Biography


Dr. Niushen Zhang is a board-certified neurologist and Chief of the Headache and Facial Pain Division in the Department of Neurology. She has a special interest in developing personalized treatment plans for headache patients which incorporate the use of complementary and integrative medicine. She is the Chair of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Special Interest Section of the American Headache Society (AHS). Her research interests include the connection between the gut microbiome and migraine and the impact of diet and nutrition on migraine. In addition, she participates in clinical trials of new headache treatments for migraine and cluster headache. Dr. Zhang is also actively involved in medical education. She is the Director of the Headache Fellowship Program at Stanford. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Headache Fellowship Directors Committee for the American Headache Society (AHS). She is also a curriculum developer for AHS's REACH Program. She spearheaded the design and creation of the AHS National Headache Fellowship Opportunities website which serves as a central resource for all headache fellowship applicants and promotes the AAN's unified fellowship application timeline.

Dr. Zhang graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She earned an MD from the New York University School of Medicine. She completed neurology residency and fellowship in headache and facial pain at Stanford University.

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Board Certification, United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, Headache Medicine
  • Board Certified Neurologist, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
  • Headache Fellowship, Stanford University
  • Neurology Residency, Stanford University
  • Internal Medicine Internship, California Pacific Medical Center
  • M.D., New York University School of Medicine
  • B.S., Yale University

Administrative Appointments
  • Chief, Headache Medicine Division (2022 - Present)
  • Director, Headache Fellowship Program (2018 - Present)

Specializing In

Practice Locations


Facial Pain Program at the Hoover Pavilion Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA

211 Quarry Road

Palo Alto , CA 94304

(650) 723-6469

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Facial Pain Program in Redwood City Redwood City, CA
Redwood City, CA

450 Broadway Street, Pavilion A, 1st Floor

Redwood City , CA 94063

(650) 723-6469

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Headache Clinic Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA

Patient Ratings

(123 Ratings)

Overall Rating
4.9/5

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5.0/5
Friendliness
Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
4.8/5
Explanations
Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
4.9/5
Listens
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
4.9/5
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your care
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment
4.9/5
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The Patients Ratings and comments are gathered from our Patient Satisfaction Survey and displayed in their entirety.

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Patient Reviews

(144 reviews)

Dr. Zhang is the best! Love the office staff and nurses!
They spent time with me to answer all my questions and were very helpful in getting a referral to help with my migraines.
She’s wonderful.
Dr. Zhang is the most outstanding, knowledgeable, caring, and helpful doctor in my entire experience at Stanford.
She is an excellent doctor and I feel fortunate to have been under her care. I would prefer a miraculous cure but short of that the high standard of service combined with personal care has been and continues to be encouraging and helpful.
I would recommend Standford Healthcare to anyone I know.it seems that Stanford is the only reputable healthcare system in this entire state everyone else seems to suck!
Fantastic doctor, great neurologist. Wish it didn't takes so long to get an appointment
I have never had a health provider or doctor that I genuinely believe cared so much about my well being and health. Dr Zhang's level of professionalism and sincerity is heart warming. I feel she has my best interest and health in mind. She always returns my messages so quickly if I send one through health care app. I am so very thankful for all Dr Zhang has done and continues to do for me. My family and I love and appreciate her very much for everything and helping me! I honestly don't know where my health and life would be without Dr Zhang. God bless her and Stanford health care! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
The Doctor Niushen Zhang. She works at very professional.
Best doctor, call me if you would like more input
liked detailed interview before diving into treatment and urgency taken for pain treatment
Nice service
Very concerned
The doctors I saw were very attentive and had great suggestions for me
She’s wonderful and so is her resident
Excellent client service, care, communication
Everbody is helpful and lovely
Stanford is lucky to have Dr. Zhang. I cannot speak highly enough of her.
She was very kind and listened to my concerns.
She was very thorough and answered all my questions.
I appreciated how Dr. Zhang didn't seemed rushed in our visit, she genuinely cared about the medicine I am taking and how to make my overall health improved. I also appreciated seeing Dr. Zhang take in advice from the NP who was sitting in on our call.
Was helpful and responsive when we messaged even while directing the headache clinic! I mostly saw Dr. Baron, though, not Dr. Zhang.
Dr. Zhang is the BEST!
World best doctor
She had a very sharpe focus on the most likely cause for my symptoms and developed a treatment plan with attention to the realistic time line to make it happen.
Thorough and thoughtful
Clear professional expert communication
Dr. Zhang and Dr. Baron provided exceptional care for my headache issues. I was most grateful for the time and efforts they spent to diagnose my situation and provide solutions.
very pleasant atmosphere and very informative conversation
Great sensitive provider
Dr Zhang is very detail oriented in her profession.
Absolutely loved everyone we worked with!
Always feel pleased with appointments with Dr. Zhang. She listens and provides good advice.
Dr. Zhang is a world expert in her field.
Dr. Niushen Zhang and her assistants are very nice and professional. They took care of me very well, gave me a clear explanation on how to diagnose and how to treat. Much appreciate for their professional work.
Dr. Zhang is so personable and kind and cares so deeply for any concerns that I have re: my migraines. I feel truly blessed to have her as a care provider!
Kind, understanding, interested doctor!!!
She is great and has helped me tremendously. I am very grateful she is my doctor. She takes the time to listen to her patients and never makes you feel rushed.
Dr Zhang is an very understanding and patient person to talk with. Overall I believe she did great.
She is an outstanding doctor
Dr Zhang is absolutely wonderful. She is a credit to Stanford Health Care!
Very great experience
Both Dr. Zhang and her colleagues were welcoming, thoughtful and patient with me.
They were very professional and friendly.
Dr. Zhang is exceptional, extremely knowledgeable. She explained my condition and the treatment in layman's terms that were easily understood.
She listened to my questions and concerns and gave valuable feedback. I would definitely see her again.
Compassionate provider
Dr Zhang took time to explain the cause, reasons and solution in an understanding and logical way that made sense and provided treatment options that was reasonable. Her warm bedside manner is a plus when dealing with patients with migraine conditions and not belittling it. Dr Zhang and her assistant Xiang are both to be commended for their work. Highly recommend them
As I said in the previous frame, Dr. Zhang is most competent, professional, knowledgeable, friendly, a good listener, and genuinely interested in responding to my needs.
Dr. Zhang was very kind, professional and took very good care of me. She went out of her way to provide the necessary treatment for my issue. I am very grateful for her service and expertise.
Dr Zhang is an amazing doctor! She has my highest recommendation!
Dr. Zhang was professional and thorough.
Dr Zhang is great!
Very knowledgeable and compassionate
Great doctor
Dr. Zhang is wonderful. She was personable, knowledgeable and gave me good information.
Dr. Zhang was excellent. She was very caring, knowledgeable and took the time to understand my whole situation. I highly recommend her.
Dr Zhang provides comprehensive care while demonstrating the highest level of compassion. She is an excellent example of what a Stanford medical professional should be. She has gone above and beyond, exceeding my expectations, regarding helping me get the treatment needed to feel better, which I do. I am truly grateful to have her oversee my care and would give her the highest possible recommendation to anyone who has migraines. Stanford Neurology is fortunate to have such a talented medical provider on their team.
Dr. Zhang is an excellent physician. I have great confidence in her expertise.
She was very smart and empathetic. I appreciated that she listened and wants to help find the underlying cause of my problems before adding new medications or treatments.
The care provider seemed to recognize that my son had serious headaches and developed a plan that fits well with that of the psychiatrist (at Stanford) and the PCP, from Sutter.
Dr Zhang is caring and extremely thorough, one of the best doctors I have been in the care of.
Dr. Zhang was extremely thorough in her diagnosis and communication of treatment plans and next steps. She was professional, caring, empathetic and clear in the video call as to the process of the call which included a fellow.
Careful and thoughtful and listened well
She is very personable and always listens to come up with the best plan for my health needs.
Dr Zhang is a excellent doctor she has great customer service and provides high quality of care to for her patients.
She's been an excellent provider.
Dr. Zhang prepared for the call ahead of time and made sure I understood everything she discussed with me. It was an extremely successful call.
Dr. Zhang is very caring and eager to help. She is the opposite of most doctors I’ve encountered who display an arrogant and judgement attitude. I appreciate Dr. Zhang’s ability to listen and make good decisions for my healthcare.
All excellent
I trust Dr. Zang
My only complaint would be that he talks fast -
I'm consistently blown away by how kind, thorough, and collaborative my doctor is! The fellow I saw in the beginning of the visit was also truly wonderful- inclusive, empathetic, a very good doc
Dr. Zhang is truly a godsend. She is one of the most knowledgeable, empathetic doctors I've ever met. You know that you can count on her to receive excellent care, quality advice, and help when you most need it. And I don't just mean in appointments. Dr. Zhang will respond to messages on MyHealth, and she has even telephoned me before. My health problems can be really overwhelming at times. Being able to get help from her when things get really tough has meant the world to me and has undoubtedly made a huge difference in my health and wellbeing. Dr. Zhang is truly an exceptional physician.
Dr. Zhang was terrific wonderful dr. who really understood my problem and took care of it the same day.
The doctor broke my problems down into groups and went into great easy to understand detail as to what tests and care I need moving forward. I couldn't be happier with the consultation I received.
Dr Zhang is probably the most thoughtful doctor I've ever met and obviously cares a ton about the patient's experience.
Made me feel glad I came to Stanford!
Dr. Zhang has been a very good Doctor for me. my thanks go out to her.
Dr suggested the Rx to take all together to CUT my migraine and it WORKED this Wednesday! VERY happy I didn't have 3-5 days of migraines!
It's still a debate whether my headaches are migraine. Dr. Zhang is understanding. She listens well. I'm hoping she can solve my headache problems.
I liked that she was receptive to me not wanting to try a higher dose of a medication that hadn't worked for me.
Dr. Zhang was absolutely fantastic! She really broke things down for me to understand. I am confident she will be able to fix my migraine issues!
I felt listened to, validated and not rushed.
Good experience
I would highly recommend Dr. Zhang. She is kind, knowledgeable, and translates the medical information into relatable terms.
Dr. Zhang Niushen : OUTSTANDING MD! BRILLIANT ! wonderful"bedside manner!" , respectful, compassionate - GREAT COMMUNICATION SKILLS - took lots of time - explained my diagnosis well & gave great ideas to help problem. ONE OF the BEST MD's I've ever seen . was first visit !
Good experience seeing dr. and gave me more knowledge and diagnosis to understand.
I am very grateful for the time Dr. Zhang and her research associate spent with me. After seeing two neurologists in Reno and one Neuro-ophthalmologist in Reno and for suffering with great pain and eye issues for more than two years I finally feel like I received the correct diagnosis thanks to Dr. Zhang. My appointment with her was excellent.
Dr. Zhang is always kind, caring, and makes me feel at ease.
I was very pleased with the care I received from Dr Zhang (and Dr Ogunlaja). They were extremely knowledgable, full of helpful ideas, and very kind. Highly recommended!
She is a amazing and shows so much caring.
We have very good communication via the website as well.
The empathy and compassion demonstrated by Dr. Zhang coupled with her desire to help led her to try something new that help reduces the frequency and severity of my symptoms.
after dealing w/chronic migraine for 25 yrs & persistent visual aura for 20 mos - dr z is the most caring-understanding-thorough dr all my caregivers - she explained things in ways they had never (in 25 yrs) been described & it made so much sense...
I had a fantastic experience with Dr. Zhang!
I always appreciate that Dr. Zhang is thorough & looks at the issue(s) holistically (i.e., sleep, exercise, diet etc., vs. just meds).
Dr. Zhang was fantastic - professional, knowledgeable, compassionate. She took time to ask relevant questions, gave me great information made an effort to include me in the decisions about next steps. Excellent appointment overall.
Dr. Zhang is amazing. She makes you feel like family when she talks to you about your medical concerns. I have been very satisfied w/the care she provides.
I was blown away by how amazing Dr Zheng is. I have had horrible experiences with neurologists. She spent a long time with me, explained everything thoroughly, drew diagrams to me understand, and was compassionate, warm, and kind. actually wondered if she was a social worker at first because her bedside manner was the friendliest of any neurologist I've ever seen.
Dr. Zhang is a good listener and takes time with her patients. She explains everything thoroughly and clearly and always asks if I have questions.
very good
Love Dr. Zhang !
Dr Zhang is awesome. She always makes you feel as if she was treating her own family member when I am at the office. she makes sure I fully understand the treatment process and answers all my questions.
Excellent clinician - good listener, & patient, gave me a lot of time to explain my issue.
Dr. Zhang is fantastic, listens well and asks thoughtful questions. Never makes me feel silly.
Loved working with Dr. Zhang- she was a good listener, explained things well and came up with a good, effective plan to help me with my headaches.
Dr. Zhang is the best provider and best neurologist that I have ever had, out of the four neurologists and several health care providers that I have seen over the last 2-3 years. She started the visit by asking me what my questions were, and made sure that she answered each one of them. She gauged my level of understanding before launching into an explanation about anything. She also was attentive to my light sensitivity and kept the patient room dark during my visit. Dr. Zhang was very thorough and even made sure to ask me about my mood. None of my neurologists in the past have asked me directly about that. Above all, she listened more than she talked, which showed that she really cared.
Dr. Zhang is fantastic!
Dr. Zhang was fantastic--the best doctor I've ever had.
Dr Zhang was outstanding, she made me feel like she was taking care of a family member. for the first time I felt a Dr took the time to really figure out what my issue is and how to fix it. Her explanation of my headaches and the treatment plan was easy for me to understand.
Dr. Niushen Zhang is an exemplary health care provider! Her ability to listen and address concerns is unparalleled in my experience. CLONE HER!
The Dr. was easy to talk to, made me feel comfortable, and explained things to me in a way that was easy to understand!
Dr. Zhang made sure that every concern was answered before I left.
I'm very pleased with the care Dr. Zhang provides, I would recommend her to others. She is caring and shows interest in my case. Her office runs on time and is well-organized.
Dr Zhang is an excellent doctor!!! She is thorough, compassionate, pleasant and confident, shows genuine concern for my health and well being, knowledgeable, excellent listener, spot on understanding of my condition and gave me great advise and direction for improving and maintaining optimum health, the whole body approach.
I absolutely LOVE coming in for my botox treatments for my migraines. Everyone who has given me the injections has been AMAZING! This last go around was even better since we decided to adjust my appointment schedule to help reduce my migraines towards weeks 10-12. I cannot say enough about how happy I am!
very caring to help me find out what is happening or wrong
Dr. Zhang is the 7th neurologist I have had a visit with and may be my favorite.
Dr. Zhang was excellent about taking my concerns in mind, offering different options, and asking good questions. I feel more comfortable asking her questions and feel she responds to them more directly than did my previous physician at this practice. I did not see Nurse Barch at this visit, but I also find speaking to her productive.
Dr. Niushen Zhang is one of the absolute best doctors I've ever encountered--professional, sharp, informative, caring, insightful, on-time--absolutely wonderful!
If I could give Dr. Zhang higher marks I would. She was very very attentive understanding informative.
Both doctors I saw were excellent : friendly, competent, caring.
Dr. Zhang is fantastic, as is everyone else I have encountered at the clinic.
This was probably the best doctor appt I've ever had anywhere. It was follow-up to receiving some instructions regarding my condition, which I followed and had great results.
Could not have asked for better.
Dr. Zhang is an excellent doctor. She always remembers what we discussed at prior appointments and always provides good information for new symptoms I may have. I feel very secure in her care and I very much appreciate her compassion and interest in her patients. I would highly recommend her to others.
Dr. Zhang is a wonderful, highly knowledgeable, friendly and an absolutely, wonderful doctor. I feel confident with the treatment plain. I would highly recommend her to anyone who has head pain... She is one of the best I've seen.
Dr. Ekpo (not sure of spelling since I saw her instead of my usual doctor) was wonderful and even informed me that I needed to come in for a one-year appointment in addition to my next set of injections. She is a lovely doctor who truly makes me feel cared for.
i am so blessed to have such good care at stanford my dr zhang is amazing
Dr. Zhang answers all my questions and never rushes me through. I am very happy with her care.
I've never/rarely experienced such high levels of attention & concern given from a physician before. Both doc & PA/resident listened & didn't make me feel rushed.
The compassion exhibited by Dr Zhang was amazing and inspired hope that something could be done for my condition.
I thought I already knew all there is to know about migraines, but the doctor recommended some treatment and life style changes that have already helped enormously.
Dr. Ekpo and Dr. Zhang provided extremely good care all around. they went above and beyond this time, even reassuring and helping me through insurance problems interrupting care. my previous Doctor before Stanford gave me doubts that I was being treated by a knowledgeable staff, but Stanford is always the opposite. my life has drastically been changed because of the quality of care at Stanford in every department.
I was impressed with the amount of time my physician spent with me. I felt listened to and cared for exceptionally well.
dr. Zhang was fantastic! very impressed by her bedside manner.
My experience with Dr. Zhang has been extremely positive. I appreciate all the time she has given me in helping me determine my health issues and finding a solution.
Excellent provider. Would like to see her again
Dr. Zhang was incredibly patient and thorough. I felt heard and understood. Dr. Zhang did not seem rushed. She was focused on my care and her attention was much appreciated.
One of the best Dr's visits I've ever had. She spent over an hour with me, really listened to me, obviously understood the topic so well that it was significantly better than my PCP (who was still helpful but this went to a new level)
very professional and courteous. Willing to consider my ideas as to the problem. Makes effort to contact and speak with me personally after discharge.
I was there for Botox. I tried asking questions about my case and it was clear the Dr. had not read my file and was not informed enough to answer questions. she just wanted to do the shots.
Dr. Zhang is an excellent doctor, and I really appreciate rushing the botox through my insurance to get it approved. She really cared about helping me and I've not had a doctor who cared so much and followed through for me to that degree.

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