Meet the Team

The Neuro-Informatics Laboratory team comprises physicians and scientists in addition to numerous research fellows, trainees, Mayo collaborators and students.

Laboratory staff

  • Paul C. Timm, M.B.A.
  • Senior Program Coordinator and Lab Manager

Paul joined the Neuro-Informatics Laboratory as laboratory manager in October 2022. After graduating in 2013 from Marquette University, he started his career at Mayo Clinic as a research trainee in the Center for Sleep Medicine and has gained broad experience in clinical research administration and management. Paul received his master's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2021 and a master's degree in nonprofit management from Hamline University in 2018.

  • Paige E. Schreifels, B.S.
  • Program Coordinator — Research

Paige graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. While pursuing her education, she was involved in several areas of psychological research that served to cultivate her interest in the research field.

For the last few years, she has been a clinical research coordinator with Mayo Clinic's Division of Medical Oncology, coordinating complex, therapeutic breast cancer clinical trials. Paige joined the Neuro-Informatics Laboratory in August 2022 and is interested in improving patient care by facilitating research project implementation.

  • Osha W. Grant, B.A.
  • Senior Clinical Research Coordinator

Osha graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology. She started her career with Mayo Clinic as a research technologist with Biospecimen Accessioning and Processing (BAP) Sample Intake. After migrating to Bone and Marrow Transplant (BMT) as a clinical research coordinator, she coordinated high-risk clinical trials for patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and assumed the role as lead coordinator for our sister Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona and Florida. Osha became interested in the Neuro-Informatics Lab as an opportunity to learn about a different research field and expand her skill sets.

  • Craig D. Konwinski, C.C.R.C.
  • Clinical Research Coordinator

Craig hails from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he completed his Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2013. From there, Craig went on to earn his Master of Science in clinical exercise physiology from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. Craig joined Mayo Clinic in 2017 as a clinical research coordinator in cardiovascular research. During his tenure in cardiovascular research, Craig coordinated several Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated device trials, including first in human, early feasibility and compassionate-use cases. Craig also supervised a large team of study coordinators who worked on over 30 clinical trials.

Craig joined the Neuro-Informatics Lab in April 2023 as a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator. He is excited to return to patient care and help bring more complex clinical trials to the Neuro-Informatics Lab.

  • Laura A. Machlab
  • Associate Data Science Analyst

Laura graduated from Northwestern University in 2023 with a Master of Science in artificial intelligence. While at Northwestern, Laura worked on projects in radiation oncology with Northwestern Medicine as well as in ophthalmology with the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine. These projects focused on applying machine learning methods to medical images to extract patient-specific features that assist with diagnosis and treatment planning.

In March of 2024, Laura joined the Neuro-Informatics Laboratory as an artificial intelligence (AI) engineer. She is working to continue to expand the scope of the lab's research through the application of AI and machine learning methods.

  • F M Moinuddin, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
  • Research Scientist

Dr. Moinuddin graduated from medical school in 2003 from the University of Dhaka, the most reputable university in Bangladesh. After completing his internship, he worked in the Department of Neurosurgery at Uttara Adhunik Medical College in Bangladesh.

In 2013, he joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Kagoshima University in Japan, where he received the prestigious Dean's Award in the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences. Dr. Moinuddin's doctoral work examined the molecular components of multidrug chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells.

After completing his research fellowship at Kagoshima University, Dr. Moinuddin joined Mayo Clinic's Neuro-Informatics Laboratory in August 2017. He has a specific interest in projects involving stem cell therapy in spinal cord injury.

  • Hendrik L. von Kentzinsky
  • Associate Data Science Analyst

Hendrik grew up in Bremen, Germany. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Ulm, Germany, and a Master of Science in artificial intelligence from Free University of Amsterdam. Most of his primary interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and practical data science applications. In March 2024, Hendrik joined the Neuro-Informatics Laboratory as Associate Data Science Analyst, aiming to augment medical decision-making and to improve patient care by advancing data-driven processes.

Residents, fellows, trainees and students

  • Waleed Ahmad
  • Research Trainee

Waleed joined the Neuro-Informatics lab in 2023 after completing his third year of medical school at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Previously, he conducted research related to adult spinal deformity and cervical spine deformity. Waleed is excited to continue to build on his research experiences with opportunities available in the Neuro-Informatics Lab. Waleed plans to apply for residency after completing his time as a research trainee.

  • Ashis Dhar, Ph.D.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Dhar was born in Bangladesh and graduated from the University of Dhaka in 2011 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree. After completing his master's in public health, in 2017 he attended Kagoshima University in Japan for his Ph.D. studies. There Dr. Dhar's doctoral work examined the effect of oral injury on Alzheimer's disease progression through neural damage. For his outstanding research work, he received the prestigious Morita Award from Kagoshima University.

Dr. Dhar worked in Duke University' Department of Anesthesiology as a postdoctoral fellow. While pursuing neuroscience research there, he became eager to expand his research career under the mentorship of Dr. Bydon. So, in 2022, he joined the Bydon lab at Mayo Clinic as a research fellow. His primary research focus is on developing a regenerative treatment for spinal cord injury patients.

  • Asimina Dominari, M.D.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Dominari graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in Greece in July 2022, and joined the Neuro-Informatics Lab in March 2023. She was particularly drawn to the Neuro-Informatics Lab and Mayo Clinic in general due to the long history of devotion to improving patient outcomes and transforming healthcare.

Dr. Dominari's long-term goals include completing a neurosurgery residency in the United States and pursuing an academic career. She is particularly interested in research related to surgical outcomes, quality improvement, spinal cord injury and skull base surgery.

  • Patrick M. Flanigan, M.D.
  • Neurosurgery Resident

Patrick Flanigan, a native of Austin, Texas, obtained his undergraduate degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, on a full-ride academic scholarship. While at university, he played two collegiate division III sports — soccer and swimming. After graduating with a degree in biochemistry in 2013, he attended a five-year medical school program at the Cleveland Clinic, again with a full scholarship.

Dr. Flanigan is currently a fifth-year resident with a career and research focus in spine surgery. He is particularly interested in innovation, biomechanics and device development. He sees Dr. Bydon as an ideal mentor to foster his aim to one day become a leader in the field of spine surgery.

  • Abdul Karim A. Ghaith, M.D.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Ghaith grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and went to medical school at the Lebanese University Faculty of Medical Sciences. He graduated in 2018 and started his residency as a preliminary general surgery resident at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He continued his studies as a second-year neurosurgery resident at the Lebanese American University Medical Center.

After rotating as a visiting resident in many hospital centers within Canada and the United States, he became attracted to Mayo Clinic for its excellence in patient care. More specifically, he was drawn to Dr. Bydon's Neuro-Informatics Laboratory for its reputation and innovative work in the field of spinal cord injury. Dr. Ghaith's primary research interest centers around improving outcomes in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures.

Dr. Ghaith plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in stem cell regenerative medicine before applying for residency programs in neurologic surgery.

  • Alexandra Johns, Ph.D., M.S.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Johns completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto in Canada, specializing in neurobiology and behavioral genetics. Then she moved to the United States to pursue her master's degree in laboratory animal science at Stanford University. Dr. Johns has always had an interest in stem cell science and, as such, chose to pursue a Ph.D. degree in cellular and molecular medicine at Johns Hopkins University. While there she focused on differentiating human-induced pluripotent stem cells into human spinal neurons and astrocytes for the study of a novel therapeutic target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Johns is thrilled to join Dr. Bydon's lab, along with the rest of the Mayo Clinic team. She plans to study the regenerative capacity of stem cells in the mammalian spine following spinal cord injury.

  • Sarah E. Johnson, M.B.B.S.
  • Research Fellow

Born in Kuwait and raised in Canada, Saudi Arabia and India, Dr. Johnson graduated from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, in 2022. After her clinical rotations and research experiences at Mayo Clinic, the University of Illinois Chicago, the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins, Sarah joined the Neuro-Informatics Lab in August 2022. Dr. Johnson's primary research interests include epidemiology, neuro-oncology, quality improvement concerning surgical outcomes and ma chine learning application in neurosurgery.

  • Konstantinos Katsos, M.B.B.S.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Katsos graduated from University of London, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2021. He also obtained a master's degree in neuroscience and translational medicine from the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary University of London, where he received the George Riddoch Prize for the most outstanding student on the program.

During his studies, Dr. Katsos explored the applications of artificial intelligence in neurosurgery and particularly the implementation of machine learning techniques in neuro-oncology. He has a special interest in neuro-oncology, skull base surgery, as well as traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. The Neuro-informatics Lab's reputation and achievements toward improving surgical outcomes on spinal surgery and translating innovative research to the clinical setting resonated with Dr. Katsos' ambitions, and he joined the team in 2022.

  • Karim R. Nathani, M.B.B.S.
  • Research Fellow

Dr. Nathani graduated from the Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan. Since medical school, he has been involved in neurologic surgical research and continued working on multiple projects following graduation. He completed his medical internship at Dow University Hospital Ojha Campus in September 2021.

In October 2021, Dr. Nathani joined Dr. Bydon's lab as a research trainee. His primary research interests are machine learning and artificial intelligence to evaluate outcomes of patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures and the role of multi-omics in neuroregeneration following trauma.

After completing his research fellowship, Dr. Nathani intends to pursue a neurologic surgical residency and employ his research experience in the clinical practice of the physician-scientist trajectory.

  • Ryan T. Nguyen, M.D., M.E.
  • Research Trainee

Dr. Nguyen grew up in Honolulu and received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2021. During his undergraduate studies, he developed a love for clinical and basic science research. A current medical student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine under the Virginia and Barry Weinman scholarship, Dr. Nguyen joined the Neuro-Informatics Laboratory in July 2023 as a research trainee. His major research interests include spine surgery outcomes and return to play in athletes. Dr. Nguyen hopes to continue academic research and pursue opportunities to teach students in the community throughout his career.