Monica Diaz, MD, MS, assistant professor of neurology for UNC Neurology’s Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, was elected as the Vice Chair of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Global Health section. During her role as Vice Chair, Diaz proposes to: advocate for a one-year research grant for neurologists or internal medicine physicians from low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC) to pursue new neurology research; increase discussions/presentations for U.S. students and trainees on paving a career in global health in neurology; create an online forum to facilitate exchanges and collaborations between neurologists worldwide and with existing international health organizations.
Diaz completed her neurology residency at Yale and a neuro-infectious/MS/neuroimmunology fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. She has lived and worked in Peru since 2019 through an NIH Fogarty Fellowship and currently spends half of the year in Peru leading several studies with the goal of improving neurological outcomes in Latin America—including studies on epidemiology and risk factors for dementia; cognitive impairment in Peruvians living with HIV; and transverse myelitis in Peru. She is the co-director of a bilateral neurology resident rotation between UNC and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru.
Ana C. G. Felix, MBBCh, FAAN, was elected as the AAN’s Vice Chair of the AB Baker Section on Neurological Education. Felix is a Ray ’62 and Christine Hayworth Medical Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor (2018-2022) and associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine and Epidemiology. She works as an embedded neurologist in general internal medicine, geriatrics and the UNC Brain and Body Program’s Center for Retired Athletes.
Felix currently co-leads the neurosciences block in the foundation phase and serves as an academic advisor (co-leader for Cross College). Most recently, she led the development and implementation of the individualization phase curriculum, including the development of an elective in Porto, Portugal, and the scholarly concentration programs at the UNC School of Medicine.
Felix looks forward to the opportunity to reduce “neurophobia” and reduce barriers to the expected shortfall of trained neurologists in the workforce. She was born in Portugal and attended medical school in South Africa, with residency and fellowship training in Boston.