Meet the Synapse Team
Alissa Totman, MD, MPH
Executive Director and Founder
Alissa is a Brain Injury Medicine fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She completed medical school at the Stanford University School of Medicine and residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Her career goal is to improve care for individuals with brain injury by advancing clinical practice and educating the next generation of leaders in brain injury. She has been serving the brain injury community since 2010 and founded Synapse National in 2016.
Amy Jolepalem
Director of National Operations
Amy Jolepalem is the former president and peer support group facilitator of the University of Washington Synapse chapter and has been involved with the organization since 2018. During her time with Synapse, she has been able to form a multitude of meaningful connections with community members and has been continually awed and challenged not only by their stories and perspectives but the impact she has seen Synapse have on local brain injury communities. This has invariably shaped her as an individual and she aspires to become a physician who works with patients with brain injuries.
Tara Damle
Director of Programming
Tara Damle currently attends the University of Pittsburgh and is pursuing a degree in Communication Science and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She is honored to be a part of the Synapse team, as this organization serves a meaningful purpose for the brain injured community. Alongside Tara's academics, she is a university tour guide and an undergraduate teaching advisor for first year students. She also works as a rehabilitation aide at the community clinic. Tara is excited to embark on her Synapse journey!
Emily Schultz
Director of Outreach
Emily grew up in Aurora, Illinois and graduated with her BS in Human Biology at Stanford University in 2023. While at Stanford, Emily competed on the varsity softball team while working in orthopaedic surgery research. She has been a member of Synapse National since 2021, volunteering in various roles within the marketing team. Emily is continuing research and working as a medical scribe in the Bay Area while applying to medical schools this year and is excited to continue growing Synapse to reach even more members of the brain injury community.
Karishma Kalesh Kallingapuram
Director of Outreach
Karishma is a recent BA (Hons.) Psychology graduate from the University of Delhi and is set to begin her Research Master's in Cognitive Neuropsychology at VU Amsterdam this fall. She is deeply passionate about fostering connections and making meaningful contributions in the field of Brain and Cognition. Synapse National's commitment to advocacy and support for those with Brain Injury resonates strongly with her, and she is eager to collaborate with the team to drive positive change and continue growing Synapse.
Andrew Shin
Director of New Chapter Education (NCE)
Andrew is currently a senior undergraduate at Stanford University pursuing a B.S. in Human Biology with a focus on neuroscience. His journey with Synapse started at the chapter level, where he is serving as the Vice President of Peer Support at the Stanford chapter and facilitating peer support group meetings there. Seeing the impact that Synapse could have for individuals with brain injuries at these meetings inspired him to join the national team and spread the work that Synapse does to more communities. Outside of Synapse, Andrew is involved with Stanford’s Bridge Peer Counseling Center and works as a research assistant investigating Alzheimer’s disease. He is very excited to work with new chapters and bring them into this incredible organization!