the degree to which sex-specific genetic associations contribute to variance in AD endophenotypes, including cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, neuropathology, and cognitive changes. Elucidation of the sex-specific genetic architecture of AD endophenotypes will help clarify the underlying pathways that contribute to AD risk and could be a critical step toward personalized interventions for AD.

In addition, Dr. Dumitrescu is particularly interested in resilience to AD. Approximately 30% of older adults have all of the neuropathological features of AD (plaques and tangles), but never show clinical symptoms. That is, they are able to endure substantial brain injury without displaying memory or cognitive difficulties. Dr. Dumitrescu has helped developed a phenotype to define and identify these resilient individuals and is applying advanced genomic and proteomic approaches to characterize the molecular drivers of resilience. Dr. Dumitrescu’s overall research goal is to move the field toward precision interventions and provide a sex-aware analytical framework by which the genetic architecture of AD risk and resilience can be comprehensively explored.

Joy Derwenskus, DO

Joy
Derwenskus
DO
Director
Vanderbilt Women’s Neurology Clinic
Associate Professor
Clinical Neurology

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Joy Derwenskus is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and head of the General Neurology Division since joining the faculty in 2019. Her primary clinical interests are in general neurology and headache, and she regularly administers botox for the treatment of migraines. She manages patients at both the One Hundred Oaks Clinic and The Vanderbilt Clinic, while also managing patients with Multiple Sclerosis and other related conditions at the Vanderbilt MS Center at Green Hills. Dr. Derwenskus has a strong interest in women’s neurology, especially as it relates to headaches and MS.

Dr. Derwenskus is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. She also works closely with the National MS Society and served as the chairperson of the Healthcare Provider Council for the society’s Mid-South chapter. She regularly engages in clinical trials, both grant- and industry-sponsored. Her publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and invited review articles. Throughout her career, Dr. Derwenskus has presented and lectured on MS regionally and nationally. She engages in teaching activities for medical students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and classroom environments. She is certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Prior to her appointment at Vanderbilt, Dr. Derwenskus worked as a private practice neurologist in Tennessee before transitioning back to academic medicine. She was on faculty at Northwestern University for ten years as part of the comprehensive MS program. In that time, she served as the Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship Director and Acting Director of the Women’s Neurology Center.

Dr. Derwenskus received her fellowship training in Multiple Sclerosis at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis in New York. In 2005, she earned a Master of Science in clinical research, also from Mount Sinai. Prior to her fellowship, she completed her Neurology residency at Case Western Reserve University following a preliminary internship year at Northwestern University. She earned her DO from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (Des Moines University). She completed her undergraduate degree at Hope College (Holland, MI), and earned a Master of Arts in physiology from Ball State University (Muncie, IN).

A Midwestern native, Dr. Derwenskus stays busy with her twins and enjoys traveling and experiencing the world.

Thomas L. Davis, MD

Thomas
L.
Davis
MD
Vice Chair
Research
Division Chief
Movement Disorders
Judith Payne Turner Chair, Professor
Parkinson’s Research

Dr. Davis specializes in the treatment of movement disorders and has been a member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology since 1990. In addition to maintaining his clinical research activities and teaching responsibilities, he is currently director of the Division of Movement Disorders, Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, an attending physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a staff neurologist at the Nashville Veterans Administration Hospital.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Phi Beta Kappa, the Sandoz award, and the Vanderbilt Neurology Resident Teaching Award in 2004 and 2011. He is a frequently invited speaker and has served on numerous review boards and NIH study sections.

Dr. Davis earned a B.A. in Chemistry in 1981 from the College of Wooster. He attended the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Mississippi where he earned a M.D. in 1985. He completed an internship at University of Mississippi followed by residency at Vanderbilt University where he served as chief resident in Neurology in 1981. He then completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropharmacology at the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland before returning to Vanderbilt to join the faculty in the Department of Neurology in 1991.

Dr. Davis’ research is patient-oriented and primarily involves various aspects of Parkinson's disease including outcomes research, markers of disease progression, and experimental therapeutics. The Division of Movement Disorders is actively involved with clinical trials in Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease, Wilson’s disease, Tourette syndrome, essential tremor, spasticity and dystonia.