San Francisco and Los Angeles Office Staff:

Fernando Miranda, M.D., Neurologist
Shelley Peery, PhD
Beth Tabakin, PhD
Ashley Schmidt
Michelle Foosaner, MSPT
Gabrielle Perelmuter, M.S.
Christopher Miranda, BS, MBA, MA
Glendalyne Roma, Lead Physical Therapist
Aditi Shankardass, PhD
Jamie Kintz, M.A., CCC-SLP

	Fernando Miranda, M.D., Neurologist Fernando Miranda, M.D. is the founder and Neurologist for Bright Minds Institute. After graduating from medical school in 1972, he completed his internship and residency in Neurology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.  His post graduate training was in Behavior and Cognition at Baltimore City Hospitals and Johns Hopkins Hospital.  He co-founded the Maryland Regional Sleep Disorders Center for the Johns Hopkins Neurology Department and Baltimore City Hospitals.  Dr. Miranda was on the faculty in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins Medical School, served as chairperson for the Division of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, NM and has maintained a private practice in Vero Beach, Florida, and San Francisco since l989.  Dr. Miranda is board certified in neurology, electroencephalography, neurological rehabilitation, sleep disorders, and evoked potentials.  He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.  Dr. Miranda has written numerous articles and book chapters on sleep disorders, electroencephalography, cognition and attention disorders. ^Return to top^
	Shelley Peery , Ph.D., Neuropsychologist Dr. Peery is the Clinical Neuropsychologist at our San Francisco Clinic. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Peery has recently returned from several years in New York City . There, she was a rehabilitation neuropsychologist at one the world's premier rehabilitation centers, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center . She has been extensively trained in clinical neuropsychology and rehabilitation interventions at Columbia , Mount Sinai, and New York University Medical Centers and has worked with a host of luminaries in the fields of neuropsychology and rehabilitation. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology from Queens College of the City University of New York, one of the most respected neuropsychology programs in the country. She has substantial experience in the evaluation and rehabilitation of neuropsychological functioning in children and adults. She specializes in rehabilitation interventions for compensating for neuropsychological deficits due to brain injuries, attention deficits, and learning disorders. Dr. Peery also has experience in training students of neuropsychology at New York University Medical Center and Bellevue . She has been extensively involved with the continuing education of her colleagues as Secretary of the New York Neuropsychology Group as well as with legislation to improve access to the neuropsychological care through the New York State Psychological Association. Dr. Peery is now teaching neuropsychology at the graduate level in the San Francisco Bay Area at Argosy University. ^Return to top^
	Beth Tabakin, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist Beth Tabakin is the Clinical Psychologist for Bright Minds Institute, and offers individual, family and group therapy.  She received her B.S. degree in Education from Boston University, M.A. in Education of the Exceptional Child from San Francisco State, and Ph.D. from The California Graduate School of Marital and Family Therapy.  She is a licensed psychologist and holds two clear teaching credentials - multiple subject and specialist for learning handicapped and severely handicapped for pre-school through adult.  Dr. Tabakin assessed and case managed children with severe emotional disturbance and learning disabilities for residential placement both in and out-of-state for the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services Division of Mental Health.  She taught in the public and private school systems prior to her earning her doctorate in psychology.  She has maintained a private practice in Kentfield since 1993.  Dr. Tabakin is an experienced family therapist who understands how learning disabilities impact communication, self-esteem, and family dynamics. Understanding psychological disorders, learning disabilities and family systems, Dr. Tabakin can facilitate communication to help families and individuals reach and maintain their goals. ^Return to top^
	Ashley Schmidt, Clinic Coordinator Ashley Schmidt is the Clinic Coordinator for Bright Minds Institute.  Ashley attended Santa Barbara Community College and transferred to San Francisco State University to finish her undergraduate work within Psychology.  In May 2002, she received a B.A. in psychology.  Ashley had a leadership position as the sole coordinator for 6 Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy clinics in La Jolla, CA.  Ashley also provided sole assistance to several physicians here in San Francisco during her undergraduate experience.  She has several years of experience aiding professionals and providing great customer service.  Ashley enjoys working with children and their families to support them through each step of the process at Bright Minds. Email: aschmidt@brightmindsinstitute.com ^Return to top^
	Michelle Foosaner, M.S., Physical Therapist & Director of Rehabilitation Services Michelle Foosaner is a Pediatric Physical Therapist and the Director of Rehabilitation Services for Bright Minds Institute.  Michelle studied as an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles and received her Masters of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of California at San Francisco.  Michelle’s most recent experience includes pediatric care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and at Movement Discoveries Pediatric Therapy Center where she was the lead therapist.  Michelle is an active member of the Pediatric Section of the American Physical Therapy Association and was the first physical therapist to study and practice Intensive Physical Therapy, The TheraSuit Method, and The Universal Exercise Unit in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Michelle is the soccer-player of our group.  Often using herself as an example, she finds innovative ways to both motivate and challenge her patients to work hard during therapy and to feel proud of their successes.  Despite the hard work, however, laughter and giggling are common sounds that are heard from the PT gym when Michelle is at work.  In addition to the one-on-one time that she spends with her patients, Michelle enjoys working closely with each family to help identify related needs that facilitate and simplify how the family is able to support their child’s optimal growth and development. Email: mfoosaner@brightmindsinstitute.com ^Return to top^
	Gabrielle Perelmuter, M.S., Occupational Therapist Gabrielle Perelmuter is the Occupational Therapist for Bright Minds Institute.  Gabrielle received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt College in December of 2004.  She has been working primarily in school districts and private clinics around the bay area.  The population she has worked with ranges from 0-18 years of age, with varied diagnosis (attention deficit hyperactive disorder, spectrum disorders, pervasive developmental delays, cerebral palsy and more).  Her treatments have included sensory integration therapy, fine motor coordination intervention, wellness and prevention, family/parent education, handwriting intervention and more.  Her approach to treatment is an occupational based, client-centered and neurodevelopment based.  She strongly believes that treatment is most effective when the child, therapist and family formulate therapy goals and use the client’s occupations (interests and/or motivators) as a means towards achieving those goals. ^Return to top^
	Christopher Miranda, M.A., Neurophysiology Coordinator Christopher Miranda is the Neurophysiolgy Coordinator.  He graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a dual major in psychology and philosophy. During his undergraduate studies he served as a research assistant for several National Institute of Health studies in vascular physiology, and he was published several times in academic journals.  He later attended the University of San Francisco where he obtained an M.B.A. with an emphasis in management, and marketing. He is currently enrolled in a Clinical Neuropsychology Ph.D. program where he is acquiring a Masters in clinical psychology.  His current intellectual pursuits involve the development of a psychometric instrument for the measurement of leadership capability, and the management of neurophysiological research projects for the Bright Minds Institute. ^Return to top^
	Glendalyne Roma, Lead Physical Therapist Email: groma@brightmindsinstitute.com Glendalyne Roma is the Lead Physical Therapist for our Los Angeles Office.  She received her Degree in Physical Therapy in 2000 and has since been working in the field of pediatrics.  Glendalyne has worked with children ages 0-3 through Early Intervention programs and with children ages 3 and up in school settings.  Glendalyne enjoys working with children in the Intensive Physical Therapy Program.  Since becoming trained in this method, she feels constantly motivated and inspired by the children that she works with and the rapid gains that they make.  Glendalyne enjoys incorporating her skills as a Certified Yoga Therapist for Children with Special Needs into her practice and finds this to be a fun and successful way of adding high-level balance, coordination, and motor-panning activities into her sessions as appropriate.  Glendalyne is referred to by many of her young patients as ‘silly’ and loves the creativity that comes into making each session both fun and challenging. ^Return to top^
	Aditi Shankardass , Ph.D., Neurophysiologist Dr. Shankardass is the Director of Neurophysiology and Head of our Los Angeles clinic. She comes to us from the UK , where she has been the Neurophysiology Consultant for BMI and Director of BMI UK since 2005. She has an extensive, multidisciplinary background in neuroscience, having trained in neurophysiology for her BSc, neuroanatomy for her MSc, and neuropsychology for her doctoral degree. She has substantial experience in the recording and study of EEGs in babies, children and young adults on sensory (auditory and visual) and cognitive (attention, language and face-recognition) tasks. She specializes in using EEGs to isolate the precise sensory and cognitive brain mechanisms that are impaired in children with developmental, attentional and learning disorders. Dr. Shankardass' work on dyslexia has been the subject of several publications and presentations, including her prize-winning presentation to the UK Houses of Parliament, and has also been covered by the UK and US press. She has served as a Neuroscience Lecturer at Sheffield University and as Neuroscience Consultant with the 'Science Line' for BBC radio and for various TV documentaries. She is currently writing a book on developmental dyslexia and serves as Board Member of the 'Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation', a US organisation devoted to raising global awareness of neurological and psychiatric disorders. ^Return to top^
	Jamie Kintz, M.A., CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist Jamie graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and from San Diego State University with a master's degree in Communication Disorders. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). While earning her graduate degree, she researched phonological delays in preschool children. Jamie is experienced in evaluating and treating children with a variety of speech/language delays and disorders involving speech production (e.g., apraxia, articulation, phonology), pre-literacy skills (e.g., phonemic awareness), receptive language (e.g., following directions, listening/reading comprehension, inferential reasoning), expressive language (e.g., vocabulary use, grammar, sentence structure, storytelling), and pragmatics (e.g., social communication). Jamie combines each child's strengths, interests, and needs to create individualized treatment plans that are goal-driven and data-based. She embraces a team approach to treatment that includes collaborating with parents, educators, and other professionals. Her sessions are designed to be effective and fun for every child as he or she learns to be a more confident communicator! ^Return to top^