Hui Zhang, MD, first knew that she wanted to specialize in movement disorders during residency after she saw the dramatic improvement deep brain stimulation provided to a patient with dystonia. Now, she’s finishing her year as a fellow in our Division of Movement Disorders. For this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Zhang talks to us about her work diagnosing and managing Parkinson’s, dystonia, tremor, and other movement disorders, her plans to continue seeing patients with movement disorders and other neurological conditions in Canada after completing her fellowship, and enjoying cooking, traveling, and reading when she’s not at Duke.
What are your current responsibilities as a Movement Disorders fellow? What does a typical day look like for you?
As a Movement Disorder fellow, I am actively involved in the diagnosis and management of a wide spectrum of movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, atypical Parkinsonian syndromes, dystonia, ataxia, Huntington’s disease, and secondary movement disorders.
I mainly work in an outpatient setting except on Tuesdays when I go to the operating room to assist deep brain stimulation surgeries. A typical day for me is working in the busy clinic and evaluating the patients with general movement disorders. We set specific procedure days for chemodenervation and deep brain stimulation programming. I have really enjoyed my fellowship experience. I enjoy sharing my expertise with the patients, learning from them, and enjoy their happy tears.
How and when did you get interested in movement disorders? What do you enjoy most about this specialty?
My interest was first drawn to this field when I saw the dramatic improvement in a dystonia patient after deep brain stimulation surgery during my residency. The more I see movement disorders patients, the more l am fascinated with this field. I was amazed to see how the difficult diagnosis was made with only history and bedside exams of the patients presenting with very unusual symptoms. I enjoy all aspects of this specialty. The most enjoyable things are that I can provide effective treatment options for the patients who have suffered from long-standing movement disorders or give the patient a clear diagnosis and bring the patient to a closure even though we do not have a proven targeted treatment. What gives me great satisfaction is the real trust with their medical care from the patients.
What plans do you have for after you complete your fellowship? If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I will go back to Canada and work as a general neurologist there. I will certainly focus more on movement disorders in both research and clinical perspectives because movement disorders will always be my favorite in the field of neurology. My area of interest in research is looking for disease-modifying therapies for the patients with Parkinson’s disease. If I could have the opportunity to choose any job, I would not hesitate to choose neurology again. Neurology is an amazing and unique field. The more I learn, the more I love it and the more I am proud to be a neurologist.
What’s one experience from your time as a fellow so far that’s been especially memorable or useful for you?
One memorable experience is one patient with a neurodegenerative disease developed severe, debilitating and refractory tremor later in his/her life. After the patient was evaluated in our clinic and underwent deep brain stimulation surgery at Duke, the tremor was magically “cured.” I believe in the office, the moment we turned on the DBS was a life-changing moment for the patient and the family.
What are you most looking forward to once the COVID-19 pandemic is over?
I look forward to being able to transition back to normal life and travel anywhere in the world. I cannot wait to travel again with my family. I will be very eager to visit my parents back in my hometown and explore the great places in the world.
What other passions or hobbies do you have outside of the Department?
Reading, traveling, and cooking are my three hobbies. Reading has always been a real pleasure for me, no matter what kinds of books I am reading. On the other hand, I totally agree “it is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.” Cooking with my family and spending time with them are great relaxation techniques and my magical solutions during stressful times.
In the photo above, Zhang enjoys a pre-COVID-19 trip to New York City.