Thomas Thesen, Ph.D. - Associate Professor & Principal Investigator
Dr. Thesen received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Oxford University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in brain imaging at the University of California, San Diego. He was a faculty member in the Department of Neurology at Grossman School of Medicine at New York University for over 10 years, where he was the director of NYU ECoG, a center for research in patients with brain implants. Most recently, he was a founding faculty member at the new College of Medicine at the University of Houston before coming to Dartmouth. He is a co-director of the Neuroscience & Neurology and Medical Learning Sciences courses in the MD program at Geisel, and a visiting scientist at the Brain & Mind Institute in Nairobi. Thomas initially came to the US as an international student from Germany. He is an avid sailor and outdoor enthusiast, enjoying skiing, hiking, and freediving.
Vincent Busque
Vincent received his bachelor's degree in Human Biology with a concentration in health economics and policy from Stanford University before joining Dartmouth as a medical student. He serves as a student government representative, is involved in cancer research, and has an interest in digital health and wellness. In his free time, Vincent enjoys skiing and swimming.
Frances L. Koback
Frances earned her bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University and completed her premedical training at John Hopkins University. Before joining Dartmouth's MD program at Geisel, she worked as a bioinformatician for the Srivastava Lab at Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. She is the current president of the Digital Health Scholars at Geisel where she leads a group of students interested in exploring how technology can improve patient care. Frances’s research interests include integrating engineering principles, artificial intelligence, and data science to develop novel solutions for healthcare challenges and improve patient outcomes. In her spare time, Frances is a competitive triathlete and enjoys biking, swimming, and running in the Upper Valley as she trains for Ironman races and other triathlons.
Brendan Hines
Brendan received his BS in neuroscience at SUNY Geneseo, where he was involved in cognitive psychology and pharmacology research. After graduating, he joined a neuropsychology lab at the NIH, where he assisted in non-human primate neurosurgery and researched connections between the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe. At Geisel, Brendan is involved in hand surgery research, the Psychiatry interest group, and is interested in cholinergic and serotonergic neural pathways. Brendan enjoys skateboarding, soccer, writing, and drawing in his free time.
Nsomma Alilonu graduated from Princeton University in 2021 with a BSE in Computer Science. During her time at Princeton, she contributed to research to develop a non-invasive glucometer using infrared light. She is now pursuing an MD at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, where she continues to find ways to explore how technology can serve as a means to benefit human health. In her free time, she enjoys writing comics, playing violin, crocheting, and singing.
William Escobar
William received his B.S. in Biology of Global Health from Georgetown University. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Medical Informatics in the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. William is interested in modeling the neurological and behavioral effects of stress on different sub-populations. In his free time, William enjoys listening to music and hiking.
Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu (TNT)
TNT earned his associate degree in chemistry from Georgia Perimeter College, a bachelor’s degree in Brain Sciences at Dartmouth, and a business certification from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He is currently a fourth-year medical student at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), TNT is dedicated to global health and works, via collaboration with Congolese scientists, to help improve healthcare delivery in the DRC. In his spare time, TNT likes to play basketball and work out.