Dr. Nikhil Banerjee is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology in the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology division of VUMC’s Department of Neurology. He works as a clinical neuropsychologist, conducting neurocognitive evaluations with a wide variety of adult patient populations. Clinical interests include neurodegenerative conditions, movement disorders, and cerebrovascular disease, among others. Additionally, he co-directs the VUMC Brain Health Clinic service, integrating neuropsychological assessment with health psychology to 1) identify medical/lifestyle factors potentially impacting cognition, and 2) to promote healthy brain aging.

He has authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, Aids and Behavior. Research highlights include studying cognitive profiles in Mild Cognitive Impairment; the intersection of frailty symptoms, neuroimaging markers, and cognitive functioning in older adults; cognitive dysfunction in HIV; and outcomes in DBS surgery for Parkinson’s disease. He served as a rater in clinical trials for patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, and he is a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Dr. Banerjee earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami, which included a clinical internship at the Denver/Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in his home state of Colorado. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Miami, graduating magna cum laude. 

Dr. Kelly Watson is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and a licensed clinical psychologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is certified in Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and provides this clinical service for children, adolescents, and adults at the Vanderbilt Center for Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders.

She completed her BA in psychology graduating summa cum laude at Vanderbilt University. She continued her training at Vanderbilt University and received her PhD in clinical psychological science after completing her APA-accredited predoctoral clinical internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Watson completed her research-focused fellowship on an NIMH T32 training grant at Vanderbilt University and subsequently served as a co-investigator on two extramural grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development prior to joining the VUMC faculty in 2022.

Most broadly, Dr. Watson’s research focuses on identifying factors that put adolescents and families faced with chronic adversity at increased risk for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Her research has focused on modifiable risk factors that can be targeted in clinical interventions to enhance resilience. Dr. Watson has a particular interest in social and cognitive processes, including social cognition, executive functioning, family communication, and social connection. Dr. Watson is actively involved in multiple studies of youth and families affected by Huntington’s disease. In 2023, she received the Vanderbilt Faculty Research Scholars Award, a career development award that provides protected time and funding to support her research in Tourette syndrome. Dr. Watson’s research project seeks to understand the mechanisms and impact of the widespread social problems experienced by individuals with Tourette syndrome.

Brittany Mays, MD is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation with a secondary appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Mays specializes in headache medicine and mild traumatic brain injury, with an interest in post-traumatic headache. She completed her residency training in PM&R at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System where she was elected and served as Chief Resident for the 2020-2021 academic year. Following residency, Dr. Mays completed her United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) Headache Medicine fellowship at Mass General Brigham/Harvard, where she was the first physiatry-trained headache medicine fellow in program history. Dr. Mays is actively involved in the American Headache Society (AHS) and the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). Dr. Mays enjoys utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to headache medicine, with a special interest in utilizing integrative modalities.

Dr. Paula Trujillo is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology’s Cognitive Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research focuses on the development of novel quantitative brain MRI and PET biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the development of methods that combine multi-modal imaging, cognitive, and clinical data.

A recent emphasis of Dr. Trujillo’s work has been on the multi-site implementation of MRI protocols for utilization in clinical trials. During the last ten years, she has been involved in multiple research studies, in which she has led the design of the experimental protocols, MRI acquisition, data processing, and analysis. Dr. Trujillo frequently supervises and mentors undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students in their research. 

She has authored more than 20 manuscripts that span technical and clinical topics and have appeared in high impact journals which specialize in methodology (e.g., Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and IEEE), physiology and neuroscience (e.g., Journal of Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, and Human Brain Mapping), and clinical research (e.g., Neurology, Brain, and Neuroradiology). She is also an invited reviewer for such journals as Neurology, Human Brain Mapping, and the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, among others.

Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Trujillo completed postdoctoral research fellowships at VUMC and at the National Research Council of Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy, and her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino in Turin, Italy. She completed her undergraduate coursework at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia.

Dr. Alex Mohler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology’s Neuro-Oncology Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and in Neuro-Oncology by the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Dr. Mohler’s work has been published in such journals as Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology Advances, and Neurology. 

Prior to his current appointment at VUMC, Dr. Mohler was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Translational Medicine at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University, where he also served as the Neurology Clerkship Director. During that time, he served as an attending neurologist and neuro-oncologist for the Miami Cancer Institute and the Baptist Health system where he was also the Director of the Neurofibromatosis Clinic. Before his time in Florida, Dr. Mohler was an Assistant Professor at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and an attending neurologist and neuro-oncologist at the Lifespan Cancer Institute and Rhode Island Hospital.

Dr. Mohler completed Neurology residency as well as a fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at the University of Colorado. He earned his M.D. from the University of South Florida, where he previously earned his B.S. in Biology. Prior to medical school, he earned a M.S. in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University.

Dr. Lily Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Neurology Department’s Sleep Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As a clinician, Dr. Kim manages a variety of sleep disorders including insomnia, restless legs syndrome, central disorders of hypersomnolence,  sleep apnea, and more. She is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is also a regular contributor to the Neurology Sleep Division’s CME and clinical teaching activities at VUMC.

Prior to her current position on faculty, Dr. Kim completed her fellowship in Sleep Medicine at VUMC, during which time she participated in a quality improvement project with the department. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, where she also earned her Doctor of Medicine degree. In 2014, she graduated with honors from Baylor University, where she studied Biology and Chemistry.