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
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Innovation Health: Open POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
- Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
- United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- United Student Resources
- United Select Plus (POS)
- United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
- United Golden Rule
- United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
- D-SNP)
- I-SNP
- United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
- United Erickson Advantage Plans
- United Choice Plus
- United Choice
- United Mamsi Life & Health
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
- United MD IPA (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Signature
- Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Kaiser Select-Added Choice
- Kaiser Select
- Kaiser Medicare Plus
- Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Kaiser Flexible Choice
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- HumanaChoice PPO
- HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna POS/Network POS
- Cigna Indemnity
- Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
- Cigna Network Open Access
- Cigna HMO Open Access
- Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
- Cigna EPO
- Cigna Choice Fund PPO
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Beech Street PPO
- Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- WellPoint Maryland
- Virginia Premier
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Police and Fire Clinic
- United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- United Optimum Choice
- United Navigate
- United Core Essential (HMO)
- United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
- United AARP Medicare Complete
- Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
- Medicaid - Virginia
- Medicaid - Maryland
- Medicaid - District of Columbia
- Tricare for Life East
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Tricare East Select
- Tricare East Prime
- Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CareFirst NASCO
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
- CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
- CareFirst Administrators
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
- Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
- Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
- Carefirst EPO
- Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- First Health PPO
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)