NEUROSURGERY - Key Persons
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- Teacher Recognition Award, American Academy of Neurology
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- Media Relations Specialist
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- Clinical Research Coordinator
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- Administrative Associate
- Academic Administrative Assistant
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- Residency Program Coordinator
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- Leadership Communications Manager
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- Professor and Neuromuscular Medicine Division Director
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- Executive Administrative Assistant
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- Administrative Assistant Contact
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- Associate Professor of Neurology
Dr. Atsushi Asakura is an Associate Professor of Neurology and a faculty member of the Stem Cell Institute in the University of Minnesota Medical School. He also belongs to Paul & Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center in the Medical School. Education: Dr. Asakura received his Ph.D. at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo Graduate School and the National Institute of Neuroscience in Tokyo with Dr. Yo-ichi Nabeshima where he learned the molecular biology of skeletal muscle differentiation. He trained at the post-doctoral level at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle with Dr. Stephen J. Tapscott. His post-doctoral studies involved the transcription factors for skeletal muscle development during early embryogenesis. He trained at the senior post-doctoral level at McMaster University in Hamilton and the Ottawa Health Research Institute in Ottawa with Dr. Michael A. Rudnicki where he started projects on skeletal muscle stem cells that contribute to muscle regeneration.
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- Service Line Lead and Division Head
Dr. Benjamin Miller is the service line lead and division head of neurocritical care within M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Department of Neurology.
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- Associate Professor and Vascular Neurology Division Director
- Director for M Health Fairview
Dr. Christopher Streib is the Cerebrovascular Director for M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Vascular Neurology Fellowship director. He is currently leading unification of cerebrovascular care across M Health Fairview in order to provide the highest standards in emergent stroke treatment, diagnostic stroke evaluation, secondary stroke prevention, and stroke recovery system-wide. These efforts focus on innovative stroke care delivery, including telestroke, to address persistent healthcare disparities and expand access to expert stroke treatment. He is also focused on the expansion of novel stroke therapies and clinical research. Dr. Streib has been recognized for his clinical care and teaching.
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- Associate Professor and Neuro - Oncology Division Director
Dr. Elizabeth Neil is both a board certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist. Dr. Neil completed a 2-year neuro-oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and has significant experience in caring for patients diagnosed with primary tumors of the central nervous system. Additionally, she evaluates and manages patients with systemic cancers that have metastasized to the brain and/ or spinal cord as well as manage neurological complications of cancer including but not limited to; chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, headaches, and epilepsy. Being informed and educated on the best practices in the field is critical and provides the foundation for Dr. Neil to facilitate a team approach in providing comprehensive, advanced, yet compassionate cancer care.
Dr. Neil's academic and clinical research interests include a primary focus on providing brain cancer patients with clinical trial treatment options, both through industry sponsored and investigator initiated mechanisms. She collaborates with many basic researchers at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere to help develop investigational treatments and then provides the framework to make those therapies available to patients through enrollment in clinical trials.
Dr. Jerry Vitek is the Head of the Neurology Department, Director of the Neuromodulation Research Program, and Center Director of the University of Minnesota Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Research. He previously served as the Neuromodulation Research Center Director at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation developing functional surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS) techniques for the treatment of neurological disease. Dr. Vitek has also held faculty positions at Emory University and The Johns Hopkins University, where he assisted in the development of the functional neurosurgery programs and conducted research on the pathophysiology of movement disorders and mechanism(s) underlying the beneficial effects of DBS.He is currently the PI on several NIH-, foundation- and industry-funded grants, which include both non-human primate and human clinical studies on the neurophysiology of movement disorders and neuromodulation mechanisms. Dr. Vitek is also the PI for an industry-sponsored multicenter phase III pivotal clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of a new neuromodulation device for the purposes of an FDA PMA submission. Many of his research projects involve close collaboration with other neurologists, neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, and/or biomedical engineers. Much of this work has provided new insight into the neurophysiology of movement disorders and the therapeutic mechanisms of DBS and contributed to improvements in DBS surgery and treatment as well as the application of DBS to other neurological disorders.
Job Titles:
- Neurologist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center
Dr. Miguel Fiol is a neurologist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center as well as a professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Fiol received his MD at the University of Puerto Rico Medical School. He later attended residency at the University of Wisconsin before transferring back to the University of Puerto Rico.
At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Fiol has become a renowned researcher and clinical care provider. He has published numerous papers, mainly focusing on Epilepsy.
Dr. Fiol is also active in the community, especially on his home island. After Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico, he returned home to provide medical assistance to residents in need, especially children. He continues to monitor and analyze the ongoing situation to help relief efforts.
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- Assistant Professor in Neurology at the University of Minnesota
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- Corporate Communication Specialist
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- Corporate Communication Specialist
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- Communications Student Assistant
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- Director of Faculty Affairs
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- Academic Administrative Assistant
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- Administrative Associate
- Academic Administrative Assistant
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- Senior Director of Research Strategy and Operations
Jessica Goldstein, MD is a board-certified general pediatric neurologist and clinician educator. Dr. Goldstein earned a bachelor's degree with highest honors in biology from Oberlin College and her medical doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society. She completed residencies in general pediatrics and child neurology at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. Her clinical interests include headache, demyelinating disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, care of complex neurological patients, and general pediatric neurology. She previously served as an associate program director for the pediatrics residency program at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. Dr. Goldstein has a passion for medical education and education scholarship. She has a special interest in resident professional development, mentorship, scholarship, and exploring the effective use of technology in curriculum design.
Karen Hsiao Ashe, MD, PhD, a professor in the Department of Neurology, is a pioneer in Alzheimer's disease research. Ashe has studied the disease for more than 26 years and in her 20 years at the University of Minnesota she has trained more than 40 undergraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral scientists. Ashe has made a commitment in training the next generation of great scientists, in particular developing the careers of translational scientists. Her primary research areas include the genetics of human prion diseases; transgenic models of prion and Alzheimer's diseases; and the molecular basis of memory loss in Alzheimer's disease. Ashe's current research interest involves the discovery of tau mutations that cause neurodegeneration. Ashe created tau transgenic mice to study tau-based mechanisms of memory loss and neurodegeneration. In 2006, Ashe became the founding Director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, a tripartite endeavor encompassing basic, translational and clinical research and care in memory disorders.
Education
MD, Harvard Medical School
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Specialist
Khalaf Bushara, MD, a professor of neurology and director of the University of Minnesota Ataxia Center is a movement disorders specialist with special interest in ataxia and diseases of the cerebellum. Dr. Bushara's current research focuses on the use of functional MRI to investigate the functions of the cerebellum, including movement control and cognition.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor and Movement Disorders Division Director
Dr. Howell is a Professor and the Division Head of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Neurology and dedicated to developing novel strategies to improve brain function and sleep health. He is the Director of the Sleep Performance Training for Athletes Program at M Health Fairview, helping elite athletes and sports teams optimize their performance through better sleep and circadian health. He is also the Vice-Chair for Education and Faculty Affairs in the Department of Neurology.
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- Senior Leadership & Internal Communications Manager
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- Executive Administrative Assistant
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- Director, Facilities Planning
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- Professor and Vice Chair of Research
Peter B. Kang, MD, FAAN, FAAP is a pediatric neuromuscular neurologist and physician-scientist whose laboratory studies the genetics of muscular dystrophy and mechanisms of rare muscle diseases, with the goal of discovering new therapeutic targets for these diseases. He also studies DNA repair disorders including Cockayne syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum. He has published extensively on these subjects, has co-edited a textbook of pediatric electromyography, and has been awarded multiple grants from the NIH and the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support his investigations. With support from the CDC, he led the successful initiation of the first site in Florida for the MD STARnet consortium and continues to work on this project. He is an associate editor of Muscle & Nerve and serves on the editorial board of Neurology. National presentations include lectures on pediatric neuromuscular topics at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, the Child Neurology Society, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His former trainees hold faculty positions in the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Japan. He is President-Elect of the Child Neurology Society.
Previously, Dr. Kang was Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology, and Director of the Child Neurology Residency Program at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Earlier in his career, he was Director of the Electromyography Laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
In clinic, Dr. Kang sees children with confirmed or suspected neuromuscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy, congenital myopathy, neuropathies, brachial plexus injuries, spinal muscular atrophy, and myasthenia gravis, as well as children with DNA repair disorders such as Cockayne syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum. He will see adult patients with these conditions upon request.
Education
MD, University of Pennsylvania
Job Titles:
- Graduate Medical Education Program Coordinators
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- Associate Professor and General Neurology Division Director
Sarah M. Benish, MD, FAAN, is currently the Physician Co-Chief for M Health/Fairview Neuroscience service line. She is also the Division Head for General Neurology at the University of Minnesota. She enjoys her clinic time as a general neurologist. Over her career, she has developed an interest in treating headache patients but continues to enjoy caring for all neurological diseases.
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- Executive Accounts Specialist
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- Nurse Practitioner / 612 - 624 - 6666
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- Administrative Associate
- Academic Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Assistant Contact
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- Associate Professor and Pediatric Neurology Division Director
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- Director of Finance and Accounting
Director of Finance and Accounting - Tammy Price, (612) 626-3589, price014@umn.edu
Job Titles:
- Professor and Epilepsy Research Director