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Department News

COVID-19

We would like to thank each and every member of the Department of Neurology for adapting so rapidly to the many changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past few months. 黑料网 Health鈥檚 mission 鈥渢o improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve鈥� is now more essential than ever.

Are you in need of child care resources due to Covid-19? Check out to support 黑料网 health care workers.

黑料网 Neurology Welcomes New Residents, Fellows and Neuroscience ICU APP鈥檚

We are pleased to welcome our incoming adult and child neurology residents as well as our fellows specializing in sleep medicine and neuromuscular disorders. Learn more about each of these new team members >

We are also proud to introduce our new Neuroscience ICU APP鈥檚:

• Courtney Blodgett, MSN, AG-ACNP, CCRN, graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing. She went on to receive a master鈥檚 degree in nursing from Georgetown University and is board-certified as an adult/gerontology acute care nurse practitioner.

• Andrea McCulloch, MSN, AG-ACNP, graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 and a master鈥檚 degree in nursing from Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. She is board-certified as an adult/gerontology acute care nurse practitioner with a certificate in advanced practice hospice and palliative care.

• Tyler Okelberry, MSN, AG-ACNP, CCRN, graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing followed by a master鈥檚 degree in nursing from the University of Utah. He is certified as an adult/gerontology acute care nurse practitioner after receiving a post-master鈥檚 certificate from Duke University School of Nursing.

The Face Behind The Mask

Providing patient care while wearing masks is disorienting and impersonal for everyone involved. Yael Shiloh-Malawsky, MD, and her daughter have a solution: the Unmask 黑料网 badge. These photo badges reveal the smiling face behind the mask, allowing providers to connect more closely with their patients. Resident Katelyn Bricker, MD, models her badge in the photos. Interested?聽 Email your name, role/position and photo to Unmask黑料网@gmail.com and your badge will be produced and delivered free of charge.

BOOST-3 Community Research Study

The 黑料网 Medical Center will soon become part a nationwide NIH study of the emergency treatment of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study, Brain Oxygen Optimization in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (BOOST-3), will compare two treatments routinely used for monitoring and treating patients with severe TBI in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. To learn more, visit the . Questions may be sent directly to the study team, Rhonda Cadena, MD, or Luigi Toiani, PA, at boost3@med.unc.edu or (919) 283-9281.

Research

James F. Howard Jr., MD, was the principal investigator of the phase 3 trial for the experimental drug efgartigimod, developed by Argenx. The company plans to seek U.S. approval of the drug by the end of year in response to data showing rapid and robust responses in people with generalized myasthenia gravis.

In addition, Dr. Howard, along with other researchers published:

• 鈥淶ilucoplan, a subcutaneously self-administered peptide inhibitor of complement component 5, for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis.鈥� , May 2020

• 鈥淢inimal symptom expression in patients with acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory myasthenia gravis treated with eculizumab.鈥� , March 2020

• 鈥淕uidance for the management of myasthenia gravis (MG) and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥� , May 2020

• 鈥淩esponse to eculizumab in patients with myasthenia gravis recently treated with chronic IVIg: a subgroup analysis of REGAIN and its open-label extension study.鈥� , May 2020

• 鈥淐omplement inhibitor therapy for myasthenia gravis.鈥� – Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders, April 2020

• In addition, the Italian Society of Neurology selected the following research by Dr. Howard as the most interesting article of the month for February 2020: 鈥淐linical effects of the self-administered subcutaneous complement inhibitor zilucoplan in patients with moderate to severe generalized myasthenia gravis Results of a phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.鈥� , February 2020
  

William Powers, MD, and PGY-4 resident Candice Kam, MD, along with two 黑料网 Gillings researchers published, 鈥淒iagnostic accuracy of acute infarcts in multiple cerebral circulations for cardioembolic stroke: Literature review and meta-analysis.鈥� , May 2020

Nina Browner, MD, is co-author of an accepted paper, 鈥淭argeted rhythmic auditory cueing during treadmill and overground gait for individuals with Parkinson disease: A case series.鈥� , April 2020

Daniel Kaufer, MD, was part of a public-private collaboration that published 鈥淒iagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.鈥� , March 2020

Chon Lee, MD, along with her former medical student at Wake Forest, Kelsey Poisson, are co-authors of a paper, 鈥淩esponse to cannabidiol in epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures associated with KCNT1 mutations: An open-label, prospective, interventional study,鈥� published in , March 2020

Steven P. Trau, MD, published:

• 鈥淎n unusual case of new tic emergence and exacerbation following treatment with fluticasone propionate.鈥� , April 2020

• 鈥�PURA syndrome and myotonia: a case report.鈥� , March 2020 (co-author)

• 鈥淐hild Neurology: A young child with an undiagnosed case of dystonia responsive to L-dopa.鈥� , February 2020 (co-author)

Presentations

William Powers, MD, presented 鈥淒o鈥檚 and Don鈥檛s from the 2019 Update of the Guidelines for the Early Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke鈥� American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference, Los Angeles, CA, February 21, 2020

James F. Howard, Jr, MD, presented:

• 鈥淐linical effects of zilucoplan in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis.鈥� Recorded interview – , February 17, 2020.

• 鈥淟ong-term efficacy of eculizumab in refractory generalized myasthenia gravis: Responder analyses.鈥澛燱ebcast presented at the 2020 Virtual MDA Clinical and Scientific Conference, April 22-25, 2020.

• 鈥�Additional analyses of the phase 2 efgartigimod study in myasthenia gravis.鈥� Webcast presented at the Virtual 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April 25-May 1, 2020.

• 鈥淣o change in risk of infection among NMOSD and refractory gMG patients聽related with eculizumab: findings from two phase 3 studies and their extensions.鈥� Webcast presented at the Virtual 2020 6^th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, May 23-26, 2020.

• 鈥淓fgartigimod in myasthenia gravis: Phase 3 trial design.鈥� Webcast presented at the Virtual 2020 6th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, May 24, 2020.

Nina Browner, MD, organized and moderated a virtual poster blitz for grand rounds on April 31. Faculty and residents presented posters that were accepted for the 2020 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting (canceled due to COVID-19). Abstracts included:

• 鈥淚nterim Safety and Effectiveness Outcomes from a Prospective Post-Approval Trial of the RNSA庐 System.鈥�
  • 黑料网 researcher and presenter: HaeWon Shin, MD

• 鈥淧oor Epilepsy Self-Management and Self-Efficacy Skills in EMU Patients.鈥�
  • 黑料网 researchers: Drs. HaeWon Shin (presenter), Angela Wabulya; NP鈥檚 Darcy Subramaniam, Linh Ngo, Shabina Sheikh, Erin Carrier; Sana Chopra

• 鈥淎re We Following Best Practices for Evaluation of Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures (PNES) – We Shouldn鈥檛 Need to Reinvent the Wheel鈥�
  • 黑料网 researchers: Drs. Angela Wabulya (presenter), Michael Tennison, William Powers, Manisha Chopra, Bradley Vaughn

• 鈥淎dditional Analyses of the Phase 2 Efgartigimod Study in Myasthenia Gravis鈥�
  • 黑料网 researcher and presenter: James F. Howard, Jr., MD

• 鈥淢iller-Fisher Syndrome (MFS) with Delayed Bilateral Facial Nerve Palsy: Imaging and Electrodiagnostic Findings, Treatment and Outcome.鈥�
  • 黑料网 researchers: Drs. Charles Port, Anahit Mehrabyan, Victor Lin (presenter)

• “Figure Copy and Recall Profiles Help Distinguish Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal Degeneration, and Dementia with Lewy Bodies”
  • Drs. Amalia Peterson (presenter), Daniel Kaufer; Adrian Boltz, Matthew Harris, Alexander Eisenstein
    

Resident poster presentations at the North Carolina Neurological Society meeting held in Raleigh on February 21-23 included:

• Carolyn Tsai, MD, presenting updates in the treatment of status epilepticus.

• Xiaoyang Li, MD, and Amalia Peterson, MD, presenting, 鈥淎cquired hepatocerebral degeneration as a cause of dyskinesia in a patient with liver cirrhosis: a case report,鈥� under the mentorship of Irena Dujmovic Basuroski.

• Steven Palmer, MD and Amalia Peterson, MD, poster presentation of 鈥淭wo Cases of Sporadic Late-Onset Nemaline Rod Myopathy鈥� under the mentorship of Anahit Mehrabyan, MD.聽

• Carolyn Tsai, MD; Zuleyma Toledo-Nieves, MD; Gregory Chamberlin, MD; Thomas Bouldin, MD; poster presentation of 鈥淰asculitic Mononeuritis Multiplex Associated with Hepatitis B and C: Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options鈥� under the mentorship of Anahit Mehrabyan, MD.
  

Steven Palmer, MD, under the mentorship of Anahit Mehrabyan, MD:

• Presented a poster titled 鈥淎 case of HNRNPA1 gene mutation with multisystem proteinopathy presenting as inclusion body myopathy鈥� at the 16th International Congress of Neuromuscular Diseases in Valencia, Spain, May 28 – June 1, 2021.

• Was accepted to present “A 46-year-old man with slowly progressive weakness” at the AAN 2020 Annual Meeting, Section: Diagnosis and Management of Unusual Cases in Neuromuscular Disease.

Casey Olm-Shipman, MD, MS, in her role as the director of the Clinician Leadership in Quality and Safety Scholarly Concentration Program, organized the 黑料网 Clinician Leadership in Quality and Safety Symposium on March 5. Twelve students from the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine presented QI projects they conducted with their faculty mentors. Medical student Cindy Pi, mentored by Dr. Olm-Shipman, presented 鈥淩educing routine daily chest x- rays in the neuroscience ICU.鈥�

Outreach

Jessica Shurer, MSW, LCSW, recently joined the board of directors for CurePSP and will serve on their Patient and Care Partner Advocacy Committee. The organization also asked Jessica to co-facilitate a new virtual support group that meets every other week with attendees from across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Jessica鈥檚 three local community support groups (Parkinson鈥檚 disease; progressive supranuclear palsy & corticobasal degeneration; multiple system atrophy) have also gone virtual with great turnout and engagement, and now include attendees from across the state.

In addition, Jessica presented on the Self-Care panel at the Parkinson鈥檚 Foundation鈥檚 2020 Care Partner Summit which was held virtually on May 16 and attended by more than 1,100 individuals from across the country.

PGY2 neurology resident Carolyn Tsai, MD, was one of 216 neurologists who gathered for the 18th annual American Academy of Neurology on February 24-25. The neurologists met with federal lawmakers to educate Congress on the critical role of neurologists in health care, the needs of their patients, and the need for drug pricing reform.

Nina Browner, MD, co-presented a Parkinson鈥檚 Foundation webinar, “Answering Your Parkinson’s Disease Questions with AARP鈥� on April 30.

Robert Smith III, PhD, served as a coach and a judge last February in the School of Medicine鈥檚 program sponsored by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development. Program participants included six faculty members who developed and practiced pitching their business ideas in front of a panel of institutional leaders.

Events

The 黑料网 Comprehensive Stroke Center held its second annual Stroke Survivor & Caregiver Event on March 7聽at the Carolina Inn. This free educational event offered a morning of helpful resources, inspirational speakers and an opportunity for fellowship among the 75 stroke survivors, caregivers and health care professionals who attended.