John Martin Stern MD MA, FAAN, FANA, FAES

Neurology•Los Angeles, CA

Epilepsy, Neurophysiology

Professor, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Join to View Full Profile

710 Westwood Plaza, 1250 RNRCLos Angeles, CA 90095
Phone+1 310-825-5745
Fax+1 310-825-5745

Summary

Dr. John Stern is Professor and Director of the Epilepsy Clinical Program in the Department of Neurology at the Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also Director of UCLA’s Epilepsy Fellowship Training Program and Medical Director of UCLA’s Seizure Disorder Center.

Dr. Stern’s education includes concurrent bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wesleyan University with a master’s thesis in physical biochemistry. His medical degree is from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, medical internship was at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and neurology residency and epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology fellowship were at UCLA.

Focused on seizures, epilepsy, and clinical neurophysiology, Dr. Stern maintains an active clinical practice that includes outpatient and inpatient care for seizures and epilepsy. He also has extensive experience as an investigator in clinical research studies and clinical trials related to epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. His 335 publications include 6 books and 195 peer-reviewed research papers, chapters, and reviews. Among the publications, one was awarded best clinical research publication of the year by Epilepsia Open, and another was recognized as among the best of the year by Epilepsia.

For his excellence in teaching, he has received the highest teaching awards from UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine and from UCLA’s Department of Neurology. He has lectured widely internationally and in most of the United States, and he has been interviewed by Reuters, National Public Radio, NBC TV, New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and other news organizations.

Dr. Stern is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Epi

Education & Training

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterFellowship, Epilepsy, 1997 - 1999
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterChief Residency, Neurology, 1996 - 1997
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterResidency, Neurology, 1994 - 1997
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Beth IsraelInternship, Internal Medicine, 1993 - 1994
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiClass of 1993
Wesleyan UniversityMA, Physical Biochemistry, 1988 - 1989
Wesleyan UniversityBA, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, High Honors, 1985 - 1989

Certifications & Licensure

CA State Medical License 1995 - 2027
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Neurology
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Clinical Neurophysiology
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Epilepsy
American Board of Clinical NeurophysiologyEpilepsy Monitoring

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

Southern California Super Doctors 2008-2009, 2011-2025
Best Doctors in America 2005-2020
Los Angeles Magazine Top Doctors 2012, 2016-2017
America’s Top Physicians Consumers’ Research Council of America, 2009-2014
Leading Physicians of the World IAHP, 2012-2013, 2016-2017
UCLA Neurology Faculty Teaching Award (Golden Hammer) 2011
Dadone Clinical Teaching Award Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, 2017
Outstanding Teaching to Residents Award UCLA Department of Neurology, 1999
Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society Elected Membership, 1988
Hawk Prize for outstanding research in biochemistry Wesleyan University, 1989
Join now to see all

Clinical Trials

Low-intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP) for Treatment of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
NA
Evaluation of the 24/7 EEG SubQ System for Ultra Long-Term Recording of Patients with Epilepsy Involving the Temporal Lobe Region. Start of enrollment: 2021 Apr 21
RECRUITING
NA
Roles: Contact

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Intrinsic brain network stability during kainic acid-induced epileptogenesis.
Nastaran Jafari, Lingna He, Charbel Bou Khalil, Hsiang J Yeh, Neil G Harris
Epilepsia Open. 2025-04-01
Supervised machine learning compared to large language models for identifying functional seizures from medical records.
Wesley T Kerr, Katherine N McFarlane, Gabriela Figueiredo Pucci, Danielle R Carns, Alex Israel
Epilepsia. 2025-04-01
Video-based detection of tonic-clonic seizures using a three-dimensional convolutional neural network.
Aidan Boyne, Hsiang J Yeh, Anthony K Allam, Brandon M Brown, Mohammad Tabaeizadeh
Epilepsia. 2025-03-24

Journal Articles

Efficacy and tolerability of the new antiepileptic drugs I: Treatment of new onset epilepsy.
French J, Kanner AM, Bautista J, Abou-Khalil B, Browne T, Harden CL, Theodore WH, Bazil C, Stern J, Schachter SC, Bergen D, Hirtz D, Montouris GD, Nespeca M, Gidal B, ..., Neurology 2004;62:1252-1260. And Epilepsia 2004;45:401-409
Overview of treatment guidelines for epilepsy.
Stern JM, Curr Treat Options Neurol 2006;8(4):280-288
Simultaneous electroencephalography and functional MRI applied to epilepsy.
Stern JM, Epilepsy Behav 2006;8(4):683-692
Seizure Disorders.
Stern JM, Curr Opin Neurol 2012;25(2):159-207
Trisomy 9p and epilepsy (letter response).
Stern JM, Neurology 1997;50:313
The epilepsy of trisomy 9p.
Stern JM, Neurology 1996;47:821-824
Homocysteine associated hypercoagulability and disseminated thrombosis.
Stern JM, Saver JL, Boldy RM, DeGregorio F, Angiology 1998;49:765-769
Identification of a locus on chromosome 14q for idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (Fahr disease).
Geschwind DH, Loginov M, Stern JM, Am J Hum Genet 1999;65:764-772
Acquiring simultaneous EEG and functional MRI.
Goldman RI, Stern JM, Engel J, Cohen MS, Clin Neurophysiol 2000;111:1974-1980
Relative utility of sphenoidal and temporal surface electrodes for localization of ictal onset in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Mintzer S, Nicholl JS, Stern JM, Engel J, Clin Neurophysiol 2002;113:911-916
Simultaneous EEG and fMRI of the alpha rhythm.
Goldman RI, Stern JM, Engel J, Cohen MS, NeuroReport 2002;13:2487-2492
Efficacy and tolerability of the new antiepileptic drugs II: Treatment of refractory epilepsy.
French J, Kanner AM, Bautista J, Abou-Khalil B, Browne T, Harden CL, Theodore WH, Bazil C, Stern J, Schachter SC, Bergen D, Hirtz D, Montouris GD, Nespeca M, Gidal B, ..., Neurology 2004; 62:1261-1273. And Epilepsia 2004;45:410-423
What is a diagnosis of epilepsy?
Stern JM, Practical Neurology 2009;8(5):31-34
Seizure incidence during single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in individuals with epilepsy.
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Koski L, Nuwer MR, Engel J, Clin Neurophysiol 2004;115:2728-2737
Normative data on changes in transcranial magnetic stimulation measures over a ten hour period
Koski L, Schrader LM, Wu AD, Stern JM, Clin Neurophysiol. 2005;116:2099-2109
A lack of effect from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS).
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Fields TA, Nuwer MR, Wilson CL, Clin Neurophysiol. 2005;116:2501-2504
Low frequency electrical stimulation through subdural electrodes in a case of refractory status epilepticus.
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Wilson CL, Fields TA, Salamon N, Nuwer MR, Vespa PM, Fried I, Clin Neurophysiol 2006;117:781-788
Conversions between monotherapies in epilepsy: Expert consensus.
St Louis EK, Gidal BE, Henry TR, Kaydanova Y, Krumholz A, McCabe PH, Montouris GD, Rosenfeld WE, Smith BJ, Stern JM, Waterhouse EJ, Schulz RM, Garnett WR, Bramley T, Epilepsy Behav 2007; 11:222-234
Core elements of epilepsy diagnosis and management: expert consensus from Leadership in Epilepsy, Advocacy, and Development (LEAD) faculty.
Glauser TA, Sankar R, LEAD Faculty, Curr Med Res Opin 2008;24(12):3463-3477
Epileptogenic temporal cavernous malformations: Operative strategies and postoperative seizure outcomes.
Upchurch K, Stern JM, Salamon N, Dewar S, Engel J Jr, Vinters HV, Fried I, Seizure 2010;19:120-128
Understanding therapeutic equivalence in epilepsy.
Sankar R, Glauser TA, LEAD Faculty, CNS Spectr 2010;15:112-123
Effect of lateralized temporal lobe epilepsy on the default mode network.
Haneef Z, Lenartowicz A, Yeh HJ, Engel J Jr, Stern JM, Epilepsy Beh 2012;25:350-357
The value of auras.
Stern JM, Practical Neurology 2009;8(5):31-34
When is the right time for epilepsy surgery?
Stern JM, Practical Neurology 2009;8(5):31-34
Join now to see all

Books/Book Chapters

Imaging of Epilepsy
Page 1 - 389John Stern and Noriko SalamonSpringer2022
Medication Resistant Epilepsy: Diagnosis and Treatment
Page 1 - 286MultipleEditors: John Stern, Raman Sankar, Michael Sperling.Cambridge University Press2020
Atlas of EEG Patterns.
Page 1 - 450Stern JMLippincott Williams & Wilkins, PhiladelphiaEdition 2,
Atlas of Video-EEG Monitoring.
Page 1 - 591MultipleEditors: Joseph Sirven and John Stern.McGraw-Hill, New York2011
Atlas of Epilepsies.
Chapter: Focal vertiginous seizures
Stern JMEditors: Panayiotopoulos CP.Springer-Verlag, London
Atlas of EEG Patterns.
Page 1 - 307John SternLippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
Epilepsy treatment and Clinical neurophysiology subsections.
Stern JM, assoc. edEditors: Gilman S.MedLink Neurology, San Diego
Atlas of EEG Patterns, 2nd Ed.
Page 1 - 467Stern JM
Encyclopedia of Neuroscience.
Chapter: Stroke
Stern JM, Wasterlain CGEditors: Smith B, Adelman G.Elsevier, New YorkEdition 2,
MedLink Neurology.
Chapter: Psychogenic seizures
Stern JMEditors: Gilman S.MedLink Corporation, San Diego
MedLink Neurology.
Chapter: Vagus nerve stimulation
Stern JM, Sankar REditors: Gilman S.MedLink Corporation, San Diego
MedLink Neurology.
Chapter: Epilepsy surgery in adults
Upchurch K, Stern JMEditors: Gilman S.MedLink Corporation, San Diego
Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook.
Chapter: New therapeutic directions
Fisher RS, McKhann GM, Stern JM, Quigg MS, Regis J, Schomer DL, Schachter SC, Vezzani AEditors: Engel J, Pedley TA.Wolters Kluwer, PhiladelphiaEdition 2,
Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook.
Chapter: Phenytoin, fosphenytoin, and other hydantoins
Stern JM, Perucca E, Browne TREditors: Engel J, Pedley TA.Wolters Kluwer, PhiladelphiaEdition 2,
Intraoperative Monitoring of Neural Function.
Chapter: Neurophysiology during epilepsy surgery
Stern JM, Engel J JrEditors: Nuwer MR.Elsevier, Amsterdam
Treatment of Epilepsy.
Chapter: Scalp EEG in the Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation
Bower CM, Stern JMEditors: Shorvon S, Perucca E, and Engel J Jr.Wiley-Blackwell, West SussexEdition 3,
Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences.
Chapter: Epilepsy, Surgery
Stern JM, Engel J JrEditors: Aminoff JM, Daroff RB.Academic Press, San DiegoEdition 2,
Atlas of Epilepsies.
Chapter: Focal seizures with olfactory hallucinations
Stern JMEditors: Panayiotopoulos CP.Springer-Verlag, London
Atlas of Epilepsies.
Chapter: Focal seizures with gustatory hallucinations
Stern JMEditors: Panayiotopoulos CP.Springer-Verlag, London
Atlas of Epilepsies.
Chapter: Dyscognitive seizures
Stern JMEditors: Panayiotopoulos CP.Springer-Verlag, London
Atlas of Epilepsies.
Chapter: Aphasic seizures
Stern JMEditors: Panayiotopoulos CP.Springer- Verlag, London
Atlas of Video-EEG Monitoring.
Chapter: Fundamentals of electroencephalography
Millett D, Stern JMEditors: Sirven J, Stern JM.McGraw-Hill, New York
Atlas of Video-EEG Monitoring.
Chapter: Interpreting depth electrode EEG
Schrader LM, Stern JMEditors: Sirven J, Stern JM.McGraw-Hill, New York
Atlas of Video- EEG Monitoring.
Chapter: Auras and other simple partial seizures
Stern JMEditors: Sirven J, Stern JM.McGraw-Hill, New York
MedLink Neurology.
Chapter: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis
Stern JMEditors: Gilman S.MedLink Corporation, San Diego
Join now to see all

Abstracts/Posters

Interhemispheric asymmetry of cortical excitability in epilepsy.
Stern JM, Schrader LM, Koski L, Chang J, Engel J, Nuwer MR, Muscle Nerve 2003;28(Suppl. 12): S190
Outcome after epilepsy surgery: A patient population over 45 years of age.
Tripathi M, Dewar S, Fried I, Sha Z, Millet D, Gonzales A, Langlois K, Stern J, Schrader L, Soss J, Engel J, Epilepsia 2006;47(Suppl. 4):123
SANTE (Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of Thalamus for Epilepsy) Interim Report.
Fisher RS, SANTE Study Group, Epilepsia 2006;47(Suppl. 4):332
Musicogenic seizure localization with simultaneous EEG and functional MRI (SEM).
Stern JM, Tripathi M, Akhtari M, Korb A, Engel J, Cohen MS, Neurology 2006;66(Suppl. 2):90
Real-time EEG during functional MRI.
Sands SF, Akhtari M, Tripathi M, Stern JM, Neurology 2006;66(Suppl. 2):361
Investigation of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF- rTMS) parameters on motor cortex excitability in normal subjects.
Schrader LM, Sadeghinejad S, Sadeghinejad J, Kazanchyan M, Koski L, Stern J, Wu A, Iacoboni M, Nuwer M, Neurology 2006;66(Suppl. 2):179
Therapeutic efficacy of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) stereotactically directed at a well- defined epileptogenic region (ER).
Schrader LM, Koski L, Nuwer MR, Engel J, Stern JM, Epilepsia 2005;46(Suppl. 8):225
Normal within-subject variation in motor threshold (MT) and cortical silent period (CSP) over ten hours.
Koski L, Schrader L, Wu A, Nuwer M, Stern J, Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology 2005;22(5):362
The effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS).
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Fields TA, Nuwer MR, Wilson CL, Epilepsia 2004;45(Suppl. 7):330
fMRI correlates to contralateral interictal epileptiform discharges.
Stern JM, Goldman RI, Bilusic Z, Engel J, Cohen MS, Epilepsia 2003;44(Suppl. 9):258
Low frequency electrical stimulation through subdural strips for refractory status epilepticus.
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Vespa P, Wilson CL, Nuwer MN, Fried I, Epilepsia 2003;44(Suppl. 9):180
Presurgical planning via intracerebral Depth electrodes and outcomes: A series of 100 patients with medically intractable epilepsy.
Upchurch K, Stern J, Staba R, Wilson CL, Engel J, Fried I, Epilepsia 2006;47(Suppl. 4):347
Assessing the seizure risk from single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in individuals with epilepsy.
Schrader LM, Stern JM, Nuwer MR, Engel J, Toga AW, Epilepsia 2001;42(Suppl.7):43
Effectiveness of open-label zonisamide in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
Mullin P, Stern JM, Eliashiv D, Delgado-Esceuta A, Epilepsia 2001;42(Suppl.7):184
Tomographic mapping of alpha rhythm using simultaneous EEG/fMRI.
Goldman RI, Stern JM, Engel J, Cohen MS, NeuroImage 2001;13(6):S1291
Simultaneous EEG and fMRI made easy.
Cohen MS, Goldman RI, Stern JM, Engel, J, NeuroImage 2001;13(6):S6
Acquiring EEG during functional MRI.
Goldman RI, Cohen MS, Stern JM, Engel J, Epilepsia 2000;41(Suppl.7):84
Combining EEG and functional MRI.
Goldman RI, Cohen MS, Stern JM, Engel J, NeuroImage 2000;11(5):S606
Combining EEG and functional MRI: cleaning up the electrical signals.
Goldman RI, Cohen MS, Stern JM, Engel J, Proc Int Soc Mag Res Med 2000;8:19
Echo-planar diffusion-weighted MR imaging in epilepsia partialis continua.
Liebeskind DS, Alger JR, Curran JG, Stern JM, the ASNR/ASHNR/ASPNR/ASITN/ASSR Joint Meeting, San Diego, CA
A large pedigree with autosomal dominant basal ganglia calcification that shows anticipation and clinical heterogeneity.
Stern JM, Geschwind DH, Ann Neurol 1998;44:457
A nuclear magnetic resonance study of the interactions of Mn++ ions with DNA.
Stern JM, Oberoi H, Russu IM, Biophysics J. 1990;57(2):448
Simultaneous EEG and fMRI of vertex sharp transients.
Caporro M, Haneef Z, Yeh S, Buttinelli C, Stern JM, Epilepsia 2009;50(Suppl. 11):79-80
Effect of temporal lobe epilepsy on the default mode network.
Stern JM, Yeh HJ, Haneef Z, Lenartowicz A, Mumford J, American Epilepsy Society 2010 Meeting
Hippocampal networks in temporal lobe epilepsy: a ‘seed-based’ fMRI study.
Haneef Z, Yeh HJ, Lenartowicz A, Mumford J, Stern JM, American Epilepsy Society 2010 Meeting
Join now to see all

Lectures

The Functional Networks of TLE.
Paul Crandall Symposium on Epilepsy Surgery
What is Rational Polypharmacy?
Epilepsy Therapy Project Mechanisms of Antiepileptic Drugs Roundtable
Invasive Monitoring for Epilepsy: What We’ve Learned.
Neural Interfaces for Therapeutic Interventions, UCLA Dept. of Neurosurgery, Los Angeles
Central Modulation for Epilepsy.
Neural Interfaces for Therapeutic Interventions, UCLA Dept. of Neurosurgery, Los Angeles
The Recent and Remote Experience of One Surgical Center.
American Epilepsy Society 63rd Annual Meeting, Temporal Lobe Special Interest Group, Boston
Single Seizure: To Treat or Not, Not.
Indian Epilepsy Association and Indian Epilepsy Society 9th Annual Joint Conference, Delhi, India
EEG- fMRI in Epilepsy.
Indian Epilepsy Association and Indian Epilepsy Society 9th Annual Joint Conference, Delhi, India
Alpha Activity and fMRI BOLD Signals.
International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, 10th Annual, Bodrum, Turkey
Visualizing EEG’s Metabolic Correlates with Functional MRI.
Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
The Framework of Bioequivalence.
Los Angeles
Interictal EEG in the Diagnosis of Epilepsy: Pearls and Pitfalls.
India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
The Role and Limits of Video-EEG Monitoring.
India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Therapeutic Advances in Epilepsy.
Los Angeles
Antiepileptic Drug Therapy in Women and the Elderly.
Los Angeles
Antiepileptic Drug Mechanisms and Kinetics.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX
Consequences of Epilepsy.
Los Angeles
Join now to see all

Press Mentions

UCB Presents New Data Demonstrating Commitment to Epilepsy at 2019 American Epilepsy Society MeetingNovember 22nd, 2019
An Interview with Sharon Chiang, 2019 Epilepsia Open Prize Winner for Clinical ResearchMay 7th, 2019
17 Things Everyone Should Know About EpilepsyJune 26th, 2016