Conference Coverage

Guest: Monica Maria Diaz, M.D., M.S. Climate change can have devastating effects on neurologic infections. One study suggested that the more population-dense urban areas are, the more likely several infections can be transmitted between humans. So what can be done to reduce this risk? Tune in with Dr. Monica Maria Diaz, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. This is also the topic of her session at the 2024 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

Guest: Erick Tarula, MD Many complications can occur in hospitalized neurological patients from an internal medicine standpoint. So a session from the 2024 Academy of American Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting focused on these common issues, how they can be addressed quickly, and the role of a neurohospitalist. Dive in further with Dr. Erick Tarula, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Host: Eliza C. Miller, MD Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in pregnancy in the United States, underscoring the importance of knowing the causes, risks, and treatment of stroke in pregnancy and postpartum. That’s why Dr. Eliza Miller is here to share key insights from her session at the 2024 AAN Annual Meeting that focused on this exact topic. Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor of Neurology in the Division of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at Columbia University.

Host: Michele Longo, MD Medical gaslighting refers to the situation where a medical professional disregards an individual's health concerns. It most often affects patients suffering from neurological disorders like long COVID and MS, and it can be extremely damaging to the physician-patient relationship. This underscores the importance of knowing how to recognize and reduce medical gaslighting in clinical practice, which is why Dr. Michele Longo is here to discuss the “Healing Doubt: Confronting and Overcoming Medical Gaslighting” session she presented at the 2024 AAN Annual Meeting.

Guest: Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD Cognitive rehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis started about 20 to 25 years ago when it transitioned from predominantly patients with traumatic brain injury to other patient populations including multiple sclerosis. And over that period of time, the number of studies that have examined the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in MS has grown substantially. However, gaps remain and further research is needed. Dive into to learn more about cognitive rehabilitation trials for MS with Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti, Director of the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research at Kessler Foundation, who also presented a session on this topic at the ACTRIMS 2024 Forum.

Guest: Daniel Harrison, MD Adaptive optics is a promising tool for studying MS-related changes in the retina at a cellular level, providing valuable insights into the disease's progression and potential treatments. Dive further into this line of research with Dr. Daniel Harrison, an Associate Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at the University of Maryland who presented this research at the 2024 ACTRIMS Forum.

Guest: Robert Motl, PhD Rehabilitation training for multiple sclerosis patients aims to improve mobility, cognitive function, and quality of life. But one of the largest barriers to having more high-quality randomized control trials of rehabilitation in MS is that most researchers could not be following a stage of different research approaches. So addressing the unmet needs in rehabilitation research is needed to make MS interventions more powerful. You’ll learn more in this episode with Dr. Robert Motl, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition with a secondary appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Guest: Marisa McGinley, DO The amount of patients being diagnosed with neurological conditions and multiple sclerosis (MS) is a growing number, which causes a need for more neurologists, MS specialists, and better access to care. A potential advantage of using technology in MS care would be to break down the geographic barrier. To learn more about telehealth in MS care, tune in with Dr. Marisa McGinley, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, who also presented this topic at the ACTRIMS Forum 2024.

Guest: Yinan Zhang, MD Chronological age is the biggest early driver of disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s why a team of researchers wanted to explore whether biomarkers like p16 and the epigenetic clock can be used to assess biological aging in patients with MS. They found that while patients with MS are aging faster than people without MS based on the epigenetic clock biomarker, no chronological age correlation in p16 expression has been identified in patients with MS. Dive further into these findings with Dr. Yinan Zhang, an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Ohio State University who presented this research at the 2024 ACTRIMS Forum.

Host: Rishi Sekar, MD A recent study sought to investigate why there are disparities in mortality as well as access and participation in clinical trials among vulnerable prostate cancer populations. According to the findings, counties in the United States that had the highest prostate cancer mortality were less likely to have any clinical trials in the area. Dive further into the results with Dr. Rishi Sekar, who presented the “Disparities in Prostate Cancer Mortality and Clinical Trial Availability Across Vulnerable Populations” session at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Host: Zachery Reichert MD, PhD If hormonal therapies are not working for prostate cancer patients, chemotherapy may be a reliable alternative based on findings from a recent study. In fact, out of the 70 percent of patients who had pain when entering the study, 45 percent had their pain improved with chemotherapy. Dive more into the findings with Dr. Zachery Reichert, who presented the “Sequencing Hormonal Therapies After Treatment Intensification” session at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Guest: Jessica E. Hawley M.D. M.S. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has recommended new guidelines for the treatment of prostate Cancer. In this episode, you’ll learn about the top three biggest changes to the NCCN guidelines. Tune in with Dr. Jessica Hawley, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, who will also present this topic at the ASCO GU Symposium 2024.

Host: Neal Shore, MD, FACS Between 20 and 50 percent of patients with high-risk localized prostate cancer will develop biochemical resistance, but historically, no Level I evidence for treatment was available. That’s why the EMBARK study is the first phase 3 trial to develop Level I evidence looking at monotherapy T suppression versus monotherapy enzalutamide versus combination enzalutamide and leuprolide. Dive into the findings with Dr. Neal Shore, who presented the “Outcomes of Men with High-Risk Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer Who Suspended Enzalutamide Monotherapy Treatment in the Phase 3 EMBARK Study” session at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Host: Daniel Kwon, MD Between patient anxiety and insurance implications, there are several challenges associated with delivering germline testing to veterans with advanced prostate cancer. Learn more about these challenges and proposed solutions with Dr. Daniel Kwon, who presented the “Challenges in Patient-Centered Germline Testing Delivery for Veterans with Advanced Prostate Cancer” session at the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Guest: Filipa Lynce, MD Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare disease that represents about two to three percent of all breast cancers and is challenging to diagnose. To improve diagnosis, researchers are working to validate a new proposed scoring system. Review the current research with Dr. Flipia Lynce, Director of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Guest: Filipa Lynce, MD It’s very common for patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) to present with no underlying palpable mass, which may cause some challenges for clinicians and patients. So what are some unique challenges associated with surgery in IBC and the risks of deescalating? Join Dr. Filipa Lynce, Director of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as she reviews her research on IBC that she presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Host: Pavani Chalasani, MD, MPH Guest: Jason A. Mouabbi, MD Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is an understudied subtype that occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer patients and is known to be difficult to detect by imaging. So how do we approach diagnosing and treating this subtype? Dr. Pavani Chalasani is joined by Dr. Jason Mouabbi, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Chair of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, to discuss his session on ILC at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Host: Dalmacio Dennis Flores, PhD, ACRN, FAAN According to a Gallup poll, Generation Z youth identify as LGBTQ more than previous generations. Given this increasing prevalence, clinicians need to know how to foster synergistic relationships between parents and LGBTQ+ youth. Here to discuss this important topic is Dr. Dalmacio Dennis Flores, an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. He also spoke about this exact topic at the 2023 Annual ANAC conference in his session, titled “Synergy in Inclusive Sexual Health: Triadic Models Empowering LGBTQ+ Youth, Parents, and Nurses.”

Host: Jeffrey Kwong, DNP, MPH Managing co-occurring conditions in patients with HIV can be challenging. But by taking certain steps—like updating management guidelines, screening for complications, and implementing prevention strategies—we can overcome those challenges and improve the way we care for HIV patients with co-occurring conditions. Here to discuss those strategies is Dr. Jeffrey Kwong, a Professor in the Division of Advanced Nursing Practice at Rutgers University School of Nursing. He also spoke about this exact topic at the 2023 Annual ANAC conference in his session, titled “Managing Co-Occurring Conditions: A Clinical Update.”

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: William R. Short, MD, MPH, AAHIVS As of January 2023, the breastfeeding guidelines for HIV patients were updated, and they now recommend supporting the parent’s choice through shared decision-making. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to share what these new guidelines look like in practice and key counseling strategies for HIV patients is Dr. William Short. Dr. Short is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and he also spoke about this exact topic at the 2023 ANAC conference in his session, titled “New Recommendations for Infant Feeding for Persons with HIV in the United States.”