Our Team
United by a shared mission to help you or your loved one receive superb cognitive care.
William Shankle, MS MD FACP
Throughout his extensive career, board-certified neurologist William Shankle, MS, MD, FACP, has been regarded as a leading expert in the management and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurological degenerative conditions. As the founder of Shankle Clinic in Newport Beach, California, Dr. Shankle uses his extensive experience to provide exceptional care for patients from near and far.
Dr. Shankle attended undergrad at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in biology. He continued to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he completed medical school.
He pursued an internship in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and then completed his residency in neurology at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. Dr. Shankle also trained as a statistician at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and completed further postgraduate studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
After co-founding the Alzheimer’s Research Center at the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Shankle served as Clinical Director for ten years. He also served as Director of the Memory and Cognitive Disorders Program at Hoag Neurosciences Institute.
Dr. Shankle has taken part in many research endeavors and has received numerous awards, including the Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association. The New York Times has also recognized Dr. Shankle’s investigations on human brain development, reporting on his research as among the most important scientific discoveries of the 1990s.
Neurologist. Researcher. Scientist.
Sarah Young, NP
With the combination of excellent training and a dedicated work ethic, Sarah Young, FNP, has quickly come to be a valued member of the Shankle Clinic team in Newport Beach, California. Sarah graduated with her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing as a Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University Chicago. She worked as a Registered Nurse in a medical-neurology/stroke unit and specialized in the care and treatment of patients with neurological injuries or disorders such as stroke, epilepsy, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. While working, she then pursued her Doctorate degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Rush University Chicago. Her clinical experience includes K-12 school clinic, outpatient Federally Qualified Health Center, and Epilepsy Center at Rush University.
She then moved to California in 2018 and worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner at a private medical group. She has experience in women's and men's health, pediatrics, geriatrics, acute and chronic illness, and minor surgical procedures. Sarah has experience working with patients who have Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders. She is committed to educating patients and their families about their conditions, treatment options, and lifestyle modifications to improve overall well-being. Sarah's dedication, empathy, and strong communication skills enable her to build trusting relationships with her patients. She believes in a collaborative approach and working closely with interdisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive and personalized care. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). When not caring for patients, she enjoys hiking with her dog, traveling and eating new cuisines.
Nurse Practitioner
Nurse / Chronic Care ManagementAlyssa Saldivar
Alyssa joined the Shankle Clinic in November of 2021. She is a LVN graduate and has been working in the medical field for over 9 years and has many years of experience working with Alzheimer's/Dementia patients. She continues to learn and grow here at the Shankle Clinic. Alyssa works in the Chronic Care Management Department. Outside of work, Alyssa loves spending her free time with her family.
Director of OperationsSandy Youssef, BBA, CPB
Sandy comes to the Shankle Clinic with 6+ years of experience in healthcare operations leadership and provides key skills to help develop important policy, planning, and strategy decisions by analyzing operational processes, and works towards improving the quality of patient care. She helps promote a clinic culture that encourages top performance while ensuring all legal and regulatory documents are in place. She has a total of 11 years of extensive experience in business management within diversified scopes of business and is a certified professional biller.
Elizabeth Clem
Elizabeth joined the Shankle Clinic in July 2025 as a Patient Care Coordinator and Cognitive Tester. After graduating from UCLA in 2024 with a degree in Physiological Science, she worked as a Medical Assistant in a neuro-ophthalmology clinic. She also co-founded Celestria Health, a nonprofit expanding healthcare access and education for underserved communities, and is interested in research on neurodegenerative disease and individualized treatment approaches. She is currently applying to medical school. In her free time, she likes to hike with her dog, practice yoga, try new foods, and go to the beach.
Patient Care CoordinatorGrant Nguyen
Grant joined the Shankle Clinic in October 2025 as a Patient Care Coordinator. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 before earning his Master's in Medical Sciences from Boston University in 2025. He is currently applying to medical school and is passionate about providing compassionate, patient-centered care.
Before joining the clinic, Grant worked as a medication technician in memory care and assisted living, a medical assistant at a private gastroenterology clinic in Irvine, and an ENT scribe at Boston Medical Center. These experiences strengthened his passion for medicine and helping patients throughout their healthcare journey.
Outside of work, Grant enjoys finding a great matcha, trying new restaurants, hiking, and catching live music whenever he can.
Patient Care CoordinatorPatient Care CoordinatorJazmine Avila
Jazmine joined the Shankle Clinic in October 2023. She recently graduated from UCI with a degree in Psychology. During her time at UCI, Jazmine worked as a research assistant in a lab researching working memory interventions that drive training-related changes in cognition. She also gained experience using EEG to investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the working memory system. In the near future, she will be working on applying to PA school to pursue her interest in neurology.
At the Shankle Clinic, Jazmine can be found working as a Patient Care Coordinator, MRI Coordinator, and Cognitive Tester. In her free time, she likes to go to the gym, watch movies, and drink matcha.
Patient Care CoordinatorTalia Than
Talia joined the Shankle Clinic in June of 2026. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2026 with a degree in Biological Sciences and plans to apply to Physician Assistant schools in the upcoming year. Prior to joining the team, she gained valuable patient care experience as a COPE Health Scholar at Kaiser Permanente, Riverside, and spent her free time volunteering with and for people suffering from food disparities at Feeding America, San Bernardino.
At the Shankle Clinic, Talia serves as a Patient Care Coordinator and Cognitive Tester. Outside of work, you can catch Talia enjoying new restaurants, watching movies, reading, and creating DIY crafts.
Research AssociateChristopher Logan
Christopher Logan joined the Shankle Clinic in 2024 to accelerate Dr. Shankle’s research, to foster collaboration between Dr. Shankle and other cutting-edge researchers, and to spearhead administrative projects relating to mission-critical clinic operations. Christopher graduated from Williams College in 2012, and then served as an executive assistant to a world-renowned antibiotic resistance scientist at Tufts University School of Medicine. After completing graduate studies at Columbia University in 2018, Christopher spent almost five years as an editorial coordinator at Science Advances, an open access journal at AAAS. In his free time, Christopher likes to write fiction, watch birds on the ocean, and run uphill.
