Conference Coverage

Guest: Prajwal Ciryam, MD, PhD Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) trigger a rapid transcriptional response in the choroid plexus, dominated by chemokines that attract neutrophils. Join Dr. Prajwal Ciryam, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as he explains how this early signaling may represent a critical window for modulating inflammation in the injured brain. Dr. Ciryam also spoke about this topic at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Kelly Sloane, MD For patients who experience aphasia after a stroke, intervention and social support are crucial for recovery. Dr. Kelly Sloane, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, highlights how timely therapy and strong support systems can help rebuild both language and confidence in these patients. Dr. Sloane also spoke about this topic at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Beth Ann Malow, MD, MS The impacts of climate change present a growing threat to brain health. Rising heat, air pollution, and oxidative stress appear to worsen conditions like stroke, dementia, and multiple sclerosis. Join Dr. Beth Malow as she outlines the essential role clinicians play in prevention and education. Dr. Malow is a Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics and the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Guest: Jennie Taylor, MD The FDA approval of vorasidenib marks a new era for mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase (mIDH) gliomas. Approved in 2024 for grade 2 tumors after surgery, it doubled progression-free survival in the INDIGO trial. Dr. Jennie Taylor, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, dives into the data and explains what questions remain about long-term use and broader applications.

Guest: Lauren Schaff, MD Glioblastomas are fast, aggressive, and resistant to many standard therapies. Dr. Lauren Schaff, a neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explains how new molecular understandings and treatment avenues are paving the way for a more personalized, hopeful approach to care.

Guest: Jennie Taylor, MD Defined by the production of 2-hydroxyglutarate, mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase (mIDH) gliomas are diffuse, slow-growing tumors. Managing these tumors requires personalized strategies that consider resectability, histology, and long-term treatment impacts. Dr. Jennie Taylor, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, explains the complexities behind this type of tumor and implications for patient care. Dr. Taylor also spoke about this topic at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Sami Khella, MD Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) can present in multiple ways, making diagnosis complex. Dr. Sami Khella joins the program to outline how we can distinguish CIDP from similar neurological disorders and explain how response to therapy can guide diagnosis. Dr. Khella is the Director of Clinical Electrophysiology and a Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guest: Vernon K. Sondak, MD Melanoma treatment has undergone a rapid evolution. Immunotherapy has doubled survival rates, and timing the use of these drugs around surgery has shown to be even more effective. Dr. Vernon Sondak explores how the fight against melanoma is stronger than ever with new therapeutic combinations and evolving treatment strategies. Dr. Sondak is the Chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida.

Guest: Christian Cordano, MD, PhD While multiple kinds of animal models are commonly used to study multiple sclerosis (MS), they are not always ideal for getting the full picture of the disease. To address these gaps, a new CAR T-cell-based model provides a reproducible disease course, discrete lesion formation, and an improved platform for testing remyelination therapies. Dr. Christian Cordano, Associate Researcher of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences, explains how this approach aims to overcome key limitations of traditional research models for MS. Dr. Cordano also spoke on this topic at the ACTRIMS Forum 2025.

Guest: Katrina Abuabara, MD, FAAD Phototherapy, biologics, and JAK inhibitors can all play a role in atopic dermatitis treatment, but it’s essential to consider patient-specific factors before choosing one of these options. Dr. Katrina Abuabara, Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, explains how we should approach these decisions when caring for patients with atopic dermatitis. Dr. Abuabara also spoke on this topic at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Sara Horst, MD, MPH, FACG While inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) does not typically cause significant problems in pregnancy, it’s still essential to discuss potential impacts with patients and monitor them closely. Dr. Sara Horst, a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, joins GI Insights to discuss important considerations for pregnant patients with IBD.

Guest: Elisa K. Boden, MD For patients with Crohn’s disease who require surgery, a variety of risk factors are involved in postoperative recovery and disease control. Learn how prehabilitation programs and lifestyle modifications can reduce complications during and after surgery with Dr. Elisa Boden, an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Guest: Shalini Prasad, PhD Guest: Sriram Muthukumar, PhD Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP With the constant ups and downs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consistent monitoring can help provide patient-centric care. Dr. Shalini Prasad and Dr. Sriram Muthukumar, co-founders of EnLiSense, join GI Insights to discuss the wearable device they developed to track inflammation markers in IBD patients. Dr. Prasad is the Head of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Dr. Muthukumar is the CEO of EnLiSense.

Guest: Elisa K. Boden, MD For many patients with Crohn’s disease, surgery is necessary due to complications like strictures and fistulas. Dr. Elisa Boden explores risk factors and potential complications, which she spoke about at the 2025 Crohn’s and Colitis Congress. Dr. Boden is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Host: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD How should we approach caring for undifferentiated eczema patients who didn’t have eczema as a child, who doesn’t have atopic co-morbidities, and isn’t flexural? Here to give a quick overview of his session at the Maui Derm 2025 conference that sought to help answer this question is Dr. Raj Chovatiya. Dr. Chovatiya is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago.

Host: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD In light of the Maui Derm 2025 conference, Dr. Raj Chovatiya is here to discuss the most significant updates in the dermatology field that helped define 2024. Dr. Chovatiya is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago.

Host: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD Here to share a glimpse into where the dermatology field might be headed based on updates from the Maui Derm 2025 conference is Dr. Raj Chovatiya. Dr. Chovatiya is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago.

Host: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD Here to share his insights on the key themes and topics covered at the Maui Derm 2025 conference is Dr. Raj Chovatiya. Dr. Chovatiya is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago.

Guest: Kelly G. Gwathmey, MD ALS can take up to a year to diagnose, but researchers are hard at work trying to find ways to minimize diagnostic delays and errors. One such solution is the Rapid Access ALS Clinic, where patients were diagnosed an average of two months sooner. Here to talk about this work is Dr. Kelly Gwathmey, Professor of Neurology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine who presented a session on this topic at the 2024 American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine Annual Meeting.

Guest: Phillip H. Kuo, MD, PhD One of the major changes that's occurred very recently in the field of neurodegenerative disease and Alzheimer's disease, specifically, are the recently approved antibody therapies that remove amyloid from the brain, which is one of the culprit proteins in Alzheimer's disease. To learn more about this presentation from SNMMI 2024, join Dr. Phillip Kuo, Professor of Medical Imaging, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona.