People

Paul Sampognaro, MD

HS Asst Clinical Professor

Dr. Sampognaro majored in neurobiology as an undergrad at Georgetown University. There, he worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of Maria Donoghue, studying the molecular underpinnings of Eph/ephrin signaling and its role in cortical neuronal development. After college, he matriculated to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he earned his MD and worked part-time in Charlotte Sumner’s laboratory, quantifying the degree of SMN1 insufficiency in humans with spinal muscular atrophy.

Clara Sanches

Postdoctoral Fellow

Movements are files of a person’s life, learned, reproduced, and altered as needed. There are external movements, those that make us act on objects and internal movements, and energy that we use in space and time. Clara’s interest in the body as a ‘depository of human expressiveness’ led her to a degree in Psychomotor Therapy with a master’s specialization in old age and mental health (University of Lisbon).

Mark Sanderson-Cimino

Clinical Neuropsychology Fellow

Sharon Sanhotra

Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator

Antonia Sarria Rivera

Autopsy Coordinator

At the Memory and Aging Center, Antonia assists families with the brain donation process and acts as Dr. William Seeley’s administrative assistant. She graduated in 2021 from UC Davis with a BS degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. She participated in health-related internships and was a member of several clubs such as Alzheimer’s Buddies, Pre-Dental Society, and Outdoor Crew.

Abhijit Satpati

Postdoctoral Fellow

Abhijit is a postdoctoral fellow in the Grinberg Lab.

Ariel Sauri, BA

Staff Research Associate

Ariel joined the Yokoyama Lab at the Memory and Aging Center in February 2024 as a Staff Research Associate. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Ariel has experience assisting with research into the effects of environmental air pollution on neurodegenerative disease, as well as working in a clinical pathology setting; she is interested in learning more about neurogenetics.

Rhiana Schafer

Data Analyst

Rhiana Schafer is a Research Data Analyst with 6+ years of experience in a variety of research settings, from small labs to large centers. Her research interests include a variety of aspects of neuroscience and aging, including the language network and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), music interventions in dementia, and health equity and equal access to care. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2016, with a double major in Cognitive Science and Molecular & Cellular Biology. 

Kristin Scheel

Field Research Coordinator

Athena Schlereth

Autopsy Coordinator

Athena studied Integrative Biology and Classics at UC Berkeley. She was involved in archaeological research and assisted the excavation of a prehistoric cemetery in Greece. On campus, she was a volunteer EMT and worked as a chef for her housing cooperative. Her experiences volunteering in hospice and nursing facilities led her to the Memory and Aging Center, where she assists patients, families, and caregivers with the autopsy program.

Daniel Schonhaut

Imaging Research Specialist

Bill Seeley, MD

Professor

Dr. Seeley attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where he first encountered patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 1999, during a research elective with Dr. Bruce Miller. He completed a neurology residency at Harvard Medical School, training at the Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women's Hospitals. Returning to UCSF for a Behavioral Neurology fellowship, Dr.

Pages