Meet Our Providers

Luqi Chi, MD, MSCE, FACP, is a professor of neurology and sleep medicine. She received her medical degree and a master’s degree in cardiopulmonary pathophysiology in China. She subsequently completed her residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine. After coming to the U.S. in 1998, she went on to complete her U.S. residency at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, New York, and fellowship training… read more.

Rachel Darken is an associate professor of neurology. Born and raised in Knoxville Tennessee, she received her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, and her medical degree and PhD from the Weill Cornell Medical School and Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York. Darken was a Fulbright Fellow in Spain and later returned to Spain for an EMBO fellowship before completing her neurology residency and a research fellowship at… read more.

Gabriela de Bruin is an associate professor of neurology. Born and raised in Brazil, she received her medical degree from the Federal University of Ceara. Following medical school, de Bruin completed a neurology residency and a sleep medicine fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She joined the Department of Neurology at Washington University as faculty in 2012…. read more.

Yo-El Ju is an associate professor of neurology and a physician-scientist studying the relationship of sleep and neurodegenerative diseases. Ju earned her undergraduate degree in neurobiology at Harvard College, followed by a MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. She completed her residency training in neurology, fellowship training in sleep medicine, and a master’s degree in clinical investigation… read more.

Christine Juang, PhD, DBSM, is a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology. She grew up in Taiwan and received her undergraduate degree from National Taiwan University. Juang earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California and completed pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. She is trained in clinical geropsychology and is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. She joined faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis in 2023. At the Sleep Medicine Center, she provides treatment for insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, nightmares, and difficulties adjusting to CPAP using non-pharmacological approaches.

Eric Landsness is assistant professor of neurology and sleep medicine.  He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in Electrical Engineering and his MD and PhD degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.  Following medical school, Landsness completed his neurology residency and sleep fellowship at Washington University.  He then joined the Department of Neurology in 2017… read more.

Amy Licis is an associate professor of neurology and sleep medicine. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, she received her undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine.  Following medical school, Licis completed her pediatric neurology residency at Washington University and a sleep medicine fellowship at Washington University. In addition… read more.

Raman Malhotra is associate professor of neurology in the Sleep Medicine Section. He serves as the Program Director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship.  Malhotra grew up in St. Louis and attended Lindbergh High School before attending the six year accelerated BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for his undergraduate and medical school training. He then completed his neurology residency and sleep medicine fellowship… read more.

Jay Piccirillo is a professor (Investigator Track) of otolaryngology, medicine, biostatistics and occupational therapy. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Vermont and completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellowship at Yale University. He joined the Washington University faculty in 1992. He is a general otolaryngologist and the otolaryngology consultant to the Multidisciplinary Sleep Medicine clinic at Washington… read more.

Tonya Russell is professor of medicine and is a diplomate in sleep medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Florida. She completed her internal medicine residency and her pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. Russell joined the faculty of the Division of Pulmonary and… read more.

Emily White, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of neurology. White completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Washington University, and she earned masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the Washington University Sleep Center in 2022.

As a behavioral sleep medicine specialist, White provides non-medication treatments for adults with sleep disorders, including insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, nightmares, night eating and difficulties adjusting to CPAP.

Afou Boire was born and raised in Mali, West Africa. She completed three years of medical school in Mali before moving to the U.S. in January 2000. She completed her master’s in nursing concentration adult in 2010 at the Goldfarb College of Nursing and joined the sleep center in November 2015.

Marissa Smith received her undergraduate degree in biology from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, and her Master’s Degree in nursing and her Family Nurse Practitioner Certification from The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. She worked seven years as a neurology nurse practitioner at St Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, before relocating to St. Louis. She joined the Sleep Center in July 2021.

Smith is passionate about patient education and helping people to improve their quality of life through treatment of various sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, parasomnias, disorders of hypersomnia and sleep disordered breathing.

She is a wife and mom to five boys.