MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Dr. Mark Mehler
Congratulations for having chosen neurology, a field of medicine
you will find both challenging and thoroughly rewarding in its many clinical,
translational and basic science guises and permutations.
Dramatic changes in the practice of neurology have occurred
within the past decade The most striking change has been the shift in neurology
from a diagnostic and descriptive specialty to one marked by intensive
investigations into the causes and therapeutic remediation of a spectrum of
pervasive, complex and previously poorly understood genetic and acquired
neurological disorders, culminating in a new armamentarium of advanced
pharmacological, gene and cell based treatment options. Skillful
deployment of these remedies will likely constitute one of the most important
and valued activities of the clinical and academic neurologist in the future.
Anatomical localization and diagnosis, previously a primary mission of the
clinical neurologist, have been vastly simplified by advances in clinical
neurophysiology and in non-invasive imaging procedures. Numerous innovative
discoveries in the basic and clinical neurosciences are now rapidly finding
their way into all areas of the therapeutic arena, emphasizing the value of
training in an academic medical center with an especially strong tradition of
research in neurology and psychiatry as well as in neuroscience, molecular
genetics, stem cell biology, molecular pharmacology and therapeutics and
bioinformatics.
The past decade has also been a critical period in health care
reform. Reports have indicated that academic medical centers will have
difficulty surviving these changes. I am pleased to report that our clinical
care programs as well as our basic science translational and clinical research
programs continue to expand and to lead the field in breadth, innovation and in
interdisciplinary cooperation. All of these attributes of our
post-graduate training program enables us to provide an outstanding educational
experience and preparation for a career in any area of academic neurology,
biopharmaceutical research, governmental and international service and clinical
practice.
Dr. Mark Mehler