Moodley Retires After Four Decades of Service in Pediatric Neurology

On April 30, we hosted a department luncheon in honor of Manikum “Mani” Moodley’s retirement. Dr. Moodley, an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Neurology and former co-director of our Neurofibromatosis Center of Excellence, began a remarkable half-century medical career in 1974 after completing his medical degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa. He finished a rotating internship and residencies in pediatrics and neurology in South Africa, then completed fellowship training in child neurology, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neuromuscular diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children in London and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, followed by a fellowship in neonatal neurology at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. This extensive training no doubt underpinned what often appeared to be an uncanny ability to arrive at a correct diagnosis that had escaped others.

In 2004, Moodley began a 15-year stint with the Cleveland Clinic. There he honed his expertise in pediatric autonomic disorders and neuroimmunological conditions. Working closely with David Rothner, MD, Moodley also became an expert in the management of neurofibromatosis. In parallel, his academic career flourished. Moodley authored some 80 articles and chapters, often in collaboration with his trainees. He has won at least seven resident and student teaching awards from three different institutions. Special honors include the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine and his selection as the keynote speaker for the medical school’s annual convocation.

In 2019, when many people would be planning for a comfortable retirement, Moodley joined the faculty of the newly established Dell Medical School. Here he played a major role in the creation of the now-flourishing pediatric neurosciences program. To no one’s surprise, he won a resident teaching award the year after he arrived. He established the clinical pediatric autonomic laboratory and helped to establish the Neurofibromatosis Center of Excellence.

Moodley has been a worthy role model for both trainees and colleagues. We are not quite ready to turn loose of this remarkable physician: he will continue to be involved in our neurology outreach program in Kenya and in assisting trainees with publications and presentations.

Thank you, Dr. Moodley, for decades of service to child neurology! Enjoy your retirement­­—you have earned it.