Research Staff


Heather Fullerton MD, MAS


Medical Director, Pediatric Brain Center
International Pediatric Stroke Organization Founding President
 

Dr. Heather Fullerton is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in caring for children who have strokes. She established and directs the UCSF Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center.

In research, Fullerton's projects include identiying risk factors for recurrrent childhood stroke, studying blood vessel abnormalities in children with stroke and determining whether infection plays a role in childhood stroke. 

Fullerton graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin, then earned her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine. At UCSF, she completed a residency in pediatrics, followed by a residency as well as a fellowship in child neurology. While a fellow in child neurology, she developed an interest in neurovascular diseases in children and carried out studies on the epidemiology of childhood stroke. 

In 2002, Fullerton joined the child neurology staff at UCSF, where she completed a vascular neurology fellowship. She has also earned a master of advanced study degree in clinical research at UCSF.

Click here for Heather's UCSF profile. 


Christine Fox MD, MAS


Director, Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center, San Francisco
 

Dr. Christine Fox is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in caring for children who have strokes.

Fox's research focuses on risk factors for childhood stroke and how seizures affect. She also has a special interest in neurological intensive care.

Fox earned her medical degree at UCSF. She completed a residency in pediatrics at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, followed by a residency in pediatric neurology and a fellowship in vascular neurology at UCSF. She also has a master of advanced study degree in clinical research from UCSF.

Fox has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (part of the National Institutes of Health). She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society and American Heart Association.

Click here for Christine's UCSF profile.


Sabine Mueller MD, PhD, MAS


Pediatric Neurologist + Pediatric Neuro-oncologist

Dr. Sabine Mueller is a pediatric neuro-oncologist who specializes in caring for children with brain tumors and related genetic syndromes. Before completing medical school, she worked as a scientist, director of genomics and project leader for a brain tumor program at AGY Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in South San Francisco. 

In her research, Mueller studies treatments for children with brain tumors, looking especially at improving long-term cognitive outcomes. 

Mueller earned her medical degree at the Universität Hamburg Faculty of Medicine and earned a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology in collaboration with AGY. After a residency in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, she completed a fellowship in pediatric oncology at UCSF.

Click here for Sabine's UCSF profile.


Rachel Vassar, MD


Pediatric Vascular Neurologist

Dr. Rachel Vassar is a pediatric neurologist specializing in cerebrovascular conditions (disorders that affect blood flow to the brain). She is passionate about patient care and research on acute brain injury after ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke (strokes caused by blocked or ruptured arteries, respectively) as well as after cardiac arrest. She is also interested in genetic conditions associated with abnormal changes to the brain's blood vessels.

Vassar's research focuses on predicting patient outcomes after acute brain injury by linking findings from neuroimaging (using techniques such as MRI to produce images of the brain) with various disease factors. She is UCSF's principal investigator for P-ICECAP, a multicenter trial funded by the National Institutes of Health on therapeutic hypothermia (lowering body temperature to protect the brain) after cardiac arrest in pediatric patients. She works with neuroradiologists (specialists in imaging the nervous system), neurointerventionalists (specialists in minimally invasive treatments for blood vessel abnormalities in the brain) and geneticists, as well as other pediatric neurologists, to better understand what causes hemorrhagic stroke in fetuses, newborns, children and young adults.

Vassar earned her medical degree at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She completed a residency in child neurology and a fellowship in vascular neurology at UCSF.

Vassar is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, International Pediatric Stroke Organization and American Heart Association. She received a Gold Award at the UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium as well as a Young Investigator Award from the San Francisco Neurological Society.

Click here for Rachel's UCSF profile.

 


Nancy Hills, PhD


Biostatistician, Associate Professor

Click here for Nancy's UCSF profile.


Maria Kuchherzki, CCRP


Clinical Research Manager

Click here for Maria's UCSF profile.


Maya Dhar, MS


Clinical Research Coordinator, Pediatric Stroke & Pediatric Neuromuscular Disorders

Click here for Maya's UCSF profile.


Christina Wu


Clinical Research Coordinator, Pediatric Stroke

Click here for Christina's UCSF profile.


Catalina Pen


Clinical Research Coordinator, Pediatric Neurosurgery

Click here for Catalina's UCSF profile.


Becka Shuere


Clinical Research Coordinator, Pediatric Neurosurgery

Click here for Becka's UCSF profile.


Donna Vuong


Program Coordinator, Pediatric Stroke

Click here for Donna's UCSF profile.