{"id":3072,"date":"2017-12-20T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurology\/neurology-news-december-2017\/"},"modified":"2022-12-05T13:26:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T18:26:58","slug":"neurology-news-december-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurology\/neurology-news-december-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Neurology News – December 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Department<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Colin
Colin Hall, MB ChB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 48 years of service to the UNC Department of Neurology, Colin Hall, MB ChB<\/strong>, will fully retire on December 31, 2017.
\nDr. Hall came to UNC from Scotland in 1969 as a neurology resident who was then hired as a faculty member. In addition to growing a busy clinical practice over the years, he was interim chair of the Neurology Department from 1995-2001 and from 2006-2007. In 1977, he created the neuromuscular unit and remained as its director until 1996. Read Dr. Hall\u2019s story<\/a><\/p>\n

Blue Cross\/Blue Shield<\/b> has designated UNC Neurology as a high quality and low cost care provider in the latest BCBS Specialty Tiering results for plan year 2018.<\/p>\n

The UNC Neurology, Child Neurology, and Neurosurgery residency programs<\/b> all ranked in the top 50<\/b> for reputation nationwide according to the latest Doximity Residency Navigator rankings. Learn more ><\/a><\/p>\n

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Welcome to our new clinicians!<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"<\/td>\n<\/td>\nIrena Dujmovic Basuroski, MD<\/strong>, joined the Multiple Sclerosis\/Neuroimmunology Division in late October as an associate professor after serving as a consultant neurologist at the Department of Multiple Sclerosis, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia for the last 15 years. Dr. Dujmovic Basuroski received her MD, Master of Science in Medicine and Doctor of Science in Medicine degrees and completed her residency in neurology at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine in Belgrade, Serbia. She completed her postdoctoral training and research in neuroimmunology at the Innsbruck Medical University in Innsbruck, Austria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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<\/td>\nAnahit Mehrabyan, MD<\/strong>, a 2016 graduate of the UNC Adult Neurology Residency Program, returns to us as an assistant professor for the Neuromuscular Disorders Division. Dr. Mehrabyan recently completed a fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at Penn State in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She received her medical degree from Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, Yerevan, Armenia.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Miriam<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\nMiriam Sklerov, MD, MS<\/strong>, joined the Movement Disorders Division last August as an assistant professor. Dr. Sklerov recently completed a fellowship in movement disorders from Columbia University where she also received an MSc in epidemiology and completed her residency in neurology. Dr. Sklerov received her medical degree from New York Medical College.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Nicole<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\nNicole Odom, MD<\/strong>, was recently appointed as an adjunct assistant professor for the Epilepsy Division. Currently a staff neurologist at Pinehurst Neurology, Dr. Odem completed her neurology residency at UNC in 2013, and then finished a two-year CNP\/epilepsy fellowship at Columbia University in New York. Since returning to North Carolina, she has collaborated closely with the Epilepsy Division for patient care will actively participate in the UNC Epilepsy Fellowship Program in 2018.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Phillip<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\nPhillip Isaacs, PA<\/strong>, started with our Sleep Medicine team in August. He received his PA and BS degrees from the City University of New York in New York, New York.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Shenita<\/td>\n<\/td>\nSheNita Mangum, MSW, LCSW<\/strong> joined the Epilepsy team as its first social worker last July. SheNita received her master\u2019s degree at UNC Chapel Hill and her BA at NC State University.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Research and Treatments<\/span><\/h2>\n

James F. Howard, MD,<\/b> was the lead investigator in the clinical trial that led to FDA approval of eculizumab as a treatment for adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive. This is the first new FDA-approved treatment for patients with gMG in more than 60 years. Learn more ><\/a><\/p>\n

In a study led by Todd Cohen, PhD,<\/b> researchers may have discovered the \u2018ground zero\u2019 of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, paving the way to better treatment. The findings were made possible through a collaboration of three UNC labs led by Rick Meeker, PhD, <\/b>Xian Chen, PhD, and Cohen, as well as the NIH lab of Jau-Shyong Hong, PhD. Cell Reports<\/a>, The Deacetylase HDAC6 Mediates Endogenous Neuritic Tau Pathology, <\/i>August 2017. UNC Health Care News article.<\/p>\n

Last October, UNC Neurology, in conjunction with UNC Neurosurgery, became the first center in the state of NC to implant the new, FDA-approved deep brain stimulation electrodes manufactured by St. Jude\/Abbott. Drs. Daniel Roque<\/b> and Eldad Hadar from Neurology and Neurosurgery, respectively, collaborated to offer this new device to a patient suffering from essential tremor. With the goal of reducing the risk for stimulation-related side effects, the device will allow the electrical current delivered by the stimulator to be directed towards desired brain structures and away from other structures.<\/p>\n

Weili Lin, PhD,<\/b> is part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from UNC and the University of Minnesota that launched a new study to uncover nutritional impacts on early brain development. Researchers are using state-of-the-art imaging techniques and collecting data on dietary nutrient intake, feeding practices, and gut microbiota abundance and diversity to elucidate the links between nutrition, the microbiome, and brain maturation processes in early childhood.<\/p>\n

Paul Carney, MD,<\/b> along with other researchers, published a study in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology<\/a> last October: \u201cStimulants Do Not Increase the Risk of Seizure-Related Hospitalizations in Children with Epilepsy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Carney was also part of study published in the Journal of Biophotonics<\/a> last July: \u201cFast non-invasive functional diffuse optical tomography for brain imaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, Dr. Carney received three new grant contracts:<\/p>\n