Medical Advisory Board

Our Medical Advisory Board (MAB) lends their diverse expertise to the Tourette Association of America to ensure that recommendations and materials reflect accurate and up to date information related to treatment for Tourette Syndrome and related co-occurring conditions. In addition, the MAB works with the TAA to lead the development of specific projects and initiatives aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of Tourette Syndrome.

Shannon Bennett, Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, NY

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Shannon Bennett, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and an Attending Psychologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in cognitive behavioral interventions for child, adolescents, and adults suffering from OCD, anxiety disorders, tic disorders, and other related conditions. Dr. Bennett is the Clinical Director of the NYP Youth Anxiety Center and the Director of the Weill Cornell Tourette Syndrome Center of Excellence., She provides diagnostic assessments, cognitive behavioral therapy, Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and consultations in her clinical practice, and is involved in clinical research studies to improve the understanding and treatment of tic disorders and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Bennett’s past clinical and academic positions include: Assistant Attending Psychologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Assistant Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University.

Dr. Bennett received her B.A., from the University of Notre Dame and her Ph.D. from Boston University.

Asst. Prof. of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry

Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Weill Cornell Medical College

New York Presbyterian Hospital

315 E. 62nd Street, 5th floor

New York, NY 10065

646-962-2820

Smb9017@med.cornell.edu

(Clinical Psychologist)

(Joined 2015)

Poonam Bhatia, MD
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Phoenix, AZ

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Dr. Poonam Bhatia is a pediatric neurologist and a movement disorder specialist at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children Hospital. She is the medical director of the Institute’s Tic and Tourette Program which was recently named a Tourette Association of America Center of Excellence.

Dr. Bhatia completed her medical school (Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi), pediatric residency and chief residency in Delhi, India. She has also completed another pediatric residency at Maimonides Medical Center, New York. After briefly working as a general pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, she obtained 3 years of pediatric neurology training at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

She also worked as a pediatric neurologist at Akron Children’s Hospital for nearly 6 years before joining Phoenix Children’s in 2019.

Dr. Bhatia plays an active role in resident education and training programs. She also participates in clinical research.

Outside of work, she enjoys biking, hiking, cooking, meditation and spending time with her family.

Erica Greenberg, M.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital – Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

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Erica Greenberg, M.D. is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist,
and the director of the Pediatric Psychiatry OCD and Tic Disorders Program at
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She is an Assistant Professor in
Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Co-Director of the Tourette
Association of America MGH Center of Excellence. Dr. Greenberg graduated
from Weill Cornell Medical College with Alpha Omega Alpha honors, and she
completed her general psychiatry residency at Harvard Longwood Psychiatry
and her child/adolescent fellowship training at MGH/McLean, where she
served as chief resident in both programs. Her interests include Tourette
syndrome, OCD, “Tourettic OCD,” and other commonly occurring disorders in
TS/OCD including ADHD and body-focused repetitive behavior disorders
(BFRBs). She recently published on her modified behavioral tic treatment
protocol study for youth who have both TS and ADHD and presented
nationally on a newly described behavioral construct called intrusivedestructive behaviors (IDBs). Dr. Greenberg has authored several peerreviewed manuscripts and chapters on TS, OCD and related disorders, and has
given symposia on TS, OCD and BFRBs nationally and internationally. Dr.
Greenberg was the recipient of the Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine
Award in 2010 and received a Laughlin Fellowship from the American College
of Psychiatrists in 2015.

Director, Pediatric Psychiatry OCD and Tic Disorders Program
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
617-643-2780

Eric Herman, M.D.
Oregon Health & Sciences University
Portland, OR

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Dr. Eric Herman is the Chief Primary Care & Population Health Officer for Oregon Health & Science University. He is a practicing family medicine physician who received his medical degree from University of Washington and completed residency in 2004. He is also serves as the physician executive for the OHSU Long COVID program. From 2015 – 2019, Dr. Herman served as the TAA support group leader for all families in the Pacific Northwest and is a proud parent of a TAA youth ambassador.

Michael Himle, Ph.D.
The University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
MAB Chair

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Michael B. Himle, Ph.D. earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2007. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. He is an expert in behavioral approaches for understanding and treating behavioral disorders of childhood, with emphasis on tic disorders and associated conditions. He is active in researching environmental factors and behavioral processes involved in the onset and course of these conditions and translating this information into more effective non-pharmacological treatments. He is also interested in dissemination strategies for behavior therapy. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has given more than 80 conference presentations and invited talks on Tourette Syndrome and related conditions. His research has received funding from the Tourette Syndrome Association and the National Institutes of Health.

Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, M.D.
Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY
MAB Chair

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Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, MD is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Medical Director, Movement Disorders Neuromodulation and Brain Circuit Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She completed a fellowship in Movement Disorders at the Parkinson’s Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic (PDCMDC) at BCM. She specializes in the care of adult and pediatric patients with Tourette syndrome and other movement disorders, and her research investigates the neurophysiologic features of movement disorders that are recorded during deep brain stimulation (DBS), the application of wearables and digital health technologies, and health outcomes research. Dr. Jimenez-Shahed is the Chair of the Science Advisory Board of the Davis Phinney Foundation and a member of the Executive Committee of the Parkinson Study Group, where she also serves as Chair of the Mentorship Committee and past chair of the Functional Neurosurgical Working Group. She is also an investigator member of the TAA International Tourette Deep Brain Stimulation Database and Registry, and the Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome Study Group of the Movement Disorders Society. She is a recipient of the Roy H. Cullen Quality of Life Award, the Rising Star Clinician Award, the Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching and Evaluation, and the Outstanding Health Care Practitioner Award. She is a graduate of the Women Leading in Neurology program of the American Academy of Neurology.

Monica Jones, M.D.
Syracuse Pediatrics
Syracuse, NY

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Dr. Monica Jones obtained her M.A. in Biology from the City University of New York, Queens College and completed her M.D. degree and pediatric residency at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Jones is a Board Certified Pediatrician who has practiced in Syracuse, NY for the past 14 years. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University and a Clinical Professor at Lemoyne College Physician’s Assistant Program. Dr. Jones is an active member of the Tourette Association and is a parent of a child with TS. Dr.

Rebecca Lehman, M.D., FAAN
Prisma Health-Midlands
Columbia, SC

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Rebecca K. Lehman, MD, FAAN is Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (Pediatric Neurology). She obtained her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and remained at the University of Rochester for her Pediatrics preliminary years, Child Neurology residency, and Pediatric Movement Disorders fellowship. Clinically, she treats pediatric patients with a wide variety of neurologic disorders, including tic disorders, dystonia, chorea, tremor, ataxia, developmental delays, epilepsy, and migraines.  She participates in clinical research in collaboration with the team at Coastal Pediatric Research in Charleston, SC and serves as a consultant for the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.  She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and was named Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Program Teacher of the Year in July 2021.

Irene Malaty, M.D., F.A.A.N.
University of Florida movement Disorders
Gainesville, FL

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Irene A. Malaty, M.D., is a fellowship-trained movement disorder specialist and the Barbara Padgett Dein Professor at the University of Florida Dept. of Neurology and Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.  She directs multi-disciplinary Tourette Association of America (TAA) and Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence at UF and serves on the American Academy of Neurology Science Committee. She is former president of the Florida Society of Neurology and is Co-chair of the Tic and Tourette Task Force of the Movement Disorder Society, as well as serving on the medical advisory board of the TAA for several years.  She is an experienced investigator in clinical trials for movement disorders. She has lectured internationally and has co-authored over 100 articles, several chapters, and a recent book, Living with Parkinson disease.  She is dedicated to movement disorder care, education, and research, and is especially interested in no-motor aspects of movement disorders.

Professor, Dept. of Neurology

Director, TAA Center of Excellence at UF

Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases

University of Florida Movement Disorders

3009 S.W. Williston Rd.

Gainesville, FL 32608

352-294-5400, fax 352-627-4373

Irene.malaty@neurology.ufl.edu

Jaclyn Martindale, DO, FAAN, FCNS
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC

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Jaclyn M. Martindale, DO, FAAN, FCNS is the Section Head and Medical
Director of Pediatric Neurology and the Founder/Director of the Tourette
Association of America Center of Excellence at Wake Forest University
School of Medicine. She is a physician-scientist with clinical research
focusing on Tourette syndrome. She has leadership positions and
collaborative research efforts with the Tourette Association of America,
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Tic and Tourette
Study Group, and a regional camp for youth with tic disorders.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Section Head and Medical Director, Pediatric Neurology
Director, Tourette Center of Excellence
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Pediatrics

Erika Nurmi, MD, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

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Erika Nurmi, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor-in-Residence of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the UCLA Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the Medical Director of the Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program, Clinical and Research Faculty in the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, and Teaching Clinic Supervisor and Research Faculty of the UCLA Tourette Association of America Center of Excellence. Dr. Nurmi directs a molecular and computational genetics laboratory, investigating genetic contributions to mental illness vulnerability, psychiatric endophenotypes, and response to treatment. She has co-authored many scientific publications and speaks internationally about clinical and research topics. She enjoys sharing her passion for science and medicine by teaching trainees at all levels and developing innovative educational programs. Dr. Nurmi’s aim is to integrate her roles as researcher, teacher and clinician, with the overarching goal of developing biologically based, individualized treatments for mental illness.

Anthony Rostain, M.D., M.A.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

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Anthony L. Rostain is Chair and Professor of Psychiatry at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is Chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Cooper University Healthcare where he directs the clinical, education and research activities of the Department. He is also an attending psychiatrist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at Penn Medicine Behavioral Health where he is Medical Director of the Adult Neurodevelopmental Disorders Unit and the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program. His clinical focus is “lifespan neurodevelop-mental psychiatry,” which includes caring for patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Tourette Syndrome, Learning Disabilities (verbal and nonverbal), Neurogenetic Disorders (e.g. Fragile X, Rett) and related social-emotional learning disorders.

Dr. Rostain served as Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Psychiatry at Perelman School of Medicine from 1998-2017 ajd as Co-Chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s Task Force on Student Psychological Health and Welfare from 2014-16. Dr. Rostain former Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the American Professional Society for ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) and was President of APSARD from 2011-2016. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Tourette Association of America.

Dr. Rostain’s research interests focus on improving clinical outcomes for patients across the lifespan with neurodevelopmental disorders, and on creating effective service systems for these patients and their families. He has co-authored two books on adult ADHD (with J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.) entitled The Adult ADHD Tool Kit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: An Integrative Psychosocial and Medical Approach (Routledge, 2015). He is also co-author (with B. Janet Hibbs, Ph.D.) of The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years (St. Martin’s Press, 2019).

Jan Rowe, Dr. OT, OTR/L, FAOTA,
Children’s of Alabama
Birmingham, AL

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Dr. Jan Rowe, former faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Occupational Therapy started the Pediatric Tourette syndrome/ tic disorder at UAB in January of 2010. Since her retirement from UAB (Dec. 2012) the clinic has moved to the Children’s Hospital System of Alabama. Dr. Rowe is the first occupational therapist to coordinate a CBIT clinic and has begun training other occupational therapists to work with children who have Tourette Syndrome or Tic disorders. She and Dr. Dure (Children’s Hospital) are working on a Tourette Association grant with Cornell to manualize CBIT for occupational therapists. Through her clinic occupational therapists have been found to be effective at delivering CBIT and offer another route to therapy for families (Rowe, Yuen & Dure, 2013). Jan received her doctorate from NOVA Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. In 2004, her Master’s in Public Health from UAB (1990) and did her undergraduate work in Occupational Therapy at the University of Central Arkansas (1982).

Kenneth Phelps, PhD
University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Prisma Health
Columbia, SC

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Kenneth W. Phelps, PhD, is a Professor of Clinical Neuropsychiatry
and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Pediatrics within the Division of
Neurology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Dr.
Phelps has been practicing in South Carolina since 2010. Before this
academic appointment, Dr. Phelps completed a doctoral degree in
Medical Family Therapy at East Carolina University and an internship
at Dartmouth. Dr. Phelps teaches in the general and child/adolescent
psychiatry residency programs at Prisma Health, overseeing the
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy curriculum. He is active within the
Tourette Association of America, regularly presenting at the Rising
Leader Program and supervising for the Behavioral Therapy Institute
(BTI) where learners from across the globe receive training in
Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT).

Kenneth W. Phelps, Ph.D.
1301 Taylor Street, Suite 6J
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
kenneth.phelps@prismahealth.org
(803)-434-4300

David Shprecher, DO
Banner Health
Phoenix, AZ

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Inspired by experience as an individual with Tourette Syndrome, David Shprecher, DO Msci, has dedicated his career to improving quality of life and treatment options for people with movement disorders. He utilizes a team approach to care involving physical therapy, speech therapy, social work and other important services. Most importantly, Dr. Shprecher involves his patient and their caregiver in decisions about their care. In order to identify more effective and better tolerated therapies, he frequently involves his patients directly in clinical trials conducted at his Institute.

Heather Simpson Martin, OTD, OTR/L
University of Florida Health
Gainesville, FL

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Heather Simpson Martin, OTD, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist at the UF
Health Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Martin obtained her master’s in occupational therapy from the University of
Florida in 2009 and returned for a post-professional doctorate from University of
St. Augustine in Health Sciences in 2017 to obtain an expertise in her studies in
Tourette Syndrome.
Heather serves as the Tourette Association Centers of Excellence Coordinator for
the Fixel Institute and the former coordinator for the Southeast Regional Center of
Excellence Coordinator between six research universities specializing in TS.
She has a pediatric specialty from the American Occupational Therapy
Association and has been treating both adults and children with tic & Tourette
Disorders since 2012. Her current focus is on occupational therapy management
for tic disorders, as well as use of CBIT to treat tics and improve quality of life.
She has participated in multiple small research studies and multiple webinars
related to occupational and daily life functioning for those living with tic
disorders. Her most recent publication on the related topic is Handwriting Skills in
Children with Tic Disorders with Dr. Jan Rowe.
Dr. Martin has been allotted opportunities for training to occupational therapists,
assisting with TAA/CDC product development, and publications including a
chapter in 10 Secrets to a Happier Life with Tourette Syndrome. She currently
serves on the TS-BTI faculty for CBIT and sits on the TAA Medical Advisory
Board.

Chelsey Stillman, MPAS PA-C
Children’s Hospital CO
Aurora CO

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Chelsey Stillman is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the
University of Colorado. She received her undergraduate degrees at University
Colorado in Integrative Physiology and Spanish. She completed her masters
degree in Child Health Physician Assistant studies in 2010 and has been a fulltime clinician in Neurology since 2010.
Chelsey practices at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora CO as a full-time
clinician. In 2012 she created the Seizure Safety School which is a free
educational quarterly seminar for patients of new and recently diagnosed patients
with epilepsy. The Seizure Safety School still runs 12 years later still entirely
unfunded and in volunteer time. She received the Innovative Practice awards for
the Seizure Safety School in 2013 from the Academy of Child Neurology
Nurses. She has volunteered for 15 Epilepsy Foundation Colorado camps for
children and has served on the Camp Planning Committee for over 10 years. She
received the Dalice Hertzberg award in 2016 for her volunteer efforts as well as a
teaching recognition from the section of neurology in 2016. She serves on the
Epilepsy Professional Board of Colorado and Wyoming (since 2012). She was
promoted from senior instructor to Assistant Professor in 2023. In September of
2023 she accepted the position as the Advanced Practice Lead for Neurology.
She is also Co-Director and creator if the Pediatric to Adult Epilepsy Transition
clinic which was awarded a multimillion dollar UPL grant from the state of
Colorado for the Impact Project in January 2024. In May of 2024 she received
the Outstanding Service Award for medical staff at Children’s Hospital. In late
2024, Children’s Hospital Colorado was recognized as a TAA Center of Excellence.

Douglas W. Woods, Ph.D.
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL

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Douglas Woods, Ph.D. is currently Provost and Chief Academic Officer at
Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Woods has been working in the Tourette field
for nearly 30 years. He has written over 300 articles and 12 books, including
the CBIT treatment manual; and has received over $6 million in research
funding for Tourette and related conditions. Through the TAA’s Behavior
Therapy Institute program, Dr. Woods is a co-developer of the online self-help
CBIT program www.tichelper.com, and he has trained hundreds of
practitioners to do CBIT in North America, Europe and Australia. Dr. Woods
is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. He is a former co-chair of the Tourette
Association of America’s Medical Advisory Board (MAB) and remains an
active member of the MAB.
Douglas W. Woods, Ph.D.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Loyola University Chicago

For Myself

For Someone I Know

Through My Profession

For Myself

For Someone I Know

Through My Profession

Medical Advisory Board