Team Members
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Nizar Souayah, MD, FAAN, FAANEM
Dr. Nizar Souayah, MD, FAAN, FAANEM is a physician scientist Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, and Physiology at both Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. At Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, he is also Director of the MDA Clinic, the Electrodiagnostic Medicine Laboratory, the Peripheral Neuropathy Center, and the Neuromuscular Division.
Dr. Souayah received his medical degree from the Medical School of Tunis in Tunisia. He completed internships and residencies in Primary Care and Family Practice at the Medical School of Tunis; in Internal Medicine at the University of Strasbourg in France and at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and in Neurology at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Souayah completed clinical and research fellowships in Electromyography/Neuromuscular Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston and in Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders at Drexel Medical School in Philadelphia. He is board-certified in Neurology, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Neuromuscular Medicine. Dr. Souayah is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, where he also serves on the History of Neurology Committee and is a member of the Neuromuscular Section.
He is a Fellow of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Dr. Souayah has authored or coauthored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts and serves on the Editorial Boards of several medical and scientific journals. He has presented both nationally and internationally at several meetings and grand rounds, including the annual meetings of The American Society of Neuroimaging, American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Souayah’s major research interests are in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuroinflammation, cell therapy, and outcome studies in neurological disorders and neuromuscular adverse reactions of vaccination. He has been listed as Health grade’s “Top Scoring Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Doctor” and was included in the Consumer Research Council of America’s “Guide to America’s Top Physicians.”
Director of the Experimental Laboratory:
Dr. Zhao Zhong Chong is a research scientist, a current assistant professor at Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Chong received his medical degree from Binzhou Medical College in China and PhD degree from Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Chong have been working in basic research since he came to the United States. His research has been focused on cell signaling pathways that function in the development of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, engaging the roles of erythropoietin, nicotinamide, Sirt1, and mGluRs in oxidative stress, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral vascular regulation during ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Dr. Chong has over 100 publications with an H-index of 68. Currently, his work is focusing on exploring the mechanisms underlying peripheral neuropathy following amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and diabetes.
President:
Kazim Jaffry is the current President of the NEM Research Institute. He has been involved in all three areas of neurologic research (basic, clinical, and translational). He is currently a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. His main research focus is neuro-cutaneous disorders. He is interested in the differences in standard treatment protocols of neurologic disease, specifically in investigating the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin. He is the main liaison with the NEM Research Institute's international collaborators and has worked extensively with biomedical engineers in developing computational architecture for the Institute's various research projects.
Director, Innovation Technology Engineering:
Suhayb Islam is a biotech and pharmaceutical product strategy and program development specialist and engineer with a diverse background working with organizations such as: Stryker Corporation, Johnson and Johnson, Rutgers University, and the American Red Cross. He holds a B.S. in biomedical engineering and is completing an MBA in Healthcare and Global Business through Rutgers University.
He is most known for his work in developing macro-scale healthcare initiatives, with key examples being a public health response and recovery protocol for COVID-19 and several new product and process initiatives within the drug and medical device development space. His main interests in the field of neurology are molecular mechanisms of neurological post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, brain-computer interfaces, neuroimaging, and neurological drug development.
Graduate Researchers:
Dr. Kranthi Mandava completed his MD at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is a graduate researcher at the NEM Research Institute. He is currently a resident in internal medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. His principal research focus is in the new and developing field of neuro-gastroenterology and motility disorders. As a machine learning expert, Dr. Mandava has worked extensively on correlating diabetic control and its impact on neurologic disorders. His work in novel inflammatory biomarkers has led to fundamental discoveries of the neurologic basis of long-haul COVID-19.
Dr. Mustafa Jaffry completed his MD at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2023 and is the former president and founder of the NEM Research Institute. He is currently a resident in ophthalmology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is involved in the crossroads of ophthalmology and neuromuscular medicine. His main research focus is in big data analysis of neuro-ophthalmologic conditions, in particular, diabetic retinopathy. He is most well known for his work in discovering new aspects of ocular myasthenia gravis and optic neuritis, especially in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been awarded numerous awards including the American Neuromuscular Foundation’s Medical Student Research Award for his outstanding work in progressing the field of neuromuscular medicine.
Justin Matos completed his BS in Public Health at Rutgers University -- New Brunswick. He is currently a graduate researcher and is most interested in neuro-epidemiology. His main research focus is analyzing disability and morbidity in neuromuscular disorders, primarily GBS. His work specializes in how demographic and SES factors have implications for outcomes in neurologic disorders.
Scott Karpenos is currently an MBA student at NYU Stern and is employed in the wealth management field. He earned his BS in Finance from Rutgers University -- New Brunswick. His primary research focus lies in understanding how socioeconomic issues influence patient outcomes. By leveraging his interest and experience in economic matters, he is able to provide a unique perspective on varying research topics. He aims to use his expertise to better understand social determinants of health and progress this field further.
James Lin is in the Combined Degree Program at Rutgers University for a graduate degree in biomedical engineering, where he intends to obtain a Masters of Science in an accelerated time frame. He currently works in research and development in medical imaging to improve patient diagnosis, combining his engineering and science background. His main research focus is on medical imaging and better predicting patient outcomes utilizing machine learning, with an interest in neuroradiology.
Reza Mohammed Ali holds a Masters in Biological Science from Rutgers Newark. He is currently a second-year medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is interested in neuro-cardiology and research in cardiac arrhythmias.
Michelle Karpenos is a medical student at the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, where she is involved in pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry research. She graduated with highest honors in genetics and sociology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Her research examined the socioeconomic disparities in health and healthcare between children with congenital heart disease and Down syndrome, garnering her the prestigious Henry Rutgers Award. Her research interests include health disparities and how socioeconomic factors affect neurological and psychiatric outcomes in children.
Narjis Jaffry is a fourth year nursing student at Rutgers School of Nursing Camden. She has been consistently involved throughout her career on the implications of neurological disorders on nursing practice. In the past, she has focused on the effects of climate change on healthcare for which she was awarded the prestigious Rutgers-Camden School of Nursing Undergraduate Nursing Research Fellowship. Her current principal research interest is biomarkers as a predictive factor of neurological post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
Senior Researchers:
Dr. Jeffery Kornitzer, MD -- New Jersey Pediatric Neuroscience Institute
Dr. Kamel Jedidi, PhD -- Columbia Business School
Dr. Adnan Qureshi, MD -- University of Missouri
Dr. Michel Boufadel, PhD -- Director of the Center for Natural Resources at the New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Howard Sander, MD -- NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Dr. Evan Huff, MD -- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Dr. Roopa Sharma, MD -- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Dr. Daniel Menkes, MD -- Oakland University
Statisticians:
Senior Research Statistician Abu Nasar -- Weill Cornell Medicine
Senior Research Statistician Ankit Pahwa -- SMR Consulting Incorporated
Fahad Mostafa, MS -- Texas Tech University
Dr. Hafiz M. R. Khan, PhD -- Texas Tech University
Yash Jagarlamudi, MS -- Northeastern University
