Faculty and Staff

Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D.

Professor of Neurology, Director, Jefferson Headache Center
Stephen D. Silberstein, MD, is a board-certified neurologist. He is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Headache Society (AHS).

Dr. Silberstein received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing a fellowship in neurology at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London, he served as a pharmacology research associate in the Toxicology Laboratory of Clinical Science at the National Institute of Mental Health and completed a neurology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Silberstein is presently Editor of Headache Review and a member of the Editorial Board of Headache, Topics in Pain Management, CNS Drugs, and Cephalalgia. He is an ad hoc reviewer for many publications, including Brain, Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Neurology, among others. Dr. Silberstein has been a member of the Board of Directors of AHS and treasurer of the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE). He has served on the Publications, Scientific, and Education Committees of AHS and was previously co-chairman of the Annual Scientific Meeting. Dr. Silberstein is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology. He is Chair of the Quality Standards Subcommittee, Subsection of Headache, Facilitator of the Working Panel of the Headache and Facial Pain Section, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Headache and Facial Pain Section. He is co-director of the national and international Headache Guideline Project in cooperation with the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. He is presently president of AHS and chairman of the education Committee.

Dr. Silberstein is the author of more than 75 peer-reviewed articles, and over 100 books, book chapters, and miscellaneous publications. He lectures extensively on the pathogenesis, neurobiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of headache. He has a particular interest in women's headache issues, i.e., menstrually-related migraines, sex hormones and how they influence headache in women, and the special psychological issues women face because of their headaches.

William B. Young, M.D.

Associate Professor of Neurology, Director of Inpatient Program, Jefferson Headache Center
William B. Young, MD, a board-certified neurologist, is Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the In-Patient Program at the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University. He is a fellow of the American Headache Society (AHS).

He is a graduate of Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania and received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. He interned at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and completed a residency in neurology at Tufts University School of Medicine and The New England School of Medicine in Boston.

Dr. Young is a peer reviewer for Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Neurology and Cephalalgia. He is a reviewer for Drugs. He was awarded the American Association for the Study of Headache/Eli Lilly Headache and Depression Research Award to study the influence of major depression on outcomes in transformed migraine. He is on of the Board of Directors of the American Headache Society. Dr. Young has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles as well as book chapters and other miscellaneous publications. With Dr. Stephen Silberstein, he is the author of “Migraine and other Headaches,” an informational book for the headache sufferer   His special interests include post-traumatic headache, treatment and prevention of intractable migraine, and migraine.

Stephanie J. Nahas, M.D., M.S.Ed

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Director of Headache Medicine Fellowship Training Program, Jefferson Headache Center

Dr. Nahas is a board-certified neurologist and an active member of the American Headache Society (AHS), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the Pennsylvania Neurological Society (PNS).  She serves on several sections and committees for AHS and AAN.

She is a graduate of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and received her medical degree from the Rush College of Medicine of Rush University and Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.  She earned a master’s degree in Instructional Technology at the Rossier School of Education of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.  She interned at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, and completed neurology residency and headache medicine fellowship training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She received the 2003 AHS Scottsdale Travel Scholarship and the 2006 AHS/Merck US Human Health Headache Specialty Fellowship Award. 

Dr. Nahas is a peer reviewer for Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain and Cephalalgia.  She has published peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and miscellaneous articles, and has made poster presentations at national scientific meetings.  Her interests include undergraduate and graduate medical education, public health education, the relationships between stroke and headache, and patent foramen ovale and headache.

Michael Marmura, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Jefferson Headache Center

Michael J. Marmura, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Headache Society (AHS), and International Headache Society (IHS). Dr. Marmura is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and received his medical degree from Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Virginia. He interned and completed a neurology residency at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Marmura has published multiple chapters, reviews and peer reviewed publications in the field of headache. Areas of interest include cluster headache, hemicrania continua, metabolic syndrome and biomarkers in migraine, electronic medical records in the treatment of pain. He is a reviewer for the Neurologist. Dr Marmura received both the AHS Scientific Meeting Award and Clinical Fellowship Award in 2007.

Ronald Kaiser, Ph.D. Psychologist
Dr. Kaiser received his M. A. in Counseling at the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the American College of Vocational Experts. In addition to acting as a peer reviewer for Headache: The Journal of Head and Facial Pain, Dr. Kaiser has been the Chair of the Behavioral Interest Subcommittee of the American Association for the Study of Headache. Dr. Kaiser has given numerous conference presentations including a recent presentation on the psychological management of the chronic daily headache patient.

Gregory Tramuta, MD  Psychiatrist

Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurology, Director, Preclinical Research, Jefferson Headache Center
Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D., is Research Assistant Professor of Neurology and Director of Preclinical Research Program at the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University.

He is a graduate of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts where he studied neuromodulation with Eve Marder, Ph.D. He received his doctorate degree in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York under the direction of Ronald R. Hoy, Ph.D. for his work on computational neural circuits. He did a post-doc with Gary Aston-Jones, Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he investigated treatments for opiate withdrawal and neuronal control of circadian rhythms.

Currently, Dr. Oshinsky directs the preclinical activities of the Jefferson Headache Center. This gives fellows, post-docs, medical students and undergraduates an opportunity to study headache in model systems. The laboratory uses electrophysiology, behavior and microdialysis to study the pathophysiology of headache. He was awarded the American Headache Society Research Award to study headache preventative medications in a rat model of migraine (2000).

Rachel E. Seligman, MSN, CRNP Nurse Practitioner
Rachel Seligman graduated from Oberlin College located in Oberlin, Ohio. She received her BSN magna cum laude and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania. She is board certified as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner. She has been working at the Jefferson Headache Center since November 2003.

Jen Cho, MSN, CRNP Nurse Practitioner
Jen Cho graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BSN in 1995. She received her MSN in 2000 from Temple University and is board certified as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner. Jen Cho joined the Jefferson Headache Center in May, 2001.

Patrice S. Guild, BA, MS, CMPE Director of Operations
Patrice Guild received her BA from Rosemont College and her MS in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has over 22 years experience in the medical practice field and is board certified as a Medical Practice Executive with the American College of Medical Practice Executives. She is a member of the Medical Group Management Association and will be the 2009 President of their Neurosciences Administration Assembly.  She is also an executive member of the Academic Practice Assembly of MGMA and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Kathleen C. Bradley, R. N., B.S.N., CCRC Clinical Research Manager
Kathleen C. Bradley, R. N., B.S.N., CCRC Clinical Research Manager Kathleen Bradley received her RN from St. Agnes Hospital, School of Nursing and her BSN from Thomas Jefferson University. She is a member of the American Headache Society and National Migraine Foundation. Ms. Bradley has been with the Headache Center for over 22 years and she is an active member of the Leadership Council for Clinical Coordinators at Thomas Jefferson University. Ms. Bradley is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator through the Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and is an active member of the Society for Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA).

Mary McFadden Hopkins, RN, MSN Clinical Research Coordinator
Mary Hopkins received her RN from the Germantown School of Nursing, her BSN from LaSalle University, 1986, and Masters in Science in Adult Health and Illness from Widener University, 1994. She developed and coordinated the Inpatient Headache Program at Thomas Jefferson University. Through workshops, presentations and articles on headache management, she has shared over 20 years experience with patients, nurses, and healthcare professionals.

Melissa Bloom, M. S., CCRC Clinical Research Coordinator
Melissa Bloom received her B. A in Molecular Biology (magna cum laude) and her Masters in Biotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked at the Wistar Institute for 2 years and has worked at the Jefferson Headache Center since 2002. Ms. Bloom has worked on numerous trials in her years at the Headache Center. Melissa is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator through the Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and is an active member of the Society for Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA).

Meryl Latsko, M.D., MPH, CCRC Research Instructor, Clinical Research Coordinator
Meryl has been a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Jefferson Headache Center since 2002. Meryl received her MPH from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and her M.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator through the Association for Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and is an active member of the Society for Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA). Meryl also provides statistical lectures to residents and other medical personnel.

Rose Tausendfreundt Clinical Research Assistant
Rose Tausendfreundt worked in medical records and then as an administrative assistant in the cardiac department for almost ten years at the Police & Fire Medical Association. In addition, she worked as a healthcare specialist for Intracorp, Subsidiary of Cigna. Rose has worked on numerous trials to date at the Jefferson Headache Center.

Linda Algarin Kelly Medical Wordprocessing Specialist
Linda Algarin Kelly is the medical wordprocessing specialist for the Jefferson Headache Center and is presently pursuing an associates degree in science, majoring in information systems in the health field. Linda is proficient in the use of a number of wordprocessing and database applications. Her creative abilities have been demonstrated in various newsletters, pamphlets, and handouts for our patients, and in illustrations and tables for material to be published.