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.
Elham Malik
Elham received her degree in psychology and community development from Seine College. After graduating, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Focus Churches of Albany, where she created food security and culturally relevant programming for unhoused guests and refugees. This experience sparked her passion for improving access to care and promoting refugee health. Elham then worked as an Educational Consultant, gaining valuable insights into student-centered wellness and the importance of supportive learning environments. Her commitment to global health has led her to engage in international medical aid work, where she contributes to improving healthcare access in underserved communities. Currently pursuing her Master of Public Health (MPH) at Geisel School of Medicine, Elham is combining her diverse background with advanced public health studies. She is deeply passionate about addressing healthcare disparities, enhancing refugee health outcomes, and developing innovative approaches to student wellness. Elham's research interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience, public health, and global health policy, with a focus on how these fields can contribute to more equitable and accessible healthcare systems worldwide.
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.
Anaum Showkat


Jessica Yu
Chloe Terestchenko

Chloe is a third year undergraduate at Dartmouth College pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Quantitative Social Science, focused in Global Health. Throughout her undergraduate career, Chloe has been involved with research in fear and anxiety machine learning models at NYU, and psychophysics and neural networks research at Dartmouth. Chloe is interested in understanding the connection between neuroscience models and mental health measures for different sub-populations. In her spare time, Chloe enjoys running, cooking, scuba diving, and trying different restaurants!
PAST MEMBERS
Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu (TNT)
Tshibambe is now a resident physician at the Barrow Neurological Institute
Frances L. Koback
Frances is a medical student at Geisel
William Escobar
