Think Neuro

Courtney Voelker, MD, PhD (DPhil Oxon), is a Rhodes Scholar and board certified neurotologist. She is Director of Otology/Neurotology-Lateral Skull Base Surgery; and Director of the Adult & Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. She is an otolaryngology – head & neck surgeon who takes care of adult and pediatric patients seeing a wide range of inner ear and skull base conditions. A Super Doctor Rising Star award recipient, she is committed to offering top quality, compassionate care to all her patients.


Prior to joining PNI, Dr. Voelker was at USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC as Division Chief of Otology, Neurotology and Lateral Skull Base Surgery, and the Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She has conducted leading-edge research on the physiology and diseases of the inner ear at Brown University, the University of Oxford, Washington University in St. Louis, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


Dr. Voelker has authored numerous research publications and textbook chapters in her field. She is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and the American Neurotologic Society.

Dr. Voelker graduated with Honors from Brown University and earned her medical degree from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. As a Rhodes Scholar she earned her PhD from the University of Oxford in developmental neurobiology. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Washington University (Barnes-Jewish Hospital) in St. Louis and her fellowship at the world-renowned House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles.

Learn more about Dr. Voelker and other PNI Doctors

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/courtney-voelker/

Evan Walgama, MD is a board-certified Otolaryngologist – Head & Neck / ENT Surgeon at the Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Santa Monica. His particular area of expertise is in the treatment of patients with benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck.

Dr. Walgama is a dual-fellowship trained surgeon. He completed his Sinus and Skull Base fellowship at Stanford, followed by a Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship at MD Anderson. He brings together both skillsets to treat challenging cancers of the ear, nose and throat, with a priority focus on preservation of quality of life for patients and their families.

Vikki was walking her dog and listening to NPR in Santa Monica one day, when she heard an advertisement for an unusual medical trial. Pacific Neuroscience Institute was studying whether psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, could help alcoholics kick their habit. Vikki, 60, was a steady drinker and had been since she was 18. She never got terribly drunk, but nor did cocktail hour ever come and go for her without drinking wine. She liked to socialize because socializing meant drinking, and she began to wonder if the wine meant more to her than her friends did. So, she called PNI and enrolled in the study. Listen to this podcast to learn how two psychedelic trips, guided by doctors and trained medical staff at PNI after comprehensive medical exams and extensive preparation, changed Vikki’s life, beyond just the wine.

As a note, this clinical trial is closed but other psychedelic-assisted treatments are available for qualified patients with alcohol use disorder.

Dr. Sehati is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes the treatment of a wide variety of brain, spine and spinal cord disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. His expertise is in surgical and nonsurgical management of degenerative, traumatic and neoplastic (tumor) diseases of the brain and spine with a focus on minimally invasive techniques. His practice is based primarily at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Dr. Sehati believes in clinical excellence and comprehensive care for all of his patients. His compassionate approach involves working as a partner with his patients, honoring patient individuality and dignity, understanding the patient’s needs and preferences, discussing all aspects and options of treatment available, and implementing advanced, state-of-the art techniques for optimal outcomes.

Meet Dr. Christopher M. Putman, a board-certified interventional neuroradiologist with over 20 years of experience. He treats a variety of complex intracranial, head and neck, and spine vascular conditions including acute stroke, cervical and intracranial stenosis, vascular malformations, cerebral aneurysm, and venous occlusive diseases.

Dr. Nouzhan Sehati is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of brain, spine, and spinal cord disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute with a focus on minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Sehati emphasizes the importance of clinical excellence and comprehensive care for his patients. In this video, Dr. Sehati shares a patient story that reaffirmed his passion for his work and how he finds great joy in helping others.

The Pacific Brain Tumor Center and Pacific Pituitary Disorders Center offers a 1-year neurosurgery fellowship in minimally invasive surgery for brain, pituitary and skull base tumors. Our clinical training program is focused on endoscopic endonasal and keyhole surgical approaches, neuro-endoscopy, pituitary tumor management and multimodality neuro-oncology treatments. The fellowship emphasizes operative and peri-operative patient management, outpatient evaluation of new patients and follow-up patients as well as clinical and anatomical laboratory research projects. The fellowship is integrated into the Saint John's Cancer Institute Surgical Oncology Fellowship.

Qualified applicants must have completed training in an ACGME-accredited neurosurgical residency program and be eligible for a California medical license.

Dr. Amit Kochhar is an otolaryngologist. That means he specializes in surgery in the head and neck. Among the conditions that he treats is something called synkinesis: unintentional contractions of the face muscles. A patient’s eye may close when smiling. The corner of their mouth might pull when they blink. There are many causes, including onset due to Bell’s palsy and Lyme disease. Most cases resolve within weeks. For the ones that don’t after other remedies fail, Dr. Kochhar maps the nerves in the face and figures out which ones are functioning properly by stimulating them and observing the results. Because the face has so many nerves that can do the same thing, Dr. Kochhar can remove a malfunctioning one without compromising function. Listen to this podcast to learn how he corrects function in the face and relieves synkinesis.

Jean-Philippe Langevin, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a special interest in the surgical treatment of complex spine conditions and movement disorders. Selected as a multiple year recipient of the SuperDoctor Rising Stars Edition, he has extensive experience using advanced surgical techniques to treat his patients with compassion and care. He practices at PNI-South Bay / Spine Institute at Little Company of Mary in Torrance, California.
 

Akanksha Sharma, MD, is board certified in neurology, neuro-oncology and palliative medicine. She is experienced in and provides unique perspective on the treatment of primary/metastatic brain tumors, neurological complications of cancer, and disease-related burden and symptoms. Her clinical and research interests lie in helping patients maximize their time and quality of life. She aims to align treatment with patient goals and to provide holistic care that includes careful symptom assessment and management, as well as support for the patient’s loved ones.

To learn more about Dr. Sharma and her treatment, visit:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/sharma/