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.
Michael Himle, Ph.D.
MAB Co-Chair
The University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
Michael B. Himle, Ph.D., is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. He is an expert in behavioral approaches for treating Tourette and associated conditions. His research primarily focuses on evaluating and disseminating Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and he is one of the primary training faculty for the TAA Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTI). He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and has given more than 200 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. He is a licensed psychologist in Utah.
Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, M.D.
MAB Co-Chair
Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, NY)
Bio Update:
Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, MD is a 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 an member of the TAA International Tourette Deep Brain Stimulation Database and Registry, and the Task Force on Tic Disorders of the Movement Disorders Society. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Parkinson Study Group. 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.
Shannon Bennett, Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, NY)
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.
Poonam Bhatia, M.D.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
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)
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 intrusive[1]destructive behaviors (IDBs). Dr. Greenberg has authored several peer reviewed 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.
Eric Herman, M.D.
Oregon Health & Sciences University (Portland, OR)
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. Dr. Herman has served as a TAA support group leader for all families in the Pacific Northwest, is an active a board member of Camp Twitch & Shout, and a proud parent of a TAA youth ambassador.
Monica Jones, M.D.
Syracuse Pediatrics (Syracuse, NY)
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.
Rebecca Lehman, M.D., FAAN
Prisma health-Midlands (Columbia, SC)
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., FAAN
University of Florida Movement Disorders (Gainesville, FL)
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.
Jaclyn Martindale, D.O., FAAN, FCNS
Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC)
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.
Erika Nurmi, M.D., Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
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)
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 neurodevelopmental 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 and 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, OT, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA
Children’s of Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
Dr. Rowe is an adjunct faculty member with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), School of Health Professions, Department of Occupational Therapy. She retired as an Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy in 2012. In 2010, with an increased focus in pediatrics, program development and service to underserved populations Dr. Rowe was the first occupational therapist to develop and coordinate a Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) program for children with tic disorders. In 2013 Dr. Rowe launched the CBIT clinic at Children’s of Alabama and has been Co-Director of the TS Center of Excellence (Children’s of Alabama/ UAB) since 2015. Dr. Rowe oversees the pediatric and adult CBIT clinics at COA/UAB. Dr. Rowe serves on the Medical Advisory Board for the TAA. Other activities include serving as a behavior training instructor for the TAA, supervises OTD Capstone students, residents, medical students, and occupational therapy students in the clinic, engages in research activities focusing on occupations impacted by Tourette syndrome and tic disorders as well as common comorbid conditions, and provides numerous presentations for medical professionals, educators, and community partners.
Kenneth Phelps, Ph.D.
University of South Carolina School of Medicine & Prisma Health (Columbia, SC)
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).
David Shprecher, D.O.
Banner Health (Phoenix, AZ)
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)
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. Dr. Martin 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 with a current research focus on creating and publishing an occupational therapy assessment for tics (COSA-t). 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)
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 full[1]time 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)
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.
