People

Bridget Ostrem is a pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist. She completed her M.D. and Ph.D. at UCSF in the laboratory of Arnold Kriegstein, residency in Pediatric Neurology in the Partners Neurology Program in Boston, Massachusetts, and fellowship in Women's Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Bridget is the recipient of an NIH Director's New Innovator Award. She takes care of babies, children, adolescents, and young adults with neurological problems in the clinic and in the hospital at UCSF. Bridget enjoys running, cooking, and spending time at Ocean Beach and in Golden Gate Park with her partner and two children.

Madison Klaus is a radiology nurse at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri and spent over a decade working in neonatal and pediatric critical care at children's hospitals across the country. This included time as a critical care neonatal and pediatric transport nurse. Her current work focuses on infant brain imaging, particularly on helping babies complete MRI scans safely and successfully without sedation. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with her two cats.

Anayeli is a medical student at UCSF and a graduate of Fresno State University, where she earned her B.S. in Biology. Her research focuses on identifying and optimizing neuroprotective medications in preterm infants to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes. Before medical school, she worked in a pediatric clinic in California’s Central Valley, where she developed a deep interest in caring for medically complex children with limited treatment options. Her other academic interests include maternal health, farmworker health, and immigrant health. Outside of medicine, she enjoys baking and spending time with her three cats.

Audrey Hernando earned a B.S. in Biology from Sonoma State University. She supports ongoing clinical research focused on pediatric neurological disorders, including the first interventional trial for white matter injury of prematurity (WRAP) and ASPIRE, a phase 3 clinical trial evaluating a novel therapeutic for pediatric patients with Angelman syndrome. She is passionate about working with patients and families to advance research that improves quality of life and treatment options. Outside of work, she enjoys pilates, dance and discovering new bakeries.

Thanussh is from Broomfield, Colorado, and earned a B.A. in Cognitive Science and Molecular & Cell Biology: Neurobiology from the University of California, Berkeley. As an undergraduate, he conducted his honors thesis in the Mucke Lab at UCSF’s Gladstone Institute, where he studied the role of cortical interneurons in epilepsy. His academic interests include surgery, pediatric and neonatal healthcare, and neuroscience. Outside of academics, Thanussh enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors.

Lena Odell graduated from Connecticut College in May 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. Her academic interests include behavioral neuroscience, biopsychology, immunochemistry, and psychological disorders and dysfunctions. Outside of academia, Lena enjoys spending time with her rescue dog, Elijah, reading and writing poetry, and outdoor activities with her friends and family.

Sophia is an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley studying Public Health and Gender & Women's Studies. Sophia loves learning about medicine and social justice, and is particularly invested in making healthcare more equitable for and accessible to all women, children, and newborns. In her free time, Sophia loves crafting pottery, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family.

Tiffany Ho is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology with a focus on Neurobiology. She holds a deep passion for research and hopes to pursue graduate and medical degrees in neuroscience and neurology. Outside of school, Tiffany enjoys singing, piano, volleyball, weight lifting, hiking, and exploring the Bay Area.

Trung received his BS in Microbiology from UC Davis in 2001. He joined Dr. Samuel Pleasure's lab at UCSF in 2007 as a lab manager and has since expanded to managing the laboratories of Drs. Stephen Fancy, Jonah Chan, Ari Green, and Bridget Ostrem. Over the course of time in the Pleasure lab he has worked with graduate students and post-docs on various projects focusing on forebrain development. Currently, he is part of a collaborative effort to identify novel auto-antibodies that contribute in non-infectious autoimmune encephalitis within the UCSF Center for Next-Gen Precision Medicine Diagnostics. He has previously been a lab manager for Dr. Noelle L'toile and Hwai-Jong Cheng labs at the Center for Neuroscience, UC Davis and as an EH&S technician at UNLV.