Our Pediatric Neurosurgery Team

Neurosurgeons

Michael Edwards, MD, is the Chief, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Professor in Pediatric Neurosurgery, and Co-Director of the Center for Children's Brain Tumors. He is also a professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon and holds a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery and neuro-oncology from the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Neurosurgery. His practice includes a wide range of neurosurgical procedures and treatments, including radiosurgery. Dr. Edwards presently sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Radiosurgery and Surgical Neurology. 
 
Samuel Cheshier, MD, is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatric neurosurgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Cheshier is a former recipient of the Van Wagenen fellowship – the most prestigious research award offered to a new neurosurgeon in North America. He was also a Robin and Judith Humphreys Fellow of Paediatric Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. His main clinical interests are neuro-oncology and epilepsy surgery. His research lab focuses on determining the lineage relationships of brain tumor stem cells and progenitors as well normal central nervous system (CNS) stem cells.

Nurse Practitioners

Melissa Ballard, RN, ACNP, is a neurosurgery pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) specializing in the care of hospitalized children with an emphasis in the transition from intensive to acute care, end-of-life care and all acute care settings. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from San Francisco State University in 1985 and a Master of Science in Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practioner from San Francisco University in 2007.
Jodette C. Carrillo, RN, MS, CNS, PNP, is a pediatric nurse practitioner and provides inpatient and outpatient care for children and their families. She has been with Stanford/Lucile Packard Children's Hospital since 1997 and has extensive experience in pediatric critical care. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of San Francisco and proceeded to attain her Masters in Science degree at the University of California, San Francisco. Jodette is dual titled as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Additionally, Jodette is a member of NAPNAP and Sigma Theta Tau International.
Camly Slawson, RN, MS, CNS, PNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with a background in the pediatric specialty and acute care settings both as a pediatric nurse practitioner and registered nurse.  Camly completed her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and attained her Master of Science degree at the University of California, San Francisco. Camly is a board member of NAPNAP and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Bonnie Taft, RN, MSN, CPNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) with a rich background in pediatric primary care setting. Bonnie is also an experienced educator and served as a member of the pediatric clinical faculty at the University of California at San Francisco for several years. Bonnie completed her undergraduate degree at State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1994 and she later went on to attain her Masters in Science degree at Boston College in 2003.