About me
Sana Somani, MD, is a board-certified neurologist joining as a vascular neurologist affiliated with the Comprehensive Stroke Centers at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She is also an attending telestroke physician for all MedStar Health hospitals and is Assistant Professor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where she educates neurology residents and NIH stroke fellows.
Dr. Somani received her medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. She then completed a four-year neurology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she served as Chief Resident. Finally, she completed a specialty fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, before joining MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
As a vascular neurologist at MedStar Washington, one of the few MRI-based stroke programs in the country and also the largest NIH-funded stroke center, she sees patients for ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic stroke, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. She has a special interest in treating stroke in the young population (patients between the ages of 30 and 50) including those with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
Dr. Somani provides acute stroke treatment and secondary stroke prevention. Acute stroke treatment aims to reduce the size of the stroke and reverse damage to the brain through clot-busting medications and clot retrieving procedures. Stroke prevention treatment aims to understand why the stroke occurred and implement a treatment plan that aims to prevent a stroke from happening in the future. Dr. Somani coordinates with physicians in different specialties, including neurosurgery, cardiology, vascular surgery, and rheumatology, to help create a tailored treatment plan for her patients.
Her research interests were sparked during her residency and fellowship training, where she witnessed first-hand the ethnic, racial, and gender disparities that exist within the healthcare system. She was interviewed by Neurology Today for her work regarding health disparities in stroke rehabilitation.
Philosophy of Care
“My philosophy of care rests on a central pillar: Treat the patient, not the disease. When treating patients who suffer from strokes, we have to make quick decisions in the moment that will impact their entire life. I always ask myself, ‘What can we do for the patient, not to the patient?’”
Clinical areas of focus
- Aneurysm
- Arteriovenous Fistula
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- Atherosclerosis
- Carotid Stenosis
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
- Confusion
- Difficulty Speaking
- Disorder Of Balance
- Dizziness
- Moyamoya
- Numbness
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Tingling
- Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
- Unsteady Gait
- Vision Loss
- Visual Impairment
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Aneurysm
- Aphasia
- Arterial Malformation Brain
- Arteriovenous Fistula
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- Atherosclerosis
- Brain Arteriovenous Malformation
- Cadasil
- Cadasil Syndrome
- Carotid Stenosis
- Cavernous Hemangioma
- Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis
- Central Nervous System Lupus
- Cerebral Aneurysm
- Cerebral Atherosclerosis
- Cerebral Hemorrhage
- Cerebral Microvascular Injury
- Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (CSVD)
- Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
- Cerebrovascular Disorders
- Cerebrovascular Insufficiency
- CNS Vasculitis
- Confusion
- Difficulty Speaking
- Disorder Of Balance
- Dissection Carotid Artery
- Dissection Of Vertebral Artery
- Dizziness
- Dural Arteriovenous Fistula
- Facial Droop
- Facial Paresis
- Hemineglect
- Hemiparesis
- Hemiplegia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Horner Syndrome
- Intracranial Arterial Occlusion
- Intracranial Artery Stenosis
- Intracranial Hemorrhage
- Ischemic Stroke
- Lacunar Stroke
- Moyamoya
- Neurovascular Disease
- Non Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm
- Numbness
- Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome
- Receptive Aphasia
- Stroke Related Spasticity
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Tingling
- Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
- Unsteady Gait
- Vascular Malformations Of The Brain
- Vertebral Artery Stenosis
- Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency
- Vision Loss
- Visual Impairment
- White Matter Hyperintensities
Procedures I perform
- Angiography
- Avm Embolization
- Cerebral Angiogram With Aneurysm Embolization
- Cerebral Angiogram With Stenting
- Cerebral Angiogram With Tumor Embolization
- Lumbar Puncture
- Thrombolysis
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Opoen HMO Option
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna HMO
- Open EPO Plus
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Network OA
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open POS II
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- CIGNA EPO
- United Healthcare Choice
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice Fund PPO
- Tricare Prime
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- First Health PPO
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Open HMO
- FIRST HEALTH
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Innovation Health: PPO
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- United Student Resources
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Vascular Neurology
Fellowship Program: University of Maryland Medical Center (2021)
Graduate Education: University of Maryland at Baltimore Hospital (2021)
Graduate Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham (2020)
Residency Program: University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital (2020)
Medical School: Aga Khan University (2015)