Meet Our Team

Child Neurology located in Pasadena, CA

Charles Niesen

MD, Child Neurologist

Charles E. Niesen, MD, is a pediatric neurologist leading a team of experienced providers at AMS Neurology in Pasadena, California, and throughout the Los Angeles area.

Dr. Niesen was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University in Israel.

He completed his pediatric training at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He also completed his child neurology fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Niesen spent two years doing post-graduate research in neurophysiology at the University of Toronto.

His first faculty position was with the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. As an assistant professorship of pediatrics and neurology, he set up an NIH-sponsored electrophysiology lab to study epilepsy in the developing brain. After five years, he moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was an associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Child Neurology.

Dr. Niesen is board-certified in child neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Medical Research Council of Canada.

He is a specialist in childhood epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders of the brain and has published over twenty peer-reviewed articles on epilepsy and drug effects on the developing brain.

Dr. Niesen is a member of the American Epilepsy Society, the Child Neurology Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is also the co-founder of the Pasadena Neurodevelopment Group.

Dr. Niesen resides in Pasadena, California, with his wife and two daughters.

Laura Sneed

PA-C, Physician Assistant

Laura is a board-certified physician assistant. She earned her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and Master of Public Health from Touro University California in 2007. Ms. Sneed earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of California, San Diego. She enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her family.

Michael Acosta

FNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner

Michael Acosta is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. He completed his Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Southern California in 2020. Mr. Acosta earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Prior to becoming a family nurse practitioner, Mr. Acosta was employed with the Los Angeles Unified School District as a credentialed school nurse. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting and visiting new restaurants.