Yale Senior Receives KL2 Award

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Dr. Krithi Irmady was selected to receive the NIH-sponsored KL2 Mentored Career Development Award to start this summer.

The three-year scholarship will allow her to serve as an Instructor in Investigative Medicine and KL2 Clinical Scholar at Rockefeller University as she performs translational research in Parkinson’s Disease under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Darnell. Her work at Rockefeller will be concurrent with her fellowship training in movement disorders at Columbia University.

Dr. Irmady is a current fourth-year resident on the research track.

Escape New Haven

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Over four weekend days last month, groups of residents and fellows took part in Escape New Haven, a game in which 4-8 players are locked into a room and must find a way out using teamwork. Residents tackled theme rooms such as The Space Station and The Crypt.

The residency program is grateful for the funding of $3600 provided by the Graduate Medical Education office for this team-building activity, as part of the hospital’s wellness initiative.

Spotlight on Global Health

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Dr. Monica Diaz gave a one-hour lecture to residents and medical students today on her experience in Uganda.

Detailing her six weeks serving at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Dr. Diaz addressed her efforts to deliver neurological care while facing the challenges of limited resources, language difficulties and cultural barriers. She discussed specific cases in which her decision-making was contingent on bridging social barriers. In one incidence, she successfully convinced a patient to allow her to do a lumbar puncture despite its associated stigma, as many families in the hospital erroneously attribute clinical worsening from disease progression to the procedure. She also worked with Dr. Abdu Musubire, a physician based at Mulago who was a yearlong visiting scholar at Yale from 2014 to 2015 through the Makarere University Yale University (MUYU) Collaboration.

Dr. Diaz is third-year neurology resident and a Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholar. She plans to continue her international work after residency.

Yale Resident Joins ACGME Review Committee

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Senior resident Dr. Jeffrey Dewey joins the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Review Committee after a rigorous months-long selection process.

The committee plays an important role in upholding education standards for residents nationally. Dr. Dewey will work with other physicians and a public representative to establish accreditation criteria and provide peer evaluations to programs. The committee also serves to ultimately confer accreditation status to residencies. Also serving on the Council of Review Committee Residents, Dr. Dewey hopes to play an active role in shaping the training experience for residents across the country.

He begins his appointment this April.

Grand Rounds Ends Successful Fall Series

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Clinical Neuroscience Grand Rounds ends a successful fall run this December with one of the most diverse group of speakers in the history of the lecture series. Lecturers ranged from neurology department leadership to the president of Yale-New Haven Hospital, from leaders in basic science research to experts in medical education.

Asked about her philosophy in selecting speakers, Grand Rounds resident coordinator Dr. Krithi Irmady says the committee aims to expose the audience to fields outside their expertise: “To me, the purpose of Grand Rounds isn’t just to educate but also to ignite new ideas and possibilities.” She appreciates ample funding from the department that allows her to invite lecturers from both within the Yale academic community and around the world.

Dr. Irmady MD-PhD is a fourth-year resident on the research track. She will continue her clinician-researcher career at Columbia University this July.

Yale Neurology Celebrates the Holiday Season

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Residents celebrated the winter holidays tonight at the department-wide Yale Neurology Annual Holiday Party. Taking place at the Woodwinds Wedding and Event Venue in Branford, the event brought together faculty and trainees, clinicians and researchers. Residents enjoyed live music, dancing and an open bar at the stately European Country Manor.

Residents and fellows with program director Dr. Moeller in the foyer of the Woodwinds

Residents and fellows with program director Dr. Moeller in the foyer of the Woodwinds

Department leadership Drs. Hafler and Greer thanked attendees for a successful year and look forward to a fruitful one ahead.

Teaching Rotation Prepares Residents for Clinician-Educator Career

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The Teaching Senior rotation continues in its third iteration this December with fourth year resident Dr. Vincent Lau.

Dr. Lau teaches a medical student lumbar puncture technique

Dr. Lau teaches lumbar puncture technique

The two-week elective exposes senior residents to a variety of teaching settings and to education scholarship, while enhancing the learning experience for rotating medical students and junior residents. Responsibilities include leading morning report, preparing a resident didactic and running student simulations. The schedule also accommodates self-tailored activities such as contributing to education literature and developing electronic teaching material. Core teaching faculty provides feedback for teaching activities.

The rotation is available to all senior residents, and is a requirement for residents on the education track.

International Experience at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda

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Dr. Monica Diaz departs for Uganda today to serve at Mulago Hospital in Kampala.

A Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholar, Dr. Diaz was selected and sponsored among forty physicians to serve abroad. She will be a resident neurologist at Mulago Hospital for six weeks where she will primarily be responsible for ward consultations. Dr. Diaz’s expertise is expected to make significant impact to patient care at the busy Uganda hospital; at the time of this writing, Mulago has only one other full-time neurologist.

Dr. Diaz is a third-year neurology resident on the global health track, which connects residents with mentors and allows for continuous elective time for international service. Dr. Diaz’s mentors at Yale are neurology-infectious disease specialists Drs. Ana-Claire Meyer and Serena Spudich.

Yale Neurology Celebrates “America’s Best Hospitals” Ranking

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Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) Neurosciences celebrates its placement in the U.S. News & Worlds Report’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” listing today, ranking in the top 25. Along with 11 other specialties at YNHH, neurology and neurosurgery placed nationally among nearly 5000 hospitals surveyed. Ranking criteria included patient safety, mortality rates and patient volume.

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Neurology chair Dr. Hafler and neurosurgery chair Dr. Gunel

Over a celebratory lunch, neurology chair Dr. David Hafler and neurosurgery chair Dr. Murat Gunel thanked residents and faculty members for their contributions to the achievement.

Yale Senior Resident Receives R25 Award

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Senior resident Dr. Diane Chan starts her R25-funded research this month. In a rigorous selection process, the fourth-year resident worked closely with program administrators in the Clinical Neuroscience Training Program on the application that ultimately garnered her the competitive grant totaling over $100,000. Her advisors for the grant application were Dr. Jaime Grutzendler – also her research mentor – and Dr. Lauren Sansing. Dr. Chan’s research work on axonal dystrophy in Alzheimer’s disease has previously been published widely and presented at the Society for Neuroscience.

The fourth-year resident’s work is supported by the Yale Neurology residency research track, which maximizes lab time in the senior years. Research track residents work with the administration to create a schedule that strategically balances clinical responsibilities and research activities. MD/PhD residents are especially encouraged to apply.

After residency, Dr. Chan will be pursuing a fellowship in movement disorders with a strong emphasis on research.