Tanziyah Muqeem, MD, PhD, has had a lifelong passion for the brain and neuroscience that has grown over time. She studied communication between neurons as an undergraduate, and then further focused her studies in that area for her doctorate in neuroscience. Now, she’s a second-year resident in the Duke Neurology Department, where she’s practicing her neurology exam in her clinical work and refining her scientific skills in the lab of Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD.

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has moved its annual meeting to a virtual setting this year, but its offerings of the latest education and scientific programming continue. This year, members of the Duke Neurology Department collaborated with their colleagues at Duke and with other academic institutions to advance our understanding of neuro-oncology, myasthenia gravis, ALS, and other fields and disciplines. 

Ryan Ghusayni, MD, has been fascinated by neurology since he was a medical student, when he saw how neurologists could pinpoint the location of lesions causing an ailment, and then use that knowledge to improve the lives of patients living with neurological conditions. Now, in his third year of his residency at Duke, he’s building his own clinical knowledge and expertise with the hopes of a career helping patients with complex neuromuscular conditions.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 13 new peer-reviewed journal articles in January 2021. Daniel Laskowitz, MD, MHS, co-authored two studies examining the complications of traumatic brain injury. A team including Andrew Spector, MD, wrote a “road map” for how neurology departments can create effective diversity officers. Our faculty, trainees, and research staff also examined possible treatment candidates for ALS, identified new risk factors for stroke, and genetically engineered cartilage to produce its own anti-inflammatory drug.

For Kayli Kishel, MD, no two days are alike. The child neurology resident is spending her year in adult neurology learning about and treating patients with stroke, dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other conditions. For this week’s “spotlight” interview, Kishel talks to us about how she first became interested in neurology (and pediatric epileptology in particular), getting married and finding comfort in a new rescue puppy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her plans for a career in pediatric epilepsy after finishing her residency. 

Mishy Roy, MD, MHA, was drawn to neurology from her first exposure as a medical student. The field’s intellectual challenges and the enthusiasm of her teachers helped, but the camaraderie and connections she built with her patients convinced her to make the final choice. For this week’s “spotlight” interview, the second-year (or PGY-2) resident talks to us about the most gratifying moments in her training so far, how her master’s of health administration degree complements her medical training, and what what she most is looking forward to at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resident rotations in neurocritical care are always intense. This summer COVID-19 made the experience especially challenging for Elijah Lackey, MD, who had to rotate between patients dealing with critical injuries to their head and nervous system as well as overflow patients from the first wave of the pandemic. For this week’s “Resident Spotlight” interview, Lackey talks about what he and his fellow residents learned from this experience.

This fall, a slew of neurology and brain-related events are happening at Duke, in our Department, on the University side, and within the School of Medicine and health system. Highlights of these events include our own Grand Rounds in Clinical Neuroscience every week, the Duke Comprehensive Epilepsy Center’s (DCEC) quarterly research symposium, a joint translational research and resident poster session, and lectures on blood biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, living with Parkinson’s disease, and other topics.

Lauren Chamberlain, DO, had always been interested in the brain, but a rotation in medical school convinced her that pediatric neurology was the field for her. Now she’s spending  a year with the Duke Neurology Department as part of her residency training. In this week’s Spotlight interview, Chamberlain talks to us about residency during the era of COVID-19, her experience as a competitive gymnast (including why it’s easier to tumble backwards than forwards), and her plans to focus on epilepsy and sleep medicine in the future.

When he first entered Duke University as an undergraduate, Dylan Ryan, MD, wanted to study chemistry, before a growing interest in the life sciences drew him first to study biology and then to enter medical school. As a medical student, he found that he enjoyed both the intellectual problem-solving nature of the field as well as the close relationship neurology allowed him to build with his patients.