October 1, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome, Dr. Tao Song Welcome to Tao Song, PhD, a clinical associate professor of neurology and the technical director of the Dell Children’s Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Laboratory. Dr. Song oversees all technical and research activities in the MEG lab, thanks to his specialized expertise in MEG hardware and software and knowledge of both clinical and research applications. Dr. Song earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and his BSc in optical engineering from Zhejiang University in China. Following his postdoctoral research in the Radiology Imaging Lab at the University of California, San Diego, he joined Elekta, Inc., where he led MEG customer support operations. During his extensive career in industry, he remained dedicated to advancing MEG applications in clinical and research settings, actively collaborating with academic institutions. Before joining Dell Med, Dr. Song served as the director of operations for MEGIN in both the United States and China. His current research focuses on functional brain mapping and innovations in MEG technology. His work is widely published in leading neuroscience and biomedical engineering journals.
September 4, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome Back to Austin, Dr. Allan Lara We’re excited to welcome Dr. Allan Lara to our physical medicine and rehabilitation program. Dr. Lara is a pediatric physiatrist and an assistant professor of neurology at Dell Med. He works closely with families and multidisciplinary teams to ensure children reach their highest potential. Dr. Lara comes to Austin from Houston, where he recently completed his pediatric rehabilitation medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. He completed his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency and medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and received his undergraduate degree here at UT Austin. Dr. Lara is a member of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His clinical interests include neuromuscular disorders, electrodiagnostic medicine, spasticity management, brachial plexus injuries, developmental pediatrics, and ultrasound-/EMG-guided procedures. His research interests include mental health screening methods in the pediatric rehab population and botulinum injections for sialorrhea management. He is highly involved in community service and expanding pediatric rehab care to underserved communities. Welcome back to Austin, Dr. Lara!
August 30, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome, Dr. Emily Ramirez This month, we officially welcomed Emily Ramirez, DO, to our Dell Medical School faculty. Dr. Ramirez is an assistant professor of neurology and a pediatric epileptologist and neurogeneticist in the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center. She completed residencies in pediatrics and child neurology as well as her fellowship in pediatric epilepsy here at Dell Med and received her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Ramirez has a special interest in complex pediatric epilepsy, neurogenetics, and adolescent transition of care. She is the recipient of the Lisa & Steve Roach Award for Resident Publication.
August 29, 2024, Filed Under: carousel, News16 Faculty Members Receive 2024 Dell Med Teaching Awards Rosario DeLeon, PhD Congratulations to our very own Rosario DeLeon, PhD, pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor of neurology, for winning this year’s Susan M. Cox, M.D. Academy Teaching Health Equity Award! This award recognizes Dell Med faculty members who have excelled in teaching about health equity. Additionally, many of our pediatric neuroscience faculty members received a GME Clinical Learning Environment Award from Dell Med. These 15 individuals received near-perfect (4.9 or 5.0) cumulative resident teaching scores for the year based on their ability to create a positive environment for learning and the patient experience: Kristen Arredondo, MD Glendaliz Bosques, MD Cliff Calley, MD Sireesha Chinthaparthi, MD Stephen R. Deputy, MD Daniel Freedman, DO Duriel Hardy, MD Samantha Irwin, MSc, MB BCh BAO Kristina Jülich, MD Manikum Moodley, MD Sara Pavitt, MD Steve Roach, MD Ashley Stanley-Copeland, MD Vandana Vedanarayanan, MD Vettaikorumakankav “Veda” Vedanarayanan, MD Dell Med will honor these recipients in an awards ceremony on September 30, with a keynote address presented by Dean Claudia Lucchinetti, MD. Thank you for your outstanding contributions to medical education!
August 9, 2024, Filed Under: NewsIrwin Elected as Co-Chair of American Headache Society Special Interest Group Congratulations to Samantha Irwin, MB BCh BAO, associate professor of neurology and director of the Pediatric Headache Fellowship, who was recently elected as co-chair of the Pediatric and Adolescent Special Interest Section of the American Headache Society. She will serve a two-year term alongside Christopher Oakley, MD, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
July 17, 2024, Filed Under: NewsBrumback Article Summarizes NINDS Research Workshop Audrey Brumback, MD, PhD, pediatric neurologist and assistant professor of neurology, was the lead author of “Catalyzing Communities of Research Rigour Champions,” recently published in Brain Communications. The article summarizes the discussions from a workshop of the same name sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The authors describe how “rigor champions” within diverse areas of biomedical research are promoting rigorous, transparent research practices and provide a primer that encourages the broader research community to prioritize such practices. The article outlines recommendations to incorporate rigorous research practices into training and degree requirements. The NINDS workshop was held last year at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Brumback was one of 50 attendees invited to discuss obstacles to research reform and develop initiatives for catalyzing change. Read the article at https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae120.
July 15, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome to Our Newest Genetic Counselor, Avia Sutton Join us in giving a warm welcome to Avia Sutton, MPH, MS, the newest genetic counselor in the Pediatric Neurogenetics Program. Avia earned a Bachelor of Science in behavioral neuroscience from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a Master of Science in public health from Tuskegee University in Alabama, and a master’s in genetic counseling from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She then completed an internship at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina. Her interests include neurodevelopmental disability, public health genetics and education, and patient advocacy.
July 1, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome, Dr. Lindsey Elliott Lindsey Elliott, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist who recently joined our program as an assistant professor in the departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She specializes in treating children and adolescents with a wide range of functional disorders and will support our Psychogenic Nonepileptic Events Clinic. Dr. Elliott earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed an internship in pediatric psychology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and a fellowship in pediatric psychology with a specialty in consultation-liaison at UT Health Austin’s Texas Child Study Center and Dell Children’s Medical Center. A member of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, she is engaged in multisite research projects aimed at providing effective treatment to individuals with functional neurological disorders. Welcome, Dr. Elliott!
June 15, 2024, Filed Under: NewsWelcome, Dr. MacKenzie Howard MacKenzie A. Howard, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience, recently joined our program. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and his PhD in physiology and biophysics from the University of Washington. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco that focused on the cellular and circuit mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and connectivity in epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disease. Howard’s research has delved into ion channel function, neurotransmitter receptors, molecular signaling, learning and memory, and neural development and plasticity. In the Howard Neuro Lab, he uses his extensive background in cellular neurophysiology to understand mechanisms of genetic epilepsies. Welcome to the team, Dr. Howard!
June 12, 2024, Filed Under: NewsDave Clarke, MD, Organizes United Nations 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) Session Clarke speaking at SIDS4 session Dave Clarke, MD, professor of neurology and chief of the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center, organized and moderated the session “Addressing Deficits, Deficiencies, and Inequities in Managing Epilepsy in Small Island Developing States” at the United Nations’ fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), on May 27 at the American University of Antigua in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. The aim of the conference, whose 2024 theme was “charting the course toward resilient prosperity,” is for international communities to propose solutions that help Small Island Developing States (SIDS) achieve sustainable development and resilience, as their geography presents unique challenges for their communities and economies. These challenges range from environmental disasters such as hurricanes to limited natural resources, high import costs, reduced tourism following the pandemic, and disproportionate impact of global crises. People living with epilepsy in SIDS are affected by such challenges, which often create direct and indirect barriers to care. These barriers include limited health resources and fewer heath care providers, particularly during natural disasters. The SIDS4 session was created based on a UN proposal for a joint Antigua and Barbuda session on Care Delivery for Persons with Epilepsy, which calls for a targeted approach to addressing barriers to epilepsy care based on the WHO’s Intersectoral Global Action Plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (IGAP). The annual session aimed to address all five strategic objectives of IGAP, with a focus on Caribbean Islands and other SIDS: (1) raise policy prioritization to strengthen governance; (2) provide effective, timely, and responsive diagnosis, treatment, and care; (3) implement strategies for promotion and prevention; (4) foster research and innovation and strengthen information systems; and (5) strengthen the public health approach to epilepsy. Speakers included a representative of Antigua and Barbuda; Amza Ali, MD, director of the Epilepsy Centre of Jamaica and senior associate lecturer at the University of West Indies; Mishka Duncan, MD, pediatric neurologist at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital St. Vincent and the Grenadines and behavioral sciences lecturer at Saint James School of Medicine St. Vincent; Gaden Osborne, MD, consultant neurologist at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre; and Jaideep Kapur, MBBS, PhD, director of the University of Virginia Brain Institute and professor of neuroscience and neurology at UVA. Clarke opened the session with an introductory statement about epilepsy care and why it is fiscally and morally beneficial for governmental investment. Other topics included fiscal challenges in managing epilepsy, access challenges in the face of natural and man-made disasters, IGAP optimization, and social ills experienced by persons with epilepsy. Clarke concluded the session with a Q&A segment focused on sustainability of care and future engagement.
