Neurocritical Care News

U.S. News & World Report ranked Duke University Hospital as the top hospital in North Carolina and the 23rd best across the nation for neurology and neurosurgery in its 2022-2023 hospital rankings. The annual rankings, which assessed more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide, analyze and integrate dozens of medical and surgical services.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 13 new peer-reviewed journal articles this May, advancing our understanding of how viruses that kill cancer cells may be used against brain tumors, the optimal treatments for various types of stroke, the origins of Parkinson’s disease, and more. Read the paragraphs below for summaries of our research from the past 31 days, as well as links to the complete articles themselves.

Hospital Neurology

Cherith Godwin comes from a family of nurses, but hesitated to enter the field herself. Fortunately, she reconsidered and is now a member of our neurocritical care team in our neuro intensive care unit (Neuro ICU).

This March, members of our Department contributed to studies that reveal potential new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease, help triage patients suffering from traumatic brain injury, address issues contributing to physician burnout, and more. In all, our faculty, staff, students, and trainees contributed to 15 studies published over the past 31 days. Read about them and find links to the original articles below.

Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders

The first month of 2022 saw the publication of 18 new peer-reviewed journal articles from members of the Duke Neurology Department. Highlights include a new article in Lancet Neurology discussing the epidemiology, diagnostics, and  biomarkers of autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorders, case reports describing the progression and treatment options for rare neurological conditions, and a summary of how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affects neurology residency programs in the United States.

For Emily Elfreich, ARNP, taking care of some of Duke University Hospital’s most critical patients is all in a day’s (or a night’s) work. The nurse practitioner diagnoses, assesses, and treats patients in our Neuro Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU) in 12 and 24 hour shifts. In this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Elfreich talks to us about thriving in a busy, high-stress environment, her career path in nursing, and enjoying traveling, her rescue dogs, and reality television as stress relievers outside of work.

The second half of 2021 was as eventful as the first for the Duke Neurology Department. Story highlights from July through December of this year include our Leonard White, PhD, winning a national award for excellence in teaching, the founding of a joint Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, two of our hospitals receiving the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s highest award for quality stroke care, and the School of Medicine receiving  awards totaling $18 million to uncover the origins of Parkinson’s disease.

The Duke Neurology Department continued to grow and expand its missions of providing excellent clinical care, conducting research to improve our understanding of neurological conditions and how to treat them, and training the next generation of neurologists throughout 2021.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 14 new peer-reviewed journal articles written this November. Highlights include an analysis of fragmentation within the delivery of neurological health care, an examination of racial disparities in the use of telehealth, and a discussion of the best ways to use social medicine to share news on epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology. Read the paragraphs below for short summaries of each of these 14 articles, as well as links to the original entries themselves.

Memory Disorders

Cina Sasannejad, MD, first became interested in neuroscience as an undergraduate student, when he observed how the field brought together elements of biology, chemistry, psychology, and culture to provide an understanding of the workings of the brain. Now he’s one of our neurointensivists in Duke Central Tower, where he manages the brain and organ system of some of our most critically ill patients.