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A TEAM OF MORE than 30 of the leading neurologists and neurosurgeons in the nation in their areas of specialization — including stroke, epilepsy, amyo- trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy (MD), craniosynostosis, Parkinson's disease and a host of other neurological disorders — physicians in UT Medicine's neurosciences program embrace a multidisciplinary, yet highly differentiated, approach to patient care. Specialty clinics utilize teamwork for hands-on clinical medicine and consultations built upon an academic foundation that fosters research and innovation. "We do everything from epilepsy surgery to deep brain stimulation to Botox for migraines, and for any neurological problem, we have a specialist to handle it," says Robin Brey, MD, FA A N, Cha ir of t he Department of Neurolog y at the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center and the Edna Smith Dielmann Distinguished University Chair. "That is different from any other program in our region. It is absolutely crucial to have neurosurgeons and neurologists on the same team to build and implement programs and support each other clinically. One facet of this interdependence is the way in which neu- rosurgery provides support to neurology when we identify issues with patients, and vice versa. We also do benchmark neuroscience research that includes both clinical trials for many neurological disorders and basic neuroscience research." Networked Stroke Care Collaboration in the latest interventional studies for stroke care requires both sets of expertise. Together, neurological By Carrie Frye and neurosurgical excellence enabled the establishment of a Primary Stroke Center at University Hospital, the inpatient facility for the University Health System in San Antonio, which requires both neurologists and neurosurgeons with stroke expertise. Recognized with the American Stroke Association's Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award in 2014, the stroke team includes Dr. Brey and other specialists providing round-the-clock access to immediate stroke rescue therapies to treat this fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. The group is currently working toward Comprehensive Stroke Center certification. "After the first stroke center was established in San Antonio, others followed," says David Jimenez, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at UT School of Medicine San Antonio, who was instrumental in working with Baptist Health System to provide the neurosurgical expertise needed for Primary Stroke Center certification at their hospitals. "There was a definite community need, and today, we have 10 stroke centers in San Antonio. Now, when patients have a stroke, within 20 minutes of arriving at the ER, they are taken care of completely." Additional telestroke programs provide smaller hospitals in more rural areas with immediate access to UT Medicine's neurology consultations to better serve and expedite care for stroke patients. "With funding from the Texas legislature, we were able to develop a stroke telemedicine research network in collabora- tion with UT Southwestern, UT Houston, Baylor Medical Center, Seton Healthcare Family and Texas Tech," Dr. Brey says. "Each institution is a hub to which we recruit community spoke hospitals. The idea is to raise stroke awareness in the community and allow more patients who might be eligible for studies to participate. We are just getting some stroke trials set up, and it is really a terrific project." LIVES IN SOUTH TEXAS UT Medicine's Full Spectrum of Neurosciences Care Charles Szabo, MD, Chief of Epilepsy and Co-director of Epilepsy Surgery and of the South Texas Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, examines a 3-year-old who underwent surgery several months earlier. Robin Brey, MD, FAAN, Chair of the Department of Neurology; Edna Smith Dielmann Distinguished University Chair Robin Brey, MD, FAAN, Chair of the WITH CLINICAL CARE, RESEARCH AND ACADEMICS AT THE FOREFRONT, UT MEDICINE'S NEUROSCIENCES PROGRAM SERVES BOTH ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE NEUROLOGICAL AND NEUROSURGICAL SERVICES. 6 | San Antonio MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M