News

Fifteen years ago, Amanda Beaty, DPT, who was managing a human genotyping core facility, had only experienced physical therapy as an occasional patient. Now , as physical therapist she’s combining her loves of physical movement with her interests in health and science while helping patients with neurological and other conditions at Duke. For this week’s Spotlight interview, Beaty talks to us about her professional journey from the laboratory to helping patients with neurological conditions.

Amanda Cotton, RN, has two roles helping patients at Duke with multiple sclerosis (MS). Cotton helps newly diagnosed patients understand the disease and how they can find a way to live fulfilling lives with the condition. Cotton also helps returning patients receive the therapies that best meet their needs.

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

Kim Foreman first came to Duke in 2007 as a medical secretary for the then-division of Neurosurgery. Now, 15 years laters she’s managing the credentialing for new faculty and advanced practice providers (APPs) across our three hospitals as well as attendance for our biweekly employees. For this week’s Spotlight interview, Foreman talks to us about her work, the growth and changes she’s seen since she came to Duke, and enjoying time with family in Myrtle Beach and West Virginia when she’s not at Duke.

May is Stroke Awareness Month, and members of the Duke Neurology Department were off to an early start. They contributed to six new peer-reviewed journals investigating stroke this April, bringing our total stroke-related articles published this year to more than 20. In addition to this research, our faculty, trainees, and advanced practice providers authored or co-authored 10 other studies and contributed to books advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s and dementia, brain tumors, epilepsy, and other conditions.

Clinical research is an integral part of developing, testing, and refining new therapies. As one of our Clinical Research Coordinators Vera George is responsible for making sure dozens of these studies at Duke run smoothly and efficiently. For this week’s “Spotlight” interview, George talks to us about the joys of helping current and future patients with myasthenia gravis, movement disorders, and other conditions.

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

This week’s “Spotlight” interview shines on Amy Obssi, our newest clinical research coordinator in the division of Memory Disorders. Obssi talks to us about her role in helping to conduct research into treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias both at Duke and in her previous role at Toronto Western Hospital.

Nicole Osborne first came to Duke in 2020 to help screen patients for COVID-19 at Duke University Hospital. Last year, she came to our Morreene Road Clinic as a patient service associate (PSA). For this week’s Spotlight interview, Osborne talks to us about the joys of forging connections with patients, how having a close family member in need of medical care gave her a new perspective, and enjoying time with family and friends outside of work.

Professionally, Clare Essex lives in two worlds. Within the lab of Laurie Sanders, PhD, and Carol Colton, PhD, in the Duke Neurology Department, she’s working part-time to improve understandings the genetic underpinnings of neurodegenerative disease. Essex spends the other half of her work week as a medical scribe at UNC REX Hospital in Raleigh.