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Neurology

Neurological conditions often require consistent, long-term care. Our experts offer you the skill and support you need, close to home. Our team specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and other neuromuscular diseases and will work in partnership with your primary care provider.

Highlights & Resources

  • Blog Post

    Artist with Parkinson’s Disease Creates Mosaic for St. Luke’s Nampa

  • Blog Post

    St. Luke’s Virtual Care Center Will Extend Reach, Expand Services

  • Neurology

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    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Daniel Abenroth, MD is a neurohospitalist who provides care for the breadth of neurological diseases for inpatients only, and has specific clinical interest in neurocritical care.

    Dr. Abenroth is fellowship trained in vascular neurology and specializes in the care of stroke, transient ischemic attack, intracranial atherosclerosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and other diseases of cerebral vasculature. 

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Amy Ambrosier, PA-C earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Oregon State University and master’s degree in education from Boise State University. She taught high school science and worked as a paramedic before earning her master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Idaho State University.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Yee Kuang Cheng, MD is a board-certified neurologist who specializes in vascular neurology. He provides care for inpatients only, covering the breadth of neurological diseases, including ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, seizure/epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular junction disorder, rapidly progressive dementia, and headache.

    Dr. Cheng's clinical interests include carotid and vertebral artery dissection, dural venous sinus thrombosis, stroke in heart failure with low ejection fraction. Dr. Cheng has been a co-author of several multicenter international studies, including ACTION-CVT and STOP-CAD.

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Jason Ching, MD is a board-certified neurologist who provides care for a breadth of neurological diseases for hospitalized patients only. His clinical interests include the management of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, seizure/epilepsy, autoimmune neurologic disorders, and neuromuscular conditions. He has completed fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology, with an interest in electrodiagnostic procedures such as EEG and EMG. 

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Raja Godasi, MD specializes in inpatient neurology with a special emphasis on vascular neurology. His specific area of expertise is acute ischemic stroke treatment and prevention. He greatly appreciates how much stroke treatment options have advanced in recent years, enhancing the importance and impact of inpatient neurological care. He also recognizes the value of research and clinical trials, and has proudly recruited clinical trial participants through StrokeNet, a research network created by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance acute stroke treatment, stroke prevention, and recovery and rehabilitation following a stroke.

    Dr. Godasi was inspired to pursue a career in neurology by a family member who suffered a stroke as a young adult. During his childhood, they lived in rural India where accessing medical and rehabilitative care was extremely difficult. This background has fueled a passion for serving rural populations, and he has provided medical care as a volunteer in extremely rural areas, screening patients for problems such as cataracts and high blood pressure, and referring for surgical consultations as appropriate. 

    Dr. Godasi is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. In his free time, he enjoys international travel, hiking, and computer gaming.

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Raymond Grams II, MD is a neurohospitalist who provides care for the breadth of neurological diseases for inpatients only. He specializes in the treatment of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, transient ischemic attack, cerebral venous thrombosis, and intra- and extra-cranial atherosclerotic disease. His clinical interests include cardioembolic sources of stroke, arterial dissection, and other causes of stroke in young people; evaluation for carotid stenting or endarterectomy; and neurosonology.

    Dr. Grams has been a co-investigator of nine stroke trials and has published and presented original research on the use of perfusion MRI in acute stroke imaging. He was a vascular neurology fellow and clinical instructor at the University of Utah prior to joining St. Luke's.

    Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Grams earned his bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brigham Young University, graduating with honors.

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Animesh Gupta, MD is a neurohospitalist who provides care for the breadth of neurological diseases for inpatients only. He has special interests in stroke, neurocritical care and epilepsy, and additional training in electrodiagnostic testing through procedures such as EEGs and EMGs. Dr. Gupta is board certified in neurology, vascular neurology, and clinical neurophysiology.

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Richard Hammond, MD earned his bachelor’s degree from Oakland University. He performed his medical internship and neurology residency at Emory Affiliated Hospitals and completed his EEG/EMG fellowship at Emory University.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Biography

    Nicholas Hutt, PA-C earned his master's degree in physician assistant studies from Midwestern University and his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Idaho State University.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Neurology

    Biography

    Stephen Ireland, MD enjoys all aspects of neurology and has a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders (disorders of the spinal nerve roots, peripheral nerves, and muscles). He has extensive training and experience in the electrodiagnostic evaluation of these types of disorders. He also maintains a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches and multiple sclerosis.

    Dr. Ireland graduated magna cum laude from medical school. He was elected president of Alpha Omega Alpha (the national medical school honorary society) in his junior year, and later served as a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining St. Luke's, Dr. Ireland served as medical staff president at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon.


    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Anna Irwin, MD specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related disorders. Her particular interests are in management of central hypersomnia, dementia, headache, movement disorder, and stroke.
  • Neurology

    Biography

    Sergei V. Kashirny, MD, PhD specializes in the clinical evaluation and diagnosis of epilepsy and other general neurological conditions (migraine, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and disorders of the nerves and muscles). He also evaluates epilepsy patients as part of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at St. Luke's Boise.

    Dr. Kashirny completed medical school and postgraduate research training at Vinnitsa Medical University, Ukraine. He performed his neurology residency and internship in internal medicine at Louisiana State University, where he also completed his clinical neurophysiology fellowship with a special emphasis in EEG and epilepsy.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Brittany Lovascio, MD specializes in neuroimmunology and caring for patients with multiple sclerosis. She also has extensive experience managing conditions such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO), anti-MOG antibody syndrome, autoimmune encephalitis, neurosarcoidosis and transverse myelitis. 

    Dr. Lovascio is continually inspired by the opportunity to introduce new and innovative drugs/therapies to her patients. She is passionate about holistic care and greatly appreciates how her field of practice allows her to build a relationship with her patients over many years. She is committed to patient advocacy and ensuring her patients feel heard and understood.

    Originally from New York, Dr. Lovascio is an outdoor enthusiast who loves spending her free time camping, fly fishing and hiking with her dogs.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Michael Parker, FNP-BC specializes in managing medically refractory headaches, seizures and non-disabling stroke patients. He has experience in family medicine, psychiatric medicine, and in treating hospitalized patients. He is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

    Originally from Idaho, Michael earned his bachelor's degree in nursing from Boise State University. He earned his master's degree at Gonzaga University.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Ryan M. Smith, DO, FAAN is the only fellowship-trained headache and facial pain neurologist in Idaho. He specializes in treating complicated medically refractory headache conditions. He's active in clinical research, and his work has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. He lectures frequently on migraine and other headache disorders.


    Originally from southeastern Idaho, Dr. Smith earned his bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University - Idaho.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Travis Smith, DO is a neurohospitalist who provides care for the breadth of neurological diseases for inpatients only. He is a board-certified vascular neurologist who specializes in the care of acute ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, TIA, and other diseases of central nervous system vasculature. He also teaches medical trainees, and has interests in team-based approaches to medical care and inpatient neurology. 

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    John D. Steffens, MD specializes in multiple sclerosis and immunologic diseases of the nervous system, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, neuromuscular disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Dr. Steffens graduated from the University of Idaho in Moscow before earning his medical degree. He performed his internship at Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center and his neurology training at the University of Utah, where he served as chief resident and performed his fellowship in neuromuscular disease/EMG. Dr. Steffens served as associate professor of neurology (clinical) at the University of Utah, where he continues to hold a part-time position as a neuro-hospitalist nine to 12 weeks a year.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Matthew Techy, MD specializes in neuromuscular medicine, caring for patients with conditions such as neuropathy myasthenia gravis, ALS, and other muscle diseases and/or myopathy. He has particular interest in electromyography, which is a test that measures nerve connections and how muscles fire, helping him evaluate muscle abnormality and/or pinched nerves. This objective information about contributors to a patient's symptoms helps in diagnosis and the development of a care plan.

    Dr. Techy truly appreciates the complexity of his work, as each patient has a unique combination of symptoms and circumstances. He enjoys the challenge of piecing together clues that can offer answers for patients and their families. He is passionate about ensuring that patients understand their conditions and how to best live with them.

    Prior to his medical training, Dr. Techy earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Washington University. After his time at Northwestern for medical school and residency, he completed his fellowship in neuromuscular medicine through the Cleveland Clinic. He also gained experience and career inspiration through serving as a volunteer in hospital emergency rooms.

    Originally from California, Dr. Techy loves soccer, hiking and running along the Greenbelt in his free time. An avid adventurer and learner, he also enjoys visiting and lingering in National Parks and museums.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Shannon Tierney, MD is a board-certified neurologist who specializes in vascular neurology.  She provides care for the full range of inpatient neurological diseases and sees patients in a post-discharge/stroke clinic. 

    Her special clinical interests include cardioembolic causes of stroke, atherosclerotic disease, arterial dissection, stroke in young people, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, cerebral venous thrombosis, sex-differences in stroke risk factors, and neurosonology. She enjoys working with patients and their families, helping them navigate stroke recovery and prevention. 

    Dr. Tierney is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Heart Association, and Neurologists Interested in Climate and Health. 

    In her free time, Dr. Tierney enjoys traveling, reading literature, music, and spending time in nature.

    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Anant Wadhwa, MD has expertise in the management of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, myoclonus, Tourette's syndrome, Huntington's disease and other movement disorders. He also specializes in the use of deep brain stimulation and botulinum toxin injections.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Robert T. Wechsler, MD, PhD, FAES, FAAN specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, nonepileptic seizures, and convulsion. He is the owner of Consultants in Epilepsy and Neurology, PLLC, and medical director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at St. Luke’s Boise. 

    Dr. Wechsler earned a medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School, where he also received a PhD in neuroscience. He completed his residency in neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute/St. Joseph’s Hospital and a fellowship in epilepsy at Stanford University Hospital Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.  

    Dr. Wechsler is currently a clinical instructor in the department of neurology at the University of Washington. He is also a long-time, active member of the American Epilepsy Society, currently representing them on the board of the American Brain Coalition. Dr. Wechsler is board president of Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho, and serves as their Professional Advisory Board Chair. He is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, the Private Practice Epileptology Consortium, and a founder of the Northwest Epilepsy Centers Consortium. 

    Dr. Wechsler is active in epilepsy research. He is a member of the Epilepsy Studies Consortium, and has participated as an investigator in many epilepsy clinical trials and publications. He has also been involved in a variety of industry-sponsored educational initiatives: developing educational content and participating in professional advisory boards, speaker bureaus, and steering committees. 

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    James Whiteside, MD specializes in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, migraine, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and carpal tunnel syndrome. His scope of care includes inpatient consultations, general neurology clinic, and EEG; and his clinical interests include stroke, neuromuscular diseases, neuro-immunology, infectious disease, and neuro-oncology.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

  • Neurology

    Biography

    Cong Zhi Zhao, MD specializes in deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and other movement disorders and neurological conditions. In addition to her clinical practice, she evaluates patients as part of the multidisciplinary Movement Disorder Clinic. She enjoys helping all of her patients live their fullest possible lives and encourages each one to work hard toward their goals.

    Dr. Zhao earned her bachelor's degree in bio-engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
    • St. Luke's Health Partner
      St. Luke's Health Partner

      These providers work together to achieve patient-centered care, using proven best practices to offer better care to you and your family.

    • Specialties, Conditions & Treatments

Procedures & Treatments

Support the Patients and Families at St. Luke's Neurosciences

Support the Patients and Families at St. Lukes Neurosciences

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