Ashesh Thaker, MD

Professional Titles

• Chair of Radiology, Denver Health

Recognitions

• Impact Award, Boettcher Foundation (2025)
• Distinguished Reviewer, American Journal of Neuroradiology (2024)
• Anne Osborn International Outreach Professor, American Society of Neuroradiology (2024)
• ASPIRE Program Awardee, Anschutz SOM Programmatic Incubator for Research (2023)

Publications

• Soderlund KA, Austin MJ, Ben-Haim S, Chu S, Ivanidze J, Joshi P, Kalnins A, Kennedy M, Kulshreshtha A, Kuo PH, Masdeu JC, Nikumbh T, Soares BP, Thaker AA, Wang LL, Yasar S, Shih RY. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Dementia: 2024 Update. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 May;22(5S):S202-S233. PubMed PMID: 40409878
• Hagiwara M, Hu R, Bhatt AA, Thaker AA, Middlebrooks EH, Aiken AH, Kennedy TA. State of Practice of Neuroradiology Fellowship Programs: A Comprehensive Guide for Neuroradiology Fellowship Program Directors. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2025 May 16. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40379459
• Soares BP, Shih RY, Utukuri PS, Adamson M, Austin MJ, Brown RKJ, Burns J, Cacic K, Chu S, Crone C, Ivanidze J, Jackson CD, Kalnins A, Potter CA, Rosen S, Soderlund KA, Thaker AA, Wang LL, Policeni B. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Altered Mental Status, Coma, Delirium, and Psychosis: 2024 Update. J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 Nov;21(11S):S372-S383. PubMed PMID: 39488349
• McMenamy J, Kochkine S, Bernstein M, Lucero A, Miles R, Schwertner A, Thaker A, Naeger DM. Off-console automated artificial intelligence enhanced workflow enables improved emergency department CT capacity. Emerg Radiol. 2024 Dec 11. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39661269
• Tanabe J, Lim MF, Dash S, Pattee J, Steach B, Pressman P, Bettcher BM, Honce JM, Potigailo VA, Colantoni W, Zander D, Thaker AA. Automated Volumetric Software in Dementia: Help or Hindrance to the Neuroradiologist?. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2024 Nov 7;45(11):1737-1744. PubMed PMID: 39362700
• Pannell JS, Corey AS, Shih RY, Austin MJ, Chu S, Davis MA, Ducruet AF, Hunt CH, Ivanidze J, Kalnins A, Lacy ME, Lo BM, Setzen G, Shaines MD, Soares BP, Soderlund KA, Thaker AA, Wang LL, Burns J. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Cerebrovascular Diseases-Stroke and Stroke-Related Conditions. J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 Jun;21(6S):S21-S64. PubMed PMID: 38823945
• Freeman LM, Ung TH, Thompson JA, Ovard O, Olson M, Hirt L, Hosokawa P, Thaker A, Youssef AS. Refining the predictive value of preoperative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) by whole-tumor analysis for facial nerve outcomes in vestibular schwannomas. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2024 Apr 5;166(1):168. PubMed PMID: 38575773
• Middlebrooks EH, Szaflarski JP, Begnaud J, Thaker A, Henderson K, Bolding M, Sellers JA, Allendorfer J. Compatibility of Standard Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Investigational Microburst Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy with fMRI. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2024 Aug 9;45(8):1124-1127. PubMed PMID: 38448165
• Pelak VS, Krishnan V, Serva S, Pressman P, Mahmood A, Noteboom L, Bettcher BM, Sillau SH, Callen AL, Thaker AA. Lobar Microbleeds in the Posterior Cortical Atrophy Syndrome: A Comparison to Typical Alzheimer's Disease. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2024 Feb;24(2):27-33. PubMed PMID: 38261145
• Bettcher BM, Lopez Paniagua D, Wang Y, McConnell BV, Coughlan C, Carlisle TC, Thaker AA, Lippitt W, Filley CM, Pelak VS, Shapiro ALB, Heffernan KS, Potter H, Solano A, Boyd J, Carlson NE. Synergistic effects of GFAP and Aß42: Implications for white matter integrity and verbal memory across the cognitive spectrum. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2024 Oct;40:100834. PubMed PMID: 39206431
• Ung TH, Freeman L, Hirt L, Kortz M, Belanger K, Baird-Daniel E, Hosokawa P, Thaker A, Thompson JA, Youssef AS. Surgical outcomes in large vestibular schwannomas: should cerebellopontine edema be considered in the grading systems?. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2023 Jul;165(7):1749-1755. PubMed PMID: 37204532
• Callen AL, Tanabe J, Thaker AA, Pollard R, Sauer B, Jones W, Pattee J, Steach B, Timpone VM. Evaluation of Cerebrovascular Reactivity and Vessel Wall Imaging in Patients With Prior COVID-19: A Prospective Case-Control MRI Study. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2023 Feb;220(2):257-264. PubMed PMID: 36000667
• Bhaumik D, Bhaumik SS, Thaker AA, Timpone VM, Bills CB, Patten L, Pattee J, Chow D, Sugrue LP, Callen AL. Ordering Characteristics Predictive of Noncontrast CT Head Positivity in the Emergency Department. Acad Radiol. 2023 Mar;30(3):492-498. PubMed PMID: 35654657
• Callen AL, Pattee J, Thaker AA, Timpone VM, Zander DA, Turner R, Birlea M, Wilhour D, O'Brien C, Evan J, Grassia F, Carroll IR. Relationship of Bern Score, Spinal Elastance, and Opening Pressure in Patients With Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension. Neurology. 2023 May 30;100(22):e2237-e2246. PubMed PMID: 37015821
• Turner RA, Zander D, Thaker AA, Timpone VM, Callen AL. Structured Reporting for Findings of Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension on Brain MRI. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2023 Aug;221(2):282-283. PubMed PMID: 36919883
• Thaker AA, McConnell BV, Rogers DM, Carlson NE, Coughlan C, Jensen AM, Lopez-Paniagua D, Holden SK, Pressman PS, Pelak VS, Filley CM, Potter H, Solano DA, Heffernan KS, Bettcher BM. Astrogliosis, neuritic microstructure, and sex effects: GFAP is an indicator of neuritic orientation in women. Brain Behav Immun. 2023 Oct;113:124-135. PubMed PMID: 37394144
• Callen AL, Fakhri M, Timpone VM, Thaker AA, Dillon WP, Shah VN. Temporal Characteristics of CSF-Venous Fistulas on Dynamic Decubitus CT Myelography: A Retrospective Multi-Institution Cohort Study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2023 Dec 29;45(1):100-104. PubMed PMID: 38123910
• Smith AC, O'Dell DR, Thornton WA, Dungan D, Robinson E, Thaker A, Gisbert R, Weber KA 2nd, Berliner JC, Albin SR. Spinal Cord Tissue Bridges Validation Study: Predictive Relationships With Sensory Scores Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2022 Spring;28(2):111-115. PubMed PMID: 35521064
• Darragh LB, Knitz MM, Hu J, Clambey ET, Backus J, Dumit A, Samedi V, Bubak A, Greene C, Waxweiler T, Mehrotra S, Bhatia S, Gadwa J, Bickett T, Piper M, Fakhoury K, Liu A, Petit J, Bowles D, Thaker A, Atiyeh K, Goddard J, Hoyer R, Van Bokhoven A, Jordan K, Jimeno A, D'Alessandro A, Raben D, McDermott JD, Karam SD. A phase I/Ib trial and biological correlate analysis of neoadjuvant SBRT with single-dose durvalumab in HPV-unrelated locally advanced HNSCC. Nat Cancer. 2022 Nov;3(11):1300-1317. PubMed PMID: 36434392
• Callen AL, Timpone VM, Schwertner A, Zander D, Grassia F, Lennarson P, Seinfeld J, Lillehei KO, Birlea M, Thaker AA. Algorithmic Multimodality Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment of Spinal CSF Leak and Venous Fistula in Patients With Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2022 Aug;219(2):292-301. PubMed PMID: 35261281
• Potter H, Woodcock JH, Boyd TD, Coughlan CM, O'Shaughnessy JR, Borges MT, Thaker AA, Raj BA, Adamszuk K, Scott D, Adame V, Anton P, Chial HJ, Gray H, Daniels J, Stocker ME, Sillau SH. Safety and efficacy of sargramostim (GM-CSF) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2021;7(1):e12158. PubMed PMID: 33778150
• Bettcher BM, Olson KE, Carlson NE, McConnell BV, Boyd T, Adame V, Solano DA, Anton P, Markham N, Thaker AA, Jensen AM, Dallmann EN, Potter H, Coughlan C. Astrogliosis and episodic memory in late life: higher GFAP is related to worse memory and white matter microstructure in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2021 Jul;103:68-77. PubMed PMID: 33845398
• Pollard R, Thaker A, Johnson P, Roark C. Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in an Intravenous Drug User With Multiple Needle Fragments in the Neck Arteries. Neurohospitalist. 2021 Jul;11(3):272-274. PubMed PMID: 34163558
• Hixon AM, Thaker AA, Pelak VS. Persistent visual dysfunction following posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome due to COVID-19: Case series and literature review. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Oct;28(10):3289-3302. PubMed PMID: 34115917
• Nelson KA, Thaker AA, Callen AL, Albach E, Timpone VM. New-onset seizures in adults: Low diagnostic yield of gadolinium contrast in initial brain MRI evaluation. J Neuroimaging. 2021 Sep;31(5):874-878. PubMed PMID: 34110667
• Thaker AA, Reddy KM, Thompson JA, Gerecht PD, Brown MS, Abosch A, Ojemann SG, Kern DS. Coronal Gradient Echo MRI to Visualize the Zona Incerta for Deep Brain Stimulation Targeting in Parkinson's Disease. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2021;99(5):443-450. PubMed PMID: 33902054
• Kini LG, Thaker AA, Hadar PN, Shinohara RT, Brown MG, Dubroff JG, Davis KA. Quantitative ([)(18)(])FDG PET asymmetry features predict long-term seizure recurrence in refractory epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2021 Mar;116:107714. PubMed PMID: 33485794
• Thaker AA, Chien AL, Dubroff JG. Frontiers in Neuroscience Imaging: Whole-Body PET. PET Clin. 2021 Jan;16(1):137-146. PubMed PMID: 33160927
• Kunigelis KE, Hosokawa P, Arnone G, Raban D, Starr A, Gurau A, Sunshine A, Bunn J, Thaker AA, Youssef AS. The predictive value of preoperative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for facial nerve outcomes after vestibular schwannoma resection: clinical study. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2020 Aug;162(8):1995-2005. PubMed PMID: 32440924
• Tanabe J, Thaker A. Microstructure and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Neuropsychiatry: A Neuroradiology Perspective. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2020 Nov;5(11):1009-1010. PubMed PMID: 33161957
• Thaker A, Abosch A. MRI and CT Imaging with Stereotactic Neurosurgery. In: Functional Neurosurgery: The Essentials. First ed. Brown JA, Pilitsis JG, Schulder M, editors. New York: Thieme; 2019. Chapter 4; p.15-18. 168p.
• Yedavalli V, Nyberg EM, Chow DS, Thaker AA. Beyond the embolus: "do not miss" diffusion abnormalities of ischaemic and non-ischaemic neurological disease. Insights Imaging. 2017 Dec;8(6):573-580. PubMed PMID: 28986862
• Thaker AA, Weinberg BD, Dillon WP, Hess CP, Cabral HJ, Fleischman DA, Leurgans SE, Bennett DA, Hyman BT, Albert MS, Killiany RJ, Fischl B, Dale AM, Desikan RS. Entorhinal Cortex: Antemortem Cortical Thickness and Postmortem Neurofibrillary Tangles and Amyloid Pathology. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2017 May;38(5):961-965. PubMed PMID: 28279988
• Yu JP, Kansagra AP, Thaker A, Colucci A, Sherry SJ, Subramaniam RM. Building for tomorrow today: opportunities and directions in radiology resident research. Acad Radiol. 2015 Jan;22(1):50-7. PubMed PMID: 25442797
• Thaker A, Navadeh S, Gonzales H, Malekinejad M. Effectiveness of Policies on Reducing Exposure to Ionizing Radiation From Medical Imaging: A Systematic Review. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015 Dec;12(12 Pt B):1434-45. PubMed PMID: 26499166
• Thaker AA, Schmitt SE, Pollard JR, Dubroff JG. Natalizumab-induced progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Clin Nucl Med. 2014 Jul;39(7):e365-6. PubMed PMID: 24152618
• Thaker AA, Razjouyan F, Woods DL, Haemmerich D, Sekhar K, Wood BJ, Dreher MR. Combination therapy of radiofrequency ablation and bevacizumab monitored with power Doppler ultrasound in a murine model of hepatocellular carcinoma. Int J Hyperthermia. 2012;28(8):766-75. PubMed PMID: 23043501
• Surrey LF, Thaker AA, Zhang PJ, Karakousis G, Feldman MD. Ectopic functioning adrenocortical oncocytic adenoma (oncocytoma) with myelolipoma causing virilization. Case Rep Pathol. 2012;2012:326418. PubMed PMID: 23094172

Professional Memberships

• American Society of Neuroradiology, Senior Member
• American College of Radiology, Member
• Radiological Society of North America, Member
• European Society of Radiology, Corresponding Member
• Colorado Radiological Society, Treasurer
• Western Neuroradiological Society, Member
• American Society of Functional Neuroradiology, Member
• American Roentgen Ray Society, Member

Practice Locations

• Denver Health Medical Center

• Alzheimer's Disease Research and Clinical Center
• Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI)

Specialty Information

• Neuroradiology, Board Certification (2017)
• Diagnostic, Board Certification (2015)

• Radiology - Neuroradiology
• Radiology
• Radiology - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Radiology - CT Scans