Navaz Karanjia, MD, FNCS, is a board-certified neurointensivist and neurologist. She is the founding and current medical director of UC San Diego Health's Neurocritical Care Program and NeuroICU's.

Dr. Karanjia is a professor in the Departments of Neurosciences, Anesthesiology, and Neurological Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and was awarded UCSD's inaugural Joan Klein Jacobs Endowed Chair in Neurosciences in 2024. Her research interests include early detection of neurologic deterioration, development of novel noninvasive intracranial pressure, compliance, and cerebral function monitoring techniques, and quality implementation science and improvement practice.  She has published multiple book chapters and articles in leading journals, and developed quality measure sets in emergency neurology and neurocritical care for the American Academy of Neurology and Neurocritical Care Society.

She completed a fellowship in neurocritical care at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a residency in neurology at UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Karanjia earned her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and her undergraduate degree from Harvard University. She is board-certified in neurology and holds certification in neurocritical care from the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) and the ABMS/ABPN.

Dr. Karanjia is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS), and the American Academy of Neurology. She is the founding chair of the NCS’ Quality Committee, and is currently on the UCNS Neurocritical Care Board Exam Writing Committee and the Board of Directors of SCCM’s Southern California Chapter.