Neurosurgery Residency

Kristine, born and raised in Latvia, graduated from Riga Stradins University in 2015. Concurrently with her medical studies, she spent five years researching cellular stress markers and myelin alterations in cases of substance abuse at the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology in Riga, Latvia. This work helped unravel yet uncharacterized role of Human Herpesvirus-6. Her effort in establishing first in nation myasthenia gravis patient database led to a fundamental contribution to the epidemiology literature in Latvia. Following her medical studies, she pursued a two-year neuroscience post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University, focusing on neuroprotective compounds for stroke recovery. She then worked for nearly three years at the University of Southern California Neurorestoration Center, specializing in open vascular, cerebral revascularization and epilepsy surgery research. Before joining Carilion Neurosurgery, she completed a two-year clinical neurosurgery pre-residency fellowship at Boston Medical Center.

Kristine has authored over 50 research papers, presented at national and international conferences, and secured NIH grants and patents. She is passionate about translational research, collaborating across biomedical disciplines. Her current research includes developing a novel drug delivery system for chronic subdural hematoma and investigating cellular transmembrane protein role and dynamics in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. Beyond work, Kristine enjoys mountaineering, wilderness expeditions, and hiking.