Our Team
Seward Rutkove, M.D.
Dr. Rutkove is Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and serves as the Nancy Lurie Marks Chair of the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. With extensive funding support from NIH, Dr. Rutkove’s medical research focuses on the application of innovative clinical neurophysiological techniques for the assessment and treatment of neuromuscular disorders and muscle dysfunction with an emphasis on electrical impedance methods. His research efforts have also included the impact of reduced gravity on musculoskeletal health, with past and ongoing support from NASA. An investigator with over 250 publications, he recently served as an associate editor for Annals of Neurology. In 2011, he was awarded the Biomarker Challenge Prize from the non-profit foundation Prize4Life, Inc for his work demonstrating that electrical impedance measurements of muscle could speed clinical therapeutic studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In 2019, he also received the prestigious Herman P. Schwan International Award in Electrical Bioimpedance and in 2021, the Innovation Award from the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. These research efforts have led to the creation of two start-up companies, Haystack, Inc and Haystack Diagnostics, Inc, both focused on advancing neuromuscular diagnosis. His research efforts have recently been taking him into new directions, including the development of novel small-molecule and other therapies for the treatment of primary muscle and nerve disorders.
Physicians
Courtney E. McIlduff, M.D., MMSc.
Clinical Neurophysiology
Post-doctoral Research Fellows
Giulia I. Cenci, M.D.
Email: gcenci@bidmc.harvard.edu / giuliaisacenci@gmail.com
Giulia Cenci is a dedicated physician and researcher in the field of Neurology. Originally from Brazil, she joined Dr. Rutkove’s Lab as a Research Fellow in May 2024, bringing with her a strong commitment to advancing neurological research and improving patient outcomes. Giulia’s academic and research background has covered a variety of neurological conditions, including Epilepsy, Stroke, and Dementia.
At the Lab, Giulia contributes to groundbreaking research focusing on identifying new therapeutic methods and improving care for patients with Neuromuscular Disorders. Her passion for Neurology is deeply integrated into her work, significantly contributing to the advancement of clinical practices. She plans to further her specialization through a residency in Neurology, aiming to deepen her impact on the field while continuing to dedicate her efforts to research.
Askhat Mukushev, M.D.
Email: maskhat@bidmc.harvard.edu
Askhat Mukushev is a neurologist, co-founder of the Institute of Childhood Neurology, and neurology instructor hailing from Kazakhstan.
As a passionate advocate for advancing neurological research and patient care, Askhat has an extensive background in clinical consulting and neurophysiological assessment. He earned a couple of grants from the European Academy of Neurology and "Bolashaq" International Scholarship.
In June 2023, Askhat embarked on an exciting new chapter, joining the Neuromuscular Lab as a Research Fellow. Here, he eagerly embraces the opportunity to delve into cutting-edge research, in state-of-the-art neurophysiological assessments. He is contributing to various projects, where his responsibilities encompass conducting neurophysiological and ultrasound assessments and performing in-depth statistical analyses.
Buket Sonbas Cobb, Ph.D
Buket completed her BSc in Electrical/Electronic Engineering in Mersin University/Turkey, and she studied at the Polytechnic University of Valencia/Spain for a year as an exchange student during her BSc studies period. She moved to Sweden to complete her MSc in Telecommunications Engineering in University of Gavle. She completed her PhD in the University of Sheffield in Control Systems Engineering and decided to pursue her career in this field, after which she returned to Turkey to start teaching at Harran University. Now, she has relocated to Boston for my post doc studies to work with Dr. Seward Rutkove.
Kirsten Dunlap, Ph.D
Email: kdunlap1@bidmc.harvard.edu
Dr. Dunlap is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Before joining the Rutkove Lab in September 2023, she completed her PhD in Exercise Physiology at Florida State University. Kirsten also holds a bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Exercise Science from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and a master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Arkansas.
Dr. Dunlap’s research interests primarily include skeletal muscle physiology. Her passion for skeletal muscle brought her to the Rutkove lab to lead NASA-funded projects that investigate muscle, bone, and brain health in response to the unique environmental stressors of space. Since joining the lab, however, her interests have expanded to include interactions between muscle and the brain, and how manipulating skeletal muscle modulates the brain in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
When she is not in the lab, Kirsten is a dedicated dog mom to her black lab, Maggie, and spends her free time rock climbing and hiking.
Stavroula Tsitkanou, Ph.D
Email: stsitkan@bidmc.harvard.edu
Stavroula Tsitkanou (Roula for short) is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Dr. Rutkove’s laboratory (Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) from September 2024. Roula’s research interests are mainly related to muscle biology and exercise physiology, in alignment with pathology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other compromised skeletal muscle conditions. Roula is currently working on understanding the paradoxical relationship of exercise and ALS, as well as the contribution of skeletal muscle in ALS pathogenesis. Before joining the Dr. Rutkove’s laboratory, Roula was working as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Cachexia Research Laboratory (University of Arkansas) for 2.5 years, investigating potential mitochondrial-targeted therapeutics for cancer cachexia. Roula graduated her PhD from Deakin University (Australia) in 2021, investigating potential therapeutic interventions for ALS using microRNA technologies and exercise training. Aside from her 8-year experience in animal studies, Roula was also working during her MSc (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) in human studies related to acute and long-term exercise-induced skeletal muscle adaptations. Her passion about exercise physiology and muscle biology was sparkled from when she was track-and-field athlete in Greece (third place in Greek National Championship Under 23 in 3km steeplechase in 2012) endeavoring to understand her own athletic performance and improvement.
Research Coordinators
Sarah Verga
Sarah has been a Clinical Research Coordinator in Dr. Rutkove’s lab since 2019. Sarah has a B.S. in neuroscience and psychology from UMass Amherst. She is also a Boston EMT and is pursuing the Physician Assistant profession.
Teresa Capella
Teresa is a Clinical Research Coordinator to Dr. Rutkove. She has a B.S. in biology from Boston College and has worked in various areas of clinical research prior to joining the Rutkove Lab, including regenerative medicine, rehabilitation, and aphasia. She joined the Rutkove lab in July of 2023 to conduct clinical research studies on investigational ALS drugs and potential diagnostic devices which involve the use of electrical impedance myography/tomography and neuronal threshold tracking.
Ajitesh Nanda
Aji is a Clinical Research Coordinator in Dr. Rutkove's lab. He is originally from Foster City, CA (near San Francisco), where he attended college locally at UC Berkeley, graduating with degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology (Neurobiology) and Astrophysics. He has a strong interest in neurodegenerative diseases, and he plans to apply to medical school soon.
Zoe Malone
Originally from Colorado, Zoe relocated to Boston where she graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Boston University. The main focus of her studies was neurobiology and she's been interested in neurodegenerative diseases for years. She joined the Rutkove Lab in August 2023 to take part in animal work as a research assistant.
Mia Hemme
Mia is a Clinical Research Coordinator in Dr. Rutkove’s lab. She graduated from the Marist College Honors Program with a B.A. in biochemistry. Prior to this, Mia worked on the quality assurance and clinical teams at a cancer pharmaceutical biotech and as an urgent care medical assistant. She joined the Rutkove lab to work on studies that explore potential new methods for diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Amy Lewandowski
Amy is a Clinical Research Coordinator in Dr. Rutkove's lab. She joined the lab in 2024 and works primarily on studies involving myotonic dystrophy and the use of electrical impedance myography devices for diagnosis and disease progression monitoring. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and minors in Biology and Anthropology.
Ross M. Mandeville, M.D., MAS.
Steve Chrzanowski, M.D., PhD
Soleil Samaan
Megan Rosa-Caldwell