Department
Message from the Chair – Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD
Fall often brings in a sense of the new. New school year with new students, new weather, new tree color, and new produce at the famers market. Within the Department of Neurology, we are also experiencing a lot of newness.
The most profound change is the move to our new Adult Neurology clinic space in Meadowmont. Kudos to our clinic leadership and our UNCH administrative partners for enabling a smooth transition for patients and providers, especially during a time of severe labor shortage. We anticipate the move of the Child Neurology Clinic to the Caroline Point II building to be in December.
We also welcome four new faculty: Dr. Claudia Testa, Dr. Yasmeen Rauf, Dr. Jordan Broman-Fulks and Dr. Hokuto Morita. Read More >
On October 18, the UNC Adult Neurology Clinic moved to a new location at 300 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 202 in Chapel Hill. Thanks to all who made it happen!
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Collaborative–now known as the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center–major new funding as an NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD, is the principal investigator at UNC. Areas of focus will include identifying age-related changes that affect the development, progression and experience of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and how factors that arise in early- and mid-life contribute to racial, ethnic and geographic disparities in dementia. Learn more >
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Liaison, Angela Wabulya, MB ChB, is conducting a DEI survey to better understand diversity within the Department of Neurology. The survey will be open until 11/5/2021 and takes about two minutes to complete. We thank all faculty and staff for your participation! Take survey >
New Faculty
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Claudia Testa, MD, PhD, joined the department in September as a professor of neurology with a clinical specialty in movement disorders. She is the chief of the department’s new Precision Medicine and Neurogenetics Division. Her research interests include development of genetically-based new therapeutics, and interactions between phenotypes and genetic risks in neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Testa received her medical degree and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She completed an internship in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston followed by a residency in neurology from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After completing a fellowship in movement disorders at Emory University, she joined the Emory faculty and later completed a Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research. Prior to joining UNC, Dr. Testa also served as faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University where she was the founding director of the VCU Huntington Disease Program. |
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Yasmeen Rauf, MD, joined the department in late September as an assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery. She is the interim division chief of the department’s new Neuro-Oncology Division. Dr. Rauf received her medical degree at the Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences followed by an internship with the Government Medical College Srinagar and a neurology residency at Ohio State University. She completed a research fellowship in neurosciences from the Medical University of South Carolina and a neuro-oncology fellowship at the Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-oncology Center at the Cleveland Clinic. | |
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Jordan Broman-Fulks, MD, joined UNC Neurology as an assistant professor of child neurology in October. Dr. Broman-Fulks received his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina followed by a two-year residency with UNC Pediatrics and a three-year pediatric neurology residency with UNC Neurology. | |
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Hokuto Morita, MD, MA, started with the department on November 1 as an assistant professor within the Movement Disorders Division. Dr. Morita received an MA in neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine followed by a medical degree from Penn State Hershey. He went on to complete his neurology residency with Mayo Clinic and a movement disorders fellowship with the University of Florida. |
Awards/Honors/Donations
The UNC Comprehensive Stroke Program was re-certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Program by the Joint Commission. The program was also once again awarded the 2021 Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Elite, Advance Therapy Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll by the American Heart/American Stroke Associations.
David Huang, MD, PhD, along with other UNC representatives – Nicole Burnett (UNC Comprehensive Stroke Center), Mehul Patel (Dept. of Emergency Medicine), Wayne Rosamond (UNC School of Public Health), and Jackie Thompson (UNC Rex) – were selected to serve on the NC Department of Public Health’s Stroke Registry Workgroup. This Workgroup advises the NC DHHS, the NC Health Information Exchange, and the SAS Institute as they develop the new North Carolina Coverdell Stroke Registry, which is funded by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program funds 13 states for a three-year funding cycle.
Susan Wilson, DNP, ANP-BC, FAHA, was promoted to professor. Dr. Wilson was also recently elected as a fellow of the American Heart Association for her outstanding contributions to the AHA/ASA.
Ms. Mary Locklear and the Locklear family have once again donated funds to support patient education on multiple sclerosis. The donation is a result of the ongoing fundraising activities of spearheaded by the Locklear family.
James Howard, Jr, MD, was the recipient of the American Neuromuscular Foundation’s Best Abstract Runner Up Award and the 2021 President’s Research Initiative Award presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine in October (see “Presentations” below).
Diana Cejas, MD, MPH, received an Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) Research Scholars Award. Dr. Cejas was selected for her project, “Patient, Parent, and Provider Partnerships in Healthcare Transition: A New Program for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders.”
PGY-3 Jeremy Wells, MD, was accepted into the Teaching As a Resident: Highlighting the Evidence and Enthusiasm of Learning (TARHEEL) Program, offered by the UNC Academy of Educators. The TARHEEL program is a standardized program to improve cross-department collaboration, enhance engagement between faculty and residents, and increase academic scholarly projects.
Tzu-Wen (Winnie) Wang from the Biomedical Research Imaging Center received the 2021 UNC Dean’s Performance Award for her collaborative spirit, excellent experimentalist skills, and more.
Neurology residents won second place in the August AAN Neurology Trainee Trivia contest. Our team, PGWhy, answered eight out of eight questions.
Published Research and Grants
Yen-Yu Ian Shih, PhD, is the subcontract PI for a new grant with Stanford, “Computational modeling of dynamic causal brain circuits underlying cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease.” The study aims to advance knowledge of cognition- and memory-related brain circuits across AD stages and contribute novel tools for examining dynamical causal circuits underlying human brain function and dysfunction. In addition, Dr. Shih co-authored the following articles:
- “One-pot synthesis of carboxymethyl-dextran coated iron oxide nanoparticles (CION) for preclinical fMRI and MRA applications,” Neuroimage, September 2021, along with Manasmita Das, Esteban A Oyarzabal, Lars Chen, Sung-Ho Lee, Neal Shah, Gabby Gerlach, Weiting Zhang, Tzu-Hao Harry Chao, Nathalie Van Den Berge, Carolyn Liu, Carrie Donley, and Stephanie A Montgomery.
- “An isotropic EPI database and analytical pipelines for rat brain resting-state fMRI,” Neuroimage, November 2021, along with Sung-Ho Lee, Margaret A Broadwater, Hyeon-Joong Kim, Jaiden Seongmi Dumas and other UNC researchers.
James F. Howard, Jr., MD, and Manisha Chopra, MBBS, along with other researchers co-authored:
- “Health-related quality of life in young, steroid-naïve boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.” Neuromuscular Disorders, June 2021.
- “Cellular changes in eculizumab early responders with generalized myasthenia gravis,” Clinical Immunology, August 2021.
- “Eculizumab in refractory generalized myasthenia gravis previously treated with rituximab: subgroup analysis of REGAIN and its extension study,” Muscle Nerve, September 2021.
Daniel Roque, MD, Richard Murrow, MD, and Eldad Hadar, MD, along with other UNC researchers co-authored, “Reducing ataxic side effects from ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus deep brain stimulation implantation in essential tremor: Potential advantages of directional stimulation,” Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, September 2021.
William J. Powers, MD, authored “Strokelore: Early Anticoagulation for Large Ischemic Strokes,” Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, December 2021.
Clio Rubinos, MD, MS, co-authored:
- “Focused Management of Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury and ARDS,” Chest, September 2021.
- “Keeping Meta-Analyses Hygienic during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Frontiers in Public Health, September 2021.
Monica Diaz, MD, MS, co-authored:
- “Social Cognition and Behavioral Assessments Improve the Diagnosis of Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia in Older Peruvians With Low Educational Levels,” Frontiers in Neurology, September 2021. (Senior author)
- “Thyroid Dysfunction, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid Deficiencies Are Not Associated With Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults in Lima, Peru,” Frontiers in Public Health, September 2021. (First author)
PGY-4 Xiaoyang Li, MD co-authored “Kv 3.1 channelopathy: a novel loss-of-function variant and the mechanistic basis of its clinical phenotypes” Annals of Translational Medicine, September 2021.
Presentations
James F. Howard, Jr, MD, presented:
Invited Lectures
- “Reducing Myasthenia Gravis Disease and Treatment Burdens with Targeted Therapies: Hope for the Future” (by webcast). Keynote address to the 1st Chinese Summit on Innovative Medicine and Public Welfare in Myasthenia Gravis and Neurology, Beijing, China, July 3.
- “Exploring Novel Approaches to Treat Myasthenia Gravis (by webcast).” Lecturer to the 10th National IgNS 2001 Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 25.
Presentations at Meetings
- “Racial/Ethnic differences in symptom recognition, diagnostic testing and treatment for males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy” (poster). 2021 Annual Conference of the South Carolina Neurological Association, Asheville, NC, September 17-18.
- “Safety of eculizumab in NMOSD and MG: analysis of the phase 3 studies PREVENT and REGAIN, and their extensions” (ePoster) and “Safety and tolerability of efgartigimod in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis: Phase 3 adapt study results” (ePresentation). XXV Biennial World Congress of Neurology 2021, Rome, Italy, October 3-7.
- “Minimal symptom expression with generalized myasthenia gravis from treatment with efgartigimod” and “Examination of the efficacy, safety and tolerability of efgartigimod in acetylcholine receptor autoantibody seronegative patients with generalized myasthenia gravis: subgroup analysis of phase 3” (posters). 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Aurora, CO, October 14-16.
Senior author Monica Diaz, MD, MS, presented a poster, “Neurological manifestations of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 attending a public hospital in Lima, Peru” at the American Neurological Association 2021 Annual Meeting (virtual), October 16-19.
Irena Dujmovic Basuroski, MD, co-authored the e-poster presentation, “PAMRINO: International MRI and clinical data repository for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder cohort description.” The poster was presented as Late Breaking News at The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Congress, October 13-15.
PGY-4 Xiaoyang Li, MD, and Anahit Mehrabyan, MD, presented, “Monotherapy with Eculizumab in refractory acetylcholine receptor positive generalized myasthenia gravis” at the Muscle Study Group Annual Conference on October 3.
Clio Rubinos, MD, MS, presented a talk titled, “Challenging Patterns on EEG” at the Advance ICU-EEG workshop of the Neurocritical care Society on October 25. Dr. Rubinos was also a panelist for UNC’s “Interactions with Hispanic/Latinx Healthcare Professionals: Virtual Panel” on October 7.
Yen-Yu Ian Shih, PhD, presented a seminar, “Hot Topics in Imaging” at the Gulf Coast Consortia of Texas Medical Center, co-hosted by seven institutions.
The Saudi Neurology Society invited Loulwah Mukharesh, MD, to present the neuro-ophthalmology portion of the Neurology Board Review Course for neurology residents in Saudi Arabia on September 4.
The Neurology Wellness Report
by Jorge L. Almodóvar-Suárez, MD
“I’ll just do a quick Instagram check. That’s a funny video.” Now I’ve gone down the rabbit hole and two hours later, I wonder where time went. Pandemic isolation has brought us even closer to this “Black Mirror” called our digital screens (phone, tablet, computer, TV). The link between mental health and social media has been thoroughly debated for years. For purposes of neuroscience, our responses are very similar to those of gambling. Continued >
Events
The University of Rochester’s Department of Neurology, in collaboration with other U.S. institutions, is organizing a free, virtual conference, “Neurotherapeutics Symposium 2022: Integrating Equity within Translational Research,” on January 28-29, 2022. The meeting will include diverse leadership, speakers and attendees from all levels, and offer meaningful discussions from a multi-disciplinary perspective with the goal of accelerating the translation of advances in neurological therapy into improved health outcomes for all patients. Monica Diaz, MD, MS, will be moderating a panel on global health in neurology. Learn more >
Todd Cohen, PhD, and colleagues have started a monthly seminar series to discuss basic neurodegeneration research with plans to include clinical research in the future. Please email Dr. Cohen if you would like to be included on the listserv.
The 5th annual NC EMS symposium, “The Heart and Brain Connection” will be presented virtually by the UNC Health Stroke and Chest Pain Centers on November 5. The event is geared toward emergency medical personnel including EMTs, paramedics, critical care transport teams, first responders and ED staff. More information >
The Adult and Child Neurology residency programs held virtual open houses in September and October, respectively. Thanks to all who are participating in recruitment efforts this fall!
Thanks to all who helped out at the Epilepsy Foundation of America’s North Carolina State Awareness Day on October 9 in Raleigh. The UNC Epilepsy team had strong representation and were able to talk to many families about our services at the event.
The Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s BlueHeels team gathered on Sunday, September 26 for a fun afternoon of movement and connection at the Walk to De-Feet Dementia event. The 15-member team raised $1,538 in funds for the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina.
Media
Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD, was featured in a Daily Tar Heel article on Friday, September 24 regarding the new Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. CBS17.com and WRAL TechWire also published stories on September 9.
Brad Vaughn, MD, explains how and why we sleep and gives some surprising nuances to common sleep tips in this article published in UNC’s The Well on October 6.