Lab Director
Santiago Ortega-Gutiérrez, MD, MSc, FAHA, FSVIN
Title/Position
Principal Investigator
Dr Santiago Ortega earned his MD at University of Alcala in Madrid Spain, did his Internal Medicine and Neurology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed a Neurocritical care and Stroke Fellowship at Columbia University, and an Endovascular Neurosurgery fellowship at Mount Sinai in New York. He is currently the Director of Neuro Interventional Surgery in Neurology at UI and the Neuroendovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Fellowship Director. He is also the Vice Chair of the Mechanical Thrombectomy 2020+ initiative and President-Elect of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology. His research interest includes cerebral autoregulation and hemodynamics, neuroimaging as a selection tool and developing novel endovascular approaches and devices to treat cerebrovascular ischemic and hemorrhagic disease. Currently Dr. Ortega-Gutierrez has over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as he is the PI in several NIH/NINDS, PCORI and industry funded investigator-initiated studies and Randomized Trials including MAP-STROKE, DIRECT and DONE SYMPLE.
Lab Managers
Carlos Contreras, MSc
Title/Position
Lab Operations Manager
Carlos Alberto Contreras Mesa is a versatile leader, researcher, and project manager with experience across clinical, technological, and academic environments. He is our Lab Manager overseeing the execution of clinical trials with strong methodological rigor. He also contributes to the development of technological solutions such as Jarín-Jarín, an analytical system that uses satellite and drone imagery for geospatial project monitoring. Carlos holds an international academic background in logistics, project management, and business, and is an educator in artificial intelligence, leading the course Revolutionizing Workflows with AI. His career includes strategic roles in the public and academic sectors focused on optimization, innovation, and data-driven decision-making.
Research Fellows
Nashwa Abdelhakim, MD, PhD
Dr. Nashwa is an Egyptian neurologist who graduated from Minia University. She earned her MSc and PhD from the Department of Neurology, at Minia University before she moved to the USA to expand her experience and knowledge in Neurology. Dr. Nashwa has a great passion for vascular neurology, neurophysiology, and neuroimmunology. Her research aims to improve outcomes in cerebrovascular accidents. Her goal is to prepare for her career as a physician and significantly participate in clinical research that would be game-changing and improve patient care in clinical practice. Dr. Nashwa believes that passion, hard work, persistence, and communication are the cornerstone of being a good physician.
Leonardo Cruz-Criollo, MD
Title/Position
Research Fellow
Dr. Leonardo Cruz-Criollo is a Peruvian neurologist who completed his residency at the renowned Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas through the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM). During his residency, he developed a deep interest in vascular neurology, endovascular neurology, and neurocritical care. As part of his residency training, he enhanced his expertise through observerships in Canada and Mexico, focusing on vascular and endovascular neurology.
Driven by his passion for advancing medical knowledge and innovative treatments, Dr. Cruz-Criollo came to the United States to collaborate on research in cerebrovascular diseases, neurocritical care and neurointervention. He is committed to driving innovations that transform clinical practices and improve patient outcomes.
Anderson Brito Alvarado, MD
Dr. Brito Alvarado earned his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) in the Dominican Republic. He has a deep passion for clinical research and is dedicated to advancing patient care through innovative approaches in neurosurgery. Aspiring to become a neurological surgeon, his focus is on improving outcomes for patients with critical neurological conditions. Prior to joining the Cerebrovascular and Neurointerventional (CVNI) lab, Dr. Brito Alvarado served as a research fellow at the Dominican Gamma Knife Center, where he co-authored several publications on Gamma Knife radiosurgery.
William Haselden, MD, PhD
Title/Position
Research Fellow
Dr. William Davis Haselden is a neurosurgery resident at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, with an extensive background in neuroscience research. He earned his MD/PhD from the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, where his doctoral work focused on computational modeling of cerebrovascular dynamics. Throughout his academic and clinical training, Dr. Haselden cultivated a strong interest in vascular neurosurgery, neurocritical care, and translational neuroengineering. He has contributed to research on nitric oxide diffusion, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and neurovascular coupling, with multiple peer-reviewed publications. His training includes rotations and electives across leading institutions, deepening his experience in trauma, stroke, and neurointervention. Committed to bridging research and patient care, Dr. Haselden aims to advance innovative therapies that enhance neurological outcomes.
Undergraduate Students
Jenny Huynh
Jenny Huynh is an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa studying Biology. Her interest in neurology research stems from her desire to learn more about the human brain and her past experiences volunteering with the hospital's neuroscience unit. She plans on going to medical school and hopes to make meaningful differences in the lives of patients.
Arsh Manazir
Arsh is an undergraduate student majoring in neuroscience. Passionate about medical research, he strives to assist with research projects focused on treating neurological disease. His experiences at the lab fuel his ambition to pursue a career in the medical field, with a keen interest in neurology.