News

With the support of Neurology Clinical Research Pilot Award, the clinical resting state functional MRI service will launch a new clinical trial aiming to transform the treatment of brain injury patients with unnoticed seizures. Seizures are often hard to notice in comatose patients, resulting in prolonged recovery periods and suboptimal outcomes. This trial utilizes resting …

With our sincerest gratitude, the Department of Neurology extends our warmest congratulations to Dr. Nina Browner on reaching 15 years of employment with UNC Chapel Hill! Dr. Browner, along with 385 other employees of UNC-Chapel Hill who have reached the same milestone this year, deserve the well earned recognition for unwavering service and outstanding work. …

Neurology quarterly newsletter for 2023. Look out for our next one in July 2023! Faculty: Muge Gucsavas Calikoglu, MD, MPH Dr. Muge Gucsavas Calikoglu, who holds positions as Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Assistant Director of the Medical Genetics Residency Program, has been named an adjunct professor of the Division of …

The UNC Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) works in partnership with investigators to effectively manage the identification, evaluation, protection, translation and commercialization of impactful inventions and technologies. On April 25, 2023, OTC awarded Dr. Todd Cohen’s lab a Technology Commercialization Grant. Cohen explains, “We will be using this support from the Office of Technology Commercialization …

On April 13th, 2023, the UCB’s Global Corporate Website released a press statement regarding the RAISE clinical trial of zilucoplan – one of two drugs being reviewed for the treatment of myasthenia gravis. The trial was led by James Howard, MD, who is a neurology professor at the UNC School of Medicine. Read more on …

Dr. Li-Ming Hsu, a postdoctoral researcher in Ian Shih’s lab, received a new R21 award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to study the role of anterior cingulate cortex in nicotine addiction. Dr. Ian Shih received a new R01 award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke with collaborators at UCSB to develop and …

fMRI and optical fiber photometry (IMAGE)

Researchers in the Shih lab published novel findings on causal control of the anterior insular cortex on the default mode network of the brain using selective neural stimulation (Nature Communications, featured as an Editor’s highlight article), and multi-channel optical recording of neural activity changes during fMRI (Science Advances, see also Press release, Video News Coverage, and the interview …

A prestigious recognition, the National MS Society awards this title to a handful of healthcare providers each year Chapel Hill, NC – On March 28, 2023, UNC’s MS/Neuroimmunology Division, a leading provider of care for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), has been officially recognized as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care through the National …

Dr. Senyene Hunter has been invited to participate as faculty in an ECHO program that focuses on rare epilepsies. This program has been organized by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in partnership with the Rare Epilepsy Network (REN) and the Epilepsy Foundation. As a faculty member, Dr. Hunter will have an excellent opportunity to …

The UNC departments of Neurology and Cell Biology & Physiology look forward to welcoming Dr. Shahzad Khan as an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Khan obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Virginia, under the mentorship of George Bloom, Ph.D. In Dr. Bloom’s …

The American Neurological Association’s (ANA) 148th Annual Meeting will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 9-12, 2023. The Annual Meeting will convene the nation’s top academic neurologists and neuroscientists. Faculty, students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty are encouraged to help make it the best Annual Meeting yet! Submit an abstract for the opportunity to …

First Neurology quarterly newsletter for 2023. Look out for our next one in April 2023! Dr. Irena Dujmovic Basuroski was featured in “The Well” https://thewell.unc.edu/2022/12/02/multiple-sclerosis-an-experts-take/. Neurology Department Holiday Party The department, friends, and family gathered together to celebrate the end of 2022 at the Carolina Inn! The Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider Support …

Gillian (Jill) Watson, MHA has accepted the role of Associate Chair of Administration for the Department of Neurology, effective January 9, 2023. Jill currently serves as the Associate Chief for Administration for the divisions of Hospital Medicine and Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine at UNC – Chapel Hill. She has extensive experience in diverse …

Gillian (Jill) Watson, MHA has accepted the role of Associate Chair of Administration for the Department of Neurology, effective January 9, 2023. Jill currently serves as the Associate Chief for Administration for the divisions of Hospital Medicine and Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine at UNC – Chapel Hill. She has extensive experience in diverse …

Dr. Winnie Lau is a 2022 recipient of a Seed Funding Award in Neuropalliative Care from the International Neuropalliative Care Society. Dr. Lau is Assistant Professor of UNC Neurology and Neurosurgery, Neurocritical Care Division. She also serves as the Program Director of the UNC Adult Neurology Residency Program and Associate Program Director of the Neurocritical …

Dr. Roth earned her B.A. degree in Biology from Harvard in 1987, a Doctor of Medicine from the Harvard Medical School – Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993, and completed her residency in Neurology at the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Program in 1997. She became an Assistant Professor of Neurology in 2002 and advanced to Associate Professor in 2011. …

Congratulations to Dr. Heidi L. Roth, MD on achieving 20 years of service with UNC Neurology this November! Dr. Heidi L. Roth, MD is an Associate Professor of Sleep Medicine, Memory and Cognitive Disorders, and the Program Director of Sleep Medicine Fellowship, as well as an Associate Clinical Core Leader of Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Collaborative. …

This article was originally published by The Pilot.com on October 4, 2022. The importance of heart health has long been promoted, but brain health is just as crucial for our ability to think, act and live well. Brain health is a critical piece of your overall health. Brain health is about reducing risk factors, keeping …

UNC Neurology is excited to announce Dr. Yen-Yu Ian Shih as its next Vice Chair for Research. Dr. Shih has over 10 years of research experience at UNC Neurology, joining the faculty in 2012 and appointed Associate Professor in 2017. Along with his position in Neurology, Dr. Shih has also served as Associate Director of …

Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill continues to grow, bringing in more than $1.2 billion in funding awards during the 2022 fiscal year. This is the third year in a row that research awards have topped $1 billion, facilitating research projects and experiments for external sponsors like federal agencies, industry partners, and …

The lab of Ian Shih, PhD, received the top prize from the journal NeuroImage for brain research featuring fMRI and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. First author was Lindsay Walton, PhD.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

We are pleased to introduce our incoming adult and child neurology residents and fellows for FY2022.

Senyenne Hunter, MD, PhD, is one of two recipients who are the first grantees to receive the award.

William J. Powers, MD, Professor of Neurology and former department chair (April 2007 – April 2018) to retire on June 30.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Ian Shih, PhD, used fMRI and a genetic mouse model to study the effects of a neurotransmitter on brain network functional connectivity, a dynamic process crucial for human health and behavior.

James F. Howard, Jr, MD, in the UNC Department of Neurology is the lead primary investigator in the CHAMPION-MG trial for Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) as a treatment for adults with generalised myasthenia gravis who are anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive, which represents 80% of people living with the disease.

Dr. Senyene Hunter, assistant professor of child neurology, was named as a UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholar, effective July 2022.

James F. Howard Jr., MD, professor in the UNC Department of Neurology, was principal investigator of the ADAPT+ trial for the experimental drug efgartigimod, developed by Belgian pharmaceutical company Argenx.

Monica Diaz, MD, MS, and Ana Felix, MBBCH, FAAN, have been elected as the 2022-2023 Vice Chairs of the American Academy of Neurology’s Global Health Section and the AB Baker Section for Neurological Education, respectively.

Robert Statts will begin his work in the interim role on March 17.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

NC TraCS awarded funding for a $5K-$50K grant application submitted by Rebecca Traub, MD and Xiaoyan Li, MD, PhD.

Dr. Robert Smith, Associate Chair for Administration, has been appointed as the Vice Dean of Gillings School of Public Health.

James F. Howard Jr., MD, professor in the UNC Department of Neurology, was lead investigator in UCB's RAISE trial to evaluate zilucoplan as a treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis in adults.

Dr. Timothy Gershon is co-corresponding author of new research that appeared in Sciences Advances, January 26, 2022.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

James F. Howard Jr., MD, professor in the UNC Department of Neurology, was principal investigator of the phase 3 trial for the experimental drug efgartigimod, developed by Belgian pharmaceutical company Argenx.

The American Academy of Neurology awarded Monica M. Diaz, MD, MS, a Clinical Research Training Scholarship in support of her research on the detection of neurodegeneration in older, cognitively impaired people with HIV.

James Pham Ho, MD, receives $10,000 Junior Faculty Development Award

The Duke/UNC ADRC is pleased to announce the release of three funding opportunities for researchers at Duke and UNC studying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. One of the awards, the REC Scholar, is also open to candidates from UNC Pembroke, North Carolina Central University, and East Carolina University.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Areas of focus will include identifying age-related changes that impact the development, progression and experience of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and how factors that arise in early- and mid-life contribute to racial, ethnic and geographic disparities in dementia.

The Division of Neuromuscular Disorders has been designated as a GBS|CIDP Foundation International Center of Excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and other inflammatory peripheral neuropathies.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Second-year Adult Neurology resident Dr. Laura de Lima Xavier received the award during the 2021 UNC School of Medicine’s Whitehead Lecture and Awards ceremony on August 4.

Learn about aducanumab and UNC Neurology’s position on the new drug approved by the FDA for Alzheimer’s disease.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Jorge L. Almodóvar-Suárez, MD, associate professor of general neurology and neuromuscular disorders, is the new director of the UNC Department of Neurology’s Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinic. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Almodóvar-Suárez is graduate of the state-funded University of Puerto Rico System, and a faithful believer of education and health care for …

Photos of Dr. Rubinos and Sklerov who both received the UNC School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program Faculty Award.

The UNC Department of Neurology is proud to announce that UNC neurologists Clio Rubinos, MD, MS, and Miriam Sklerov, MD, MS, have both received UNC School of Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program Faculty Awards.

The Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Research Collaborative is offering $50,000 Norins pilot awards to stimulate and support collaborative, innovative research on the potential role of microbes or pathogens in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The principal investigator must be a Duke University faculty member or postdoctoral fellow, but cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations is strongly encouraged.

Over 800 scientists from across the United States and overseas convened virtually for a joint Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Symposium on May 27.

Casey Olm-Shipman, MD, MS, received the High Value Care Award from the UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators in recognition of her dedication and commitment to improving clinical care though QI research and leadership.

NC TraCS awarded funding for a $5K-$50K grant application submitted by Yen-Yu Ian Shih, PhD.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

New e-consult service allows referring primary care providers to receive comprehensive and timely recommendations from UNC Department of Neurology specialists.

Duke and UNC have joined forces on an ambitious new program called the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Collaborative, which aims to detect, delay or even prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

James Howard, MD, Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Disease, was named Medical Professional of the Year by the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America.

Dr. Monica Diaz, assistant professor of neurology, was named as a UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholar, effective July 2021.

We are pleased to introduce our incoming adult and child neurology residents and fellows for FY2021.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Congratulations to neurologist Angela Wabulya, MBChB, for receiving the $10,000 award.

Professor William J. Powers, MD, is a professor of neurology within the Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology.

Please join us in congratulating neurologists Nina Browner, MD, and Richard Murrow, MD!

Retired pediatric nurse Betty F. Allen, RN, passed away on Thursday, December 17 from non-COVID-19 related issues. Betty grew up in Pittsboro, NC and graduated from Watt’s School of Nursing in Durham, NC in 1974. Betty served as a nurse for 46 years with a special interest in the neuroscience field. She retired from UNC …

What's new in the Department of Neurology

Alyssa Draffin, LCSW, recently went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that a 12-year-old boy with undiagnosed autism receive an evaluation that would qualify him for therapy and special services.

Serena Spudich, MD, professor of neurology and chief of Neurological Infections & Global Neurology at Yale University, is the first recipient of this award named in honor of beloved UNC neurology professor Kevin Robertson, PhD.

Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery Casey Olm-Shipman, MD, MS, was selected as an AMA Health Systems Scholar, a one-year mentored program aimed at developing Health Systems Science (HSS) leaders. In support of her recent appointment as UNC’s Director of HSS for Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Olm-Shipman’s AMA project will be the development and implementation …

UNC BRIC researchers led by Weili Lin, PhD, used magnetic resonance imaging techniques to show the emergence of a functional flexible brain during early infancy.

The UNC Department of Neurology is proud to announce that child neurologists Senyene Hunter, MD, PhD, and Diana Cejas, MD, MPH, are this year’s recipients of the UNC Broyhill Research Award in Child Neurology.

The Center for Animal MRI (CAMRI) at the Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC), led by Ian Shih, PhD, received two National Institutes of Health grants totaling $2.6 million for a new MRI instrument and to upgrade an existing MRI system.

UNC Neurology’s Research Center of Excellence for Lewy Body Dementia participated as a study site for a phase 2 clinical trial that met its primary objective of improving cognition in LBD patients who received neflamapimod.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Seven UNC Health hospitals have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

The Division of Neuromuscular Disorders has been designated as a Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation Charcot-Marie-Tooth Center of Excellence.

View a video of the online memorial service held on July 23, 2020, for Associate Professor Daniel I Kaufer, MD.

As part of its “Clinical Practice” series, The New England Journal of Medicine published “Acute Ischemic Stroke” by neurologist William J. Powers, MD, in its July 16, 2020 issue.

Daniel Ian Kaufer, MD, a professor in the department of neurology for 17 years, passed away on July 2 after a brief battle with cancer. Dr. Kaufer was a masterful clinician, prolific researcher, passionate advocate and beloved mentor. A memorial is set for July 23.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

Discover exciting career opportunities with UNC Neurology

James F. Howard Jr., MD, professor in the UNC Department of Neurology, was principal investigator of the phase 3 trial for the experimental drug efgartigimod, developed by Belgian pharmaceutical company Argenx.

The study (BOOST-3) is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, and compares two treatments routinely used for monitoring patients with severe TBI in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit.

We are pleased to introduce our incoming adult and child neurology residents as well as our fellows specializing in sleep medicine and neuromuscular disorders. Our new team members will begin this summer.

The UNC Comprehensive Stroke Center is excited to announce its second annual Stroke Survivor & Caregiver Event! The event will be held on March 7, 2020, at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. This event allows an opportunity for fellowship among stroke survivors, their caregivers and health care professionals, and also provides an opportunity …

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

The NICU received an inaugural UNC Medical Center Quality & Safety Award on Jan 14

Dr. Browner is the Department of Neurology’s vice chair for education and the director of the Adult Neurology Residency Program.

What's new in the Department of Neurology

This symposium on November 1, 2019, will provide an opportunity for continuing education for EMS & critical care transport providers on emergency neurologic and cardiac care.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

The UNC Hospitals Comprehensive Stroke Center has once again received the Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association in recognition of UNC Health Care’s commitment to quality stroke care.

Kevin Robertson, PhD, a professor in the department of neurology for more than 30 years, passed away Sunday after an extended battle with cancer.

Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD, has been named Chair of the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, effective Aug. 19.

What’s new in the Department of Neurology

We are pleased to introduce our incoming adult and child neurology residents as well as our fellows in neuro-critical care, sleep, epilepsy and vascular disorders. Our new team members will begin on July 1, 2019.

Todd Cohen, PhD, and Jonathan Schisler, PhD, will investigate the new ideas related to the regulation of the Tau protein, which plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease.

This formal recognition honors the Clinic’s commitment to providing exceptional, coordinated MS care.

William Snider, MD, who started the UNC Neuroscience Center in 1999 and led it for 17 years, will retire from the UNC School of Medicine February 1.

REBOOT Coma! (REsting state fMRI BOLD Offers Opportunity for Treatment in Coma).

Congratulations Dr. Nina Browner on 15 years of service to UNC at Chapel Hill

Neurology News – April 2023

UNC Office of Technology Commercialization Awarded the Cohen lab to Advance Gene Therapies for ALS Patients

James Howard, MD: UCB’s Global Corporate Website press released regarding the RAISE clinical trial of zilucoplan

New NIH R21 award to Dr. Li-Ming Hsu, Neurology postdoc, and new R01 award to the Shih lab advance neuroimaging science

Shih lab members published on Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Nature Neuroscience

UNC MS Center Recognized as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National MS Society

The (not so rare) Epilepsies: Hard to Diagnose & Hard to Treat ECHO course

Dr. Shahzad Khan announced as an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology, and the Department of Neurology

ANA2023 Call for Abstracts Is Now Open

Neurology News – January 2023

Neurology News – August through November 2022

New Neurology Department Associate Chair of Administration Announced

Lau 2022 Recipient of a Seed Funding Award in Neuropalliative Care

Congratulations Dr. Heidi Roth on Promotion to Clinical Professor

Neurology News – 2022 Honors, Awards, Recognition

Brain Health: “The operating system for a happy, healthy, joyful life”

Dr. Yen-Yu Ian Shih announced as Neurology’s Vice Chair for Research

UNC researchers secure more than $1B in funding for third consecutive year

Shih Lab Earns NeuroImage ‘Paper of the Year’ Honors

Neurology News – July 2022

Welcome to Our New Residents and Fellows 2022-2023

Hunter named as American Epilepsy Society Sergievsky Scholar

Powers to Retire from UNC after 15 years of Service

Neurology News – May 2022

Scientists Detail Brain Dynamics Implicated in Neurological Conditions

FDA Approves Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis After Phase III Study Led by James Howard, MD

Hunter named as Simmons Scholar

Interim Data Suggest Long-term Treatment with VYVGART Provides Improvement in Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Disease Scores

UNC Neurologists Elected to AAN Section Leadership

Statts Named Department of Neurology Interim Associate Chair for Administration

Neurology News – March 2022

Traub and Li awarded $5K-50K NC TraCS grant

Smith appointed as Vice Dean of UNC’s Gillings School of Public Health

Phase 3 study results show positive data in treatment of myasthenia gravis with zilucoplan

Nanoparticle-formulated drug combination is effective in medulloblastoma, a pediatric brain tumor

Neurology News – January 2022

FDA approves new drug to treat generalized myasthenia gravis

Diaz Receives AAN Clinical Research Training Scholarship

James Ho receives Junior Faculty Development Award

Duke-UNC ADRC announces three research funding opportunities

Neurology News – November 2021

Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Collaborative awarded major new funding as an NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

UNC Neurology Receives New Center of Excellence Designation

Neurology News – September 2021

PGY-2 Resident Receives 2021 Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Award

Aducanumab Update

Neurology News – July 2021

Almodóvar-Suárez Named Director of ALS Clinic

Rubinos and Sklerov Receive Physician Scientist Training Program Awards

RFA: Alzheimer’s Disease Research – Norins Pilot Awards

Joint Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s disease symposium highlights potential role of microbes and inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

Olm-Shipman Receives High Value Care Award

Shih awarded $5K-50K NC TraCS grant

Neurology News – May 2021

UNC Adult Neurology Now Offering Ambulatory E-Consults to Referring Providers

Two Blues Join Forces to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Honors Howard at 2021 National Conference

Diaz named as Simmons Scholar

New Residents and Fellows announced for 2021-2022

Neurology News – March 2021

Wabulya receives Junior Faculty Development Award

Powers Receives AAN’s 2021 A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award

Carolina Care Excellence Award Winners Announced

UNC Neurology mourns the loss of Betty Allen, RN

Neurology News – December 2020

UNC Child Neurology Social Worker Seeks to Address Barriers to Care

ACTG names second new award for Kevin Robertson

Olm-Shipman selected as AMA Health Systems Scholar

Scientists show how brain flexibility emerges in infants

2020 Broyhill Research Award in Child Neurology Recipients Announced

Center for Animal MRI at BRIC Receives NIH Grants to Upgrade Facilities

UNC Neurology Plays Role in Successful Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Lewy Body Dementia Treatment

Neurology News – September 2020

UNC Health Hospitals Receive Quality Achievement Awards for Stroke Care

UNC Neurology Receives New Center of Excellence Designation

Dr. Daniel I. Kaufer Memorial Service

Powers article featured in the New England Journal of Medicine