Dr. Katherine Gifford is an Adjoint Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY and her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in neuropsychology at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI. Her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology was completed at Boston University and at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Gallagher is currently Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with a predominant clinical focus in the medical and surgical treatment of patients with epilepsy. He is board certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in three specialties, Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy Monitoring. 

Dr. Gallagher earned his BS in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1989, graduating summa cum laude. He was a visiting scholar in neurobiology at Harvard University Medical School from 1992 to 1996, and earned a PhD in molecular biophysics and an MD from Washington University in 1997. He began his postgraduate training with an internship in internal medicine at Washington University, completed a neurology residency at Washington University in 2001, and a surgical epilepsy fellowship at Washington University from 2001 to 2002. Dr. Gallagher became an instructor of Neurology at Washington University in 2001 and joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as assistant professor of Neurology in 2002 and was promoted to associate professor (tenured) in 2010.

Dr. Kenneth Gaines is currently Professor of Neurology specializing in stroke medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. He also is a Scholar for the Center for Health Services Research. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), American EEG Society, the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Physician Executives, in addition to numerous other professional memberships. Dr. Gaines is also currently a hospital staff neurologist for Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, LA, as well as over 30 additional hospitals via telemedicine. He is a current reviewer for Lancet Neurology and Journal for Neurological Sciences.

Dr. Gaines is the recipient of several honors and awards, including System Physician of the Year for Oschner Clinic Foundation (2010), Innovative Project of the Year for Oschner Clinic Foundation (2011), serving as a Governor-appointed Commissioner for the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (2012-2016), and an election to the Palatucci Leadership Forum for the American Academy of Neurology (2004). Throughout his career, Dr. Gaines has held positions in numerous leadership offices and committees, currently participating in the Telemedicine Work Group for the American Academy of Neurology, the Hospital Alliance of Tennessee Telemedicine Task Force, and the Tennessee Department of Health Stroke Task Force.

Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt, which began in 2015, Dr. Gaines served in a number of academic positions at institutions including the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia), Wright State University, Louisiana State University, University of South Carolina, Meharry Medical College, Michigan State University, University of Tennessee, and the University of Mississippi. In addition to his academic roles, his clinical experience includes private practice, hospital staff appointments, telemedicine, and consulting neurology. 

Dr. Gaines earned his MD from the University of Tennessee, followed by his Neurology residency and a Fellowship in Neurophysiology, also at the University of Tennessee. He later earned his MBA degree from the University of Memphis.

As a neuro interventionalist and stroke neurologist, Dr. Froehler cares for patients with brain aneurysms, AVMs, arterial narrowing in the head and neck, and other related cerebrovascular diseases. 

Dr. Froehler obtained his MD from the University of Rochester, where he also earned a PhD in neuroscience. He then performed internship and residency in neurology at Johns Hopkins, before moving to UCLA for fellowship training in vascular neurology and then interventional neuroradiology. He then joined the faculty at the University of Iowa before coming to Vanderbilt in 2013. He is now part of the Vanderbilt Cerebrovascular Service. 

Dr. Fang is Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At Vanderbilt since 1998, Dr. Fang focuses on the treatment of early Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. He is also a staff physician at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.

From 1995-98, Dr. Fang served in the Public Health Service, working in the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Experimental Therapeutics Branch of the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, focusing on clinical studies in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Fang earned a BS degree, with Distinction, from the Pennsylvania State University in 1989 and received his MD from Jefferson Medical College in 1991. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, PA (1991-92), and performed his residency in Neurology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (1992-95) where he was Chief Resident.

Dr. Wiaam Falouji is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She diagnoses and manages patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings with a full range of neurological disorders, including ADD, ADHD, headaches, dementia, seizure disorders, stroke, neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, and disorders of the spine. Performs and interprets electromyogram (EMG) and nerve conduction studies, and interprets electroencephalogram (EEG). She regularly presents lectures in the academic neurology/medical setting, as well as for the general public. 

Prior to her appointment at Vanderbilt, Dr. Falouji worked as a private practice neurologist. She completed her Neurology residency, serving as chief resident her final year, at George Washington University. Subsequently, she completed a fellowship in Neurophysiology (with a focus on EEG/EMG) at the University of Mississippi. 

Holly Dunn is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her practice specializes in outpatient Stroke and General Neurology. She is an active member of the American Society of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Association for Psychological Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Prior to her current position, Holly worked as a nurse practitioner in outpatient pain management, and has nursing experience in several other clinical areas. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, completing the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Accelerated Program, and fulfilling preceptorships in Neurosurgery ICU, Surgical ICU, the Neurosurgery Spinal Team, and the Neurosurgery Brain Tumor Team. She received her BS in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA). 

Dr. Logan Dumitrescu is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a faculty member of the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, and the co-leader of the Computational Neurogenomics Team with Dr. Timothy Hohman. As a computational geneticist focused on the characterization of common genetic variants that influence common diseases and phenotypes, Dr. Dumitrescu also serves as a collaborator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Dumitrescu earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University and continued her training at Vanderbilt, where she earned an M.S. in Applied Statistics and a Ph.D. in Human Genetics. Dr. Dumitrescu joined the VUMC faculty in 2018.

Dr. Donofrio graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1972, and earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University in 1975. He completed a medicine residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a neurology residency and fellowship at the University of Michigan. After serving on the faculty of the University of Michigan for 5 years, he moved to Wake Forest University in 1986, where he was a faculty member for 20 years. In 2006, he accepted the position of Chief of the Neuromuscular Section in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University. In addition, he is the Head of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic, the ALS Clinic, and is the Director of the EMG Lab.

Dr. Donofrio is presently on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) and serves on the Medical Economics and Management Committee of the American Academy of Neurology. In 1994, he was elected to the prestigious American Neurological Association. In the past, he served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Chapter of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association. He was President of the North Carolina Neurological Society from 2001 to 2005 and is the President –Elect of the AANEM. Dr. Donofrio is board certified in internal medicine, neurology, and electromyography.

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Joy Derwenskus is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and head of the General Neurology Division since joining the faculty in 2019. Her primary clinical interests are in general neurology and headache, and she regularly administers botox for the treatment of migraines. She manages patients at both the One Hundred Oaks Clinic and The Vanderbilt Clinic, while also managing patients with Multiple Sclerosis and other related conditions at the Vanderbilt MS Center at Green Hills. Dr. Derwenskus has a strong interest in women’s neurology, especially as it relates to headaches and MS.

Dr. Derwenskus is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. She also works closely with the National MS Society and served as the chairperson of the Healthcare Provider Council for the society’s Mid-South chapter. She regularly engages in clinical trials, both grant- and industry-sponsored. Her publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and invited review articles. Throughout her career, Dr. Derwenskus has presented and lectured on MS regionally and nationally. She engages in teaching activities for medical students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and classroom environments. She is certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Prior to her appointment at Vanderbilt, Dr. Derwenskus worked as a private practice neurologist in Tennessee before transitioning back to academic medicine. She was on faculty at Northwestern University for ten years as part of the comprehensive MS program. In that time, she served as the Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship Director and Acting Director of the Women’s Neurology Center.

Dr. Derwenskus received her fellowship training in Multiple Sclerosis at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis in New York. In 2005, she earned a Master of Science in clinical research, also from Mount Sinai. Prior to her fellowship, she completed her Neurology residency at Case Western Reserve University following a preliminary internship year at Northwestern University. She earned her DO from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (Des Moines University). She completed her undergraduate degree at Hope College (Holland, MI), and earned a Master of Arts in physiology from Ball State University (Muncie, IN).

A Midwestern native, Dr. Derwenskus stays busy with her twins and enjoys traveling and experiencing the world.