Department
The 黑料网 Child Neurology Clinic has moved to Carolina Pointe II, 6011 Farrington Road, Suite 100, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Thanks to all who helped to make it happen!
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Dr. Robert Smith, Associate Chair for Administration, will begin his new role as the Vice Dean of the Gillings School of Public Health in March. Dr. Smith will retain his adjunct appointment as a lecturer and will also serve as an operations consultant for 黑料网 Neurology to help guide the completion of several strategically important initiatives. We are thankful for his exceptional leadership over the past ten years.
The Faculty Satisfaction Committee is accepting Wellness Mini-Grant proposals for the funding of enjoyable activities to be shared by small groups of staff. Please submit proposals to jalmo@neurology.unc.edu. Learn more >
The NC School of Science and Mathematics Mentorship Program finds researchers to mentor students in often their first experience in real world research. Opportunities to mentor a student this summer and/or academic year 2022-2023 are now available. NCSSM mentorship students applied to participate and were granted admission based on merit.听
Honors / Awards / Recognition
lists the article by James F. Howard, Jr, MD, and other researchers, 鈥�Safety, efficacy, and tolerability of efgartigimod in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis (ADAPT): a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial鈥� as a top editorial pick for 鈥淭he News That Mattered in 2021.鈥� , July 2021
In January, William J. Powers, MD, was appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry as Commissioning Editor in charge of soliciting review articles.
黑料网 Neurology has been invited to join through the efforts of Senyene Hunter, MD, PhD, and the Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative team. Epi25 is an NHGRI-funded collaborative committed to curing genetic epilepsies. Patients who meet the broad enrollment criteria will receive sponsored whole genome sequencing.
Grants
Monica Diaz, MD, MS, is the lead PI for her recently funded project, 鈥淎 vulnerability index for cognitive impairment risk in Latin America.鈥� The Alzheimer鈥檚 Association Research Grant to Promote Diversity offers $150,000 over three years starting July 1. In collaboration with colleagues from the Peruvian Neurological Institute in Lima, Peru and UCSF Memory & Aging Center, the study seeks to evaluate the epidemiology of neurocognitive disorders in two districts of Lima, Peru (one socioeconomically vulnerable and one affluent), assessing individual-level data pertaining to social, behavioral and environmental determinants of brain health. This will be the first large-scale door-to-door study seeking to expand our understanding of cognitive resilience and potentially modifiable neurocognitive disorder risk factors in Latin America.
Steven Trau, MD, is coinvestigator of 鈥淎 novel perspective on mental illness in children: Investigation of the association between Bartonella and Borrelia infection and pediatric Tourette鈥檚 disorder using serology and a novel droplet digital PCR approach.鈥� Grant amount: $75,192.
Ian Shih, PhD, and two Duke researchers were awarded with a $50,000 Duke/黑料网 Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Center Norins Pilot Award. The team will work to establish preliminary data exploring the interaction of P. gingivalis infection (the keystone bacteria associated with gingivitis and periodontal disease) and the APOE genotype (recognized as one of the largest risk factors for developing Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease) in the development of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
NC TraCS awarded funding for a $5K-50K grant application submitted by Rebecca Traub, MD, and Xiaoyan Li, MD,听 PhD, (former 黑料网 Neurology resident) titled, 鈥淧redictive modeling of disease-modifying immunophenotypes in ALS patients.鈥� Learn more >
Clinical Trials
UCB Biosciences announced for its study, 鈥淩AISE: A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Confirm the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Zilucoplan in Subjects with Generalized Myasthenia Gravis.鈥� James F. Howard, Jr, MD was the global principal investigator for the trial. Manisha Chopra, MBBS, was the study coordinator.
Yael Shiloh-Malawsky, MD, is the principal investigator for two multicenter studies:
- Ataxia UK grant for 黑料网 site of the international DRPLA (Haw River disease)听natural history study;
- 黑料网 site for听clinical trial of fenfluramine in genetic epilepsy associated with CDKL5 gene.
Publications
James F. Howard, Jr., MD, was co-author of three articles:
- 鈥淐linical and Genetic Characteristics in Young, Glucocorticoid-Naive Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,鈥� , December 2021.
- 鈥淧athogenic TNF-alpha drives peripheral nerve inflammation in an Aire-deficient model of autoimmunity,鈥� , January 2022.
- 鈥淚dentification of genetic risk loci and prioritization of genes and pathways for myasthenia gravis: a genome-wide association study,鈥� , February 2022.
Timothy Gershon, MD, PhD, was a member of the 黑料网 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center team that demonstrated that a nanoparticle-formulated drug combination is effective in medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor. The team believes this laboratory success could be translated into a less toxic treatment. , January 26, 2022;
Claudia Testa, MD, PhD, co-authored a book, 鈥淭remors鈥� to be published by Oxford University Press in March 2022. The book includes a chapter with first authorship by PGY2 resident, Laura de Lima Xavier, MD.
Miriam Sklerov, MD, MS; Nina Browner, MD; David Rubinow, MD; Eran Dayan, PhD; and Flavio Frohlich, PhD, co-authored 鈥淎utonomic and depression symptoms in Parkinson鈥檚 disease: clinical evidence for overlapping physiology鈥� in , February 2022.
Gary Jay, MD, co-authored 鈥淭rigeminal neuralgia and persistent idiopathic facial pain (atypical facial pain),鈥� , January 2022.
Monica Diaz, MD, MS, co-authored, 鈥淗IV and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean,鈥� , January 2022.
Dr. Diaz also co-authored an abstract, 鈥淐ognitive Predictors of Everyday Functioning in the Women鈥檚 Interagency HIV Study,鈥� presented as a poster at the Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Feb 12-16, 2022.
Jamie K. Capal, MD, co-authored, 鈥淭he research landscape of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND)鈥攁 comprehensive scoping review,鈥� , February 2022.
Presentations
James F. Howard Jr – Invited Lectures / Visiting Professor
- Lecturer, Nancy Law Inaugural Keynote Address to the Annual National Patient Conference of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, 鈥淗ear My Voice, Hear Our Voices,鈥� February 10.
- Lecturer, 14th Annual Neuroscience Conference (ANC), 鈥淭argeting the Acetylcholine Receptor in Myasthenia Gravis鈥� (by webcast).听 University of Alexandria, Alexandria Egypt, February 23.
Clio Rubinos, MD, MS, gave an online talk on encephalogram monitoring in the critical care setting during the Spanish Symposium at the American of Clinical Neurophysiology Society Meeting in January.
Monica Diaz, MD, moderated the online Global Neurology panel, “Are Lessons Learned from Global Neurology Research applicable to the Local Reality in the U.S.?,鈥� at the : Integrating Equity within Translational Research on January 29, 2022.
Miriam Sklerov, MD, MS, presented “Management pearls in parkinsonism – typical and atypical鈥� at the North Carolina Neurological Society meeting in February.
Xiaoyang Li, MBBS, (PGY4) presented a poster, “Recurrent Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in a Multiple Sclerosis Patient Treated With Fingolimod,” at the 2022 Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum in West Palm Beach, Florida on February 24. Authors: Xiaoyang Li, Anne Beaven (Hem/Onc) and Dr. Li鈥檚 mentor, Irena Dujmovic Basuroski, MD.
Diana Cejas, MD, MPH, presented 鈥淲riting as Rehabilitation: Creativity鈥檚 Role in Survivorship鈥� during 黑料网 Palliative Care鈥檚 grand rounds on February 16.
Heidi Roth, MD, presented 鈥淪leep, Memory and Dementia鈥� during 黑料网 Psychiatry鈥檚 grand rounds on February 9.
Yasmeen Rauf, MD, presented 鈥淐AR-T for GBM at the 黑料网 Chapel Hill鈥� during 黑料网 Neurology鈥檚 grand rounds on January 6.
Steven Trau, MD, presented:
- 鈥淧ediatric Movement Disorders鈥� at the Neurology Teaching Conference on February 23.
- 鈥淚nvestigating the Link between Tics and the COVID-19 Pandemic鈥� at 黑料网 Neurology鈥檚 grand rounds on February 10.
- 鈥淭ourette Syndrome鈥� at Duke Neurology鈥檚 noon conference on February 2.
- 鈥淭ourette Syndrome鈥� at the 黑料网 Department of Psychology鈥檚 teaching conference on January 31.
Susan Wilson, DNP, ANP-C, FAHA, presented 鈥淪econdary Stroke Prevention Recommendations and the Role of the Nurse鈥� at the International Stroke Conference Nursing Symposium on February 8.
Events
Thank you to the organizers and panelists of the 黑料网 Neurology Career Forum hosted by the DEI Committee on March 3. Thirty-six students in attended from over 100 registrants from high schools, colleges and universities from across the state. Sessions offered included talks by our neurodiagnostic technologists, neurologists, residents, APP鈥檚 and researchers. We hope the event influenced some bright young minds from diverse backgrounds to pursue a career in the neurosciences.
Thanks to Yasmeen Rauf, MD, Neurology team leader, and everyone who participated or donated to the Head for the Cure 5K Run/Walk on February 27 in Southern Village, Chapel Hill. 黑料网 Neurology and Neurosurgery, along with the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, will receive a portion of the $40,000 raised.
Join the 黑料网听Neuro-Heels team听and support the Walk MS on April 2 in Raleigh! This event brings together a community of passionate people to connect and raise funds. LaShonda Meadows, LCSW, is this year鈥檚 team captain.
The next ADRD IDEAS Forum will feature Dr. Rashmita Basu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at ECU who will be speaking about the psychological wellbeing of dementia patients and caregivers, and the promise of music therapy. All trainees (fellows, postdocs, junior faculty, residents, research associates, etc.) interested in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and related dementias (ADRD) are invited to attend the Interaction- and Discussion-Enablers for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease Science (IDEAS) Forum. to receive future announcements directly.
The first Symposium for Learning about Alzheimer鈥檚 disease-related Medical research at Duke and 黑料网 (SLAM-D黑料网) will be held Friday and Saturday, June 24 – 25 at the Duke Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center. The symposium is open to researchers, clinicians, and trainees from Duke, 黑料网, NCCU, 黑料网-Pembroke, and ECU and will include research presentations from REC Scholars and trainees, a poster session, networking sessions, information about ADRC core resources. A call for abstracts will be sent out in the coming weeks.
Media
James F. Howard, MD, was interviewed by Neurology Live as part of . In addition, Dr. Howard was interviewed by CheckRare on .
Bradley Vaughn, MD, contributed to an , 鈥淔ive Bad Health Habits and How to Break Them.鈥�
Yasmeen Rauf, MD, was interviewed for a Head for the Cure on February 7.
Steven Trau, MD, was interviewed for a , 鈥淭ics are uncontrollable, and completely normal鈥� that was later published on the