A research paper on Mechanical Thrombectomy Using Retrievable Stents in Pediatric Acute Ischemic Stroke was published in July 2019 by AINA Members and those in India. Please read here for more information!

Congratulations to Dr. Janardhan on receiving the 2019 SVIN (Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology) Award. This award recognizes its members for their substantial service, outstanding contribution, training, mentoring, and innovative leadership in the field of vascular and interventional neurology. Dr. Janardhan will receive this award at the SVIN Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 20-23, 2019.

Dr. Janardhan is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Insera Therapeutics, Inc. He is the co-inventor of Insera's portfolio of medical devices for the prevention and treatment of acute ischemic stroke (aka brain attacks), hemorrhagic stroke (aka brain bleeds), brain aneurysms, and peripheral vascular disease. He currently holds 65+ issued and allowed U.S. and worldwide patents with 15+ patents pending in the U.S. and worldwide.

Dr. Janardhan is a trained stroke and intervational neurologist. In the last 8 years, he developed the Texas Stroke Institute (part of Hospital Corporation of America), the first health-system to have a multi-hub and spoke system of brain attack care in the US. His efforts have improved access to cutting-edge therapies within the "stroke belt" and dramatically improved brain attack treatment rates from 1.7% to 26% resulting in one of the largest regional brain attack networks in the country with over 160+ free standing ED's and hospitals in North Texas and Oklahoma.

During this time, he led the initiative to help certify or re-certify nine of eleven hospitals within the Texas Stroke Institute to successfully maintain The Joint Commission primary stoke center certification. He also led the initiative to help develop three hospitals into comprehensive stroke programs based on the brain-attack coalition guidelines.

Prior to moving to Texas, Dr. Janardhan served as the Director of Stroke and Interventional Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and helped launch the Minnesota Stroke Initiative. He completed his Vascular & Critical Care Neurology Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) and his Interventional Neuroradiology Fellowship at the University Hospitals of Cornell and Columbia.

Dr. Janardhan is a founding member of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology and currently serves on their Board of Directors. He helped launched the SVIN Stroke Center Workshop, which has now become an internationally recognized conference regarding organizing stroke systems of care and stroke infrastructure. He is also part of the leadership committee for SVIN's Missions 2020 goal of increasing access to stroke treatments worldwide.

Please help us congratulate Dr. Janardhan on receiving this outstanding award!

The American Academy of Neurology knows that making a profound difference in the lives of researchers ultimately makes a profound difference in the lives of patients with brain disease. Because of their commitment to promoting neurology and neuroscience, they want you to be among the first to know that the American Academy of Neurology is now accepting applications for 20 Research Program opportunities in 2020.

Deadline to apply is October 1, 2019. Apply Now!

I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to serve as the President of AINA. I take this responsibility with humility and commitment. We hope to build on the great work done by the past Presidents and the past executive members who have contributed so much to our organization. I also want to take this opportunity to salute the spirit of our Founders, their pioneering spirit is worthy of great accolades. I want to thank Dr Seemant Chaturvedi for his service to AINA.

In the next 2 years one of our major initiatives is going to be to plan to serve the underserved populations of the United States and India. This will our calling, to serve those in need. I am launching a task force to look into the logistics of doing this in the United States. We will also begin to build on our efforts in India too and will start with talking to the government there to partner with us. The idea is to provide our members, who want to serve, the opportunity to do this at their convenience. To do something larger than our own self-interest serves to inspire us all. It is an opportunity to serve the people of the United States and India. I also want to acknowledge the over 40 emails I have received since I introduced this endeavor at our annual meeting. 

I want to also share with you the news that the first batch of young Indian Neurologists are here or will be with us in the next few months for free training programs in the United states, this is a joint venture between the Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) and AINA. We also just had the first AINA-IAN & AIIMS-PGI first joint CME program in PGI Chandigarh on April 2019. I must thank the IAN leadership for being such great partners in this collaborative effort. We hope to continue this collaboration in the future too, as per the MOU signed between us in Chennai.

We are also planning to launch a massive membership drive to bring in hundreds of new members to AINA. This is a natural next step in our evolution as an organization, we hope to significantly increase the attendance of our annual meeting in a couple of years. We have also gotten your feedback on the type of program you want to see at our annual meeting. We have a clear mission of service and we will together take our beloved organization to new heights.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.

With best wishes,

Sanjay Pratap Singh, MD, FAAN

President – AINA,

Chairman & Professor,

Department of Neurology,

Director – Neurological Institute,

Creighton University School of Medicine

 

Don’t wait: there are only two weeks left to apply for the AAN’s prestigious Transforming Leaders Program!

This all-expenses-paid program is designed specifically for innovative leaders to realize their goals of transforming their communities, institutions, or fields through executive-level coaching and a fully customized intensive leadership development training program. Past participants have consistently praised how valuable the experience is to their careers, the neurology profession, and to patient care, in helping them: Break through barriers to achieve their goals with more clarity, efficiency, and less conflict Learn how to work better in teams, leverage the unique strengths of their team members, and inspire and motivate their team to achieve common goals Contribute more meaningfully, in turn reducing burnout and focusing their attention on their highest priorities Take advantage of networking opportunities with AAN Board and committee members Join a supportive network of like-minded individuals with an interest in future roles of responsibility within the AAN and field of neurology Learn more and apply by the June 17 deadline!

Ritwik Bhatia was able to sit down with Dr. Ram Ayyar for a special interview after the announcement of the AINA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Congratulations to Dr. Ayyar! Read more about Dr. Ayyar and his lifetime experiences in the excerpt below.

Dr. Ram Ayyar Interview

What attracted you to neurology?

I wanted to be a surgeon just like my father. I had the choice of being a surgeon

or an internist with subsequent subspecialist training. I decided to pursue neurology after completing two years of internal medicine, in large part due to the influence of excellent faculty mentors. My other interests were cardiology and endocrinology.

Who were your mentors as you started in academic neurology?

My mentors when I started in academic neurology were in Newcastle upon Tyne,

England. Newcastle University was one of the top neurological centers in the world at that time. Lord Walton attracted neurologists from around the world as did  Dr. Henry Miller who subsequently became Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University. The center had an outstanding reputation for work done in general neurology, neuromuscular diseases and multiple sclerosis, just to name a few areas. The mentors went out of their way to be helpful to all the physicians they had attracted from around the world. Even today long after I finished my training I have a close relationship with the surviving mentors.

How were your mentors helpful to you?

They were helpful by example. I observed and learned the art of taking a complicated history and how to examine a complicated case. My mentors conducted themselves in a pleasant and non-intimidating fashion. I still remember every joke they told me. All had a great sense of humor.

From an academic standpoint we were encouraged to disagree with them. I remember when Dr. Henry Miller was flying to London to discuss a CPC, he approached me to discuss a case. I gave him my top three choices and he did not agree with me. Upon his return from the CPC he told me that I was right and he was wrong. He, like so many other mentors, gave credit when credit was due.

What lessons from your training have you brought to your career as an attending ?

I trained in India, United Kingdom and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I firmly believe that learning is a lifelong process and we can learn different ways of problem solving and practicing medicine from different people in different countries.

What would you say to an aspiring neurologist, Indian- American or otherwise, who would like to give back to India?

In India we did not have fancy equipment. We relied on a complete history and a thorough physical examination. So to trainees who want to go back to India to give back, I would say: do not go there with the idea that “ I am going to teach them”. You should go there to learn. Indian neurologists are very smart and the pathology you see there is incredibly challenging.

What are the most seminal discoveries in neurology during your career?

The field of neurology has exploded in the last few years. Genetics, immunology, neuromuscular diseases, stroke and multiple sclerosis and movement disorders are some of the areas advances have been noted.

What interests do you have outside the hospital?

I love sports. We have season tickets for college and professional football (Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes).

I played tennis and cricket in my younger days. I was the state high school singles and doubles tennis champion in Kerala. I played cricket for my state in the Ranji Trophy, which is similar to the NFL and MLB in the United States. I could have gone further but decided to pursue the medical profession like my father, uncle and grand father.

Our sons are excellent golfers and one of them is a professional in Miami.

I enjoy travel with my wife and two sons and have met many friends and fellow neurologists from around the world.

Last but not least I like to follow politics!

2019 AINA Annual Meeting Photos

Please be sure to check out the AINA Annual Meeting Photos. If you have any additional photos that were taken, please send them along to the AINA Office at AINA@badgerbay.co. 

Dear AINA community:

It has been an honor to lead the Association of Indian Neurologists in America (AINA) for the past two years. Looking back, I am pleased with the following accomplishments:

1.    Starting a resident and fellow section to engage our future members

2.    Significant expansion of the number of Life members.

3.    Establishment of a geographically diverse Membership committee

4.    Two successful Annual meetings with robust attendance

5.    Increased AINA presence at subspecialty conferences

6.    Continued partnership with the Indian Academy of Neurology

7.    Continued strong relationship with the American Academy of Neurology and American Brain Foundation

Thank you to my colleagues on the Executive Committee and Membership Committee, and our management company Badger Bay Co for their support of AINA. I am glad to be involved with the AINA Board for two more years as our organization grows further under the leadership of Dr. Sanjay Singh.

-Seemant Chaturvedi, MD, FAAN

The 2019 AINA Tarang Newsletter is now available! Please click here to view. This Newsletter maintains a summary of the prior year's events, awards, recognitions, and activities to report about neurologists of Indian origin.

The Tarang complements our website and monthly update emails in order to provide information about our organization, medical and professional topics, and upcoming professional meetings of interest to our readers.

2019 Annual Meeting Speaker 
Neurology Practice Update - Dr. Raghav Govindarajan, University of Missouri Health Care

A Treatment for Adult Patients With Anti-Acetylcholine Receptor (AChR) Antibody Positive Generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG)

For the 2019 Annual Meeting, we look forward to sharing a neurology practice update from Dr. Raghav Govindarajan.

Raghav Govindarajan, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Associate Medical Director Neurology Clinic and Sleep Disorders Clinic, ALS Association Certified Center of Excellence Director, MDA Care Center Director, AANEM Certified Center of Excellence EMG Lab Director, and Clerkship Director at the University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia.

Dr. Govindarajan is a fellow of American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, American College of Physicians, College of Physicians of Philadelphia and an inducted member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society and Sigma Xi. He is a life member of Association of Indian Neurologists in America, member of American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Missouri State Medical Association. Dr. Govindarajan has received more than fifty teaching and mentorship awards, several peer recognition awards, scholarships, and leadership honors.  Dr.  Govindarajan is a published author in peer reviewed journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Neurology®, Journal of clinical neuroscience, and more. Dr. Govindarajan received his medical degree from Bangalore Medical College in Bangalore, India. He completed his internship and residency at Cleveland Clinic Foundation – Florida and his fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.