Global Neurology

The Global Health and Underserved Populations Track was established in 2008 in response to the growing need for neurologists to competently work in underserved communities. The aim of the track is to provide meaningful care and education while enriching resident experience in resource-limited settings, seeing diseases some may only ever hear or read about.

Each year, residents of all levels in the track will travel to one of the department’s partner institutions of their choosing for up to one month with departmental funding. Once at location, residents may have the opportunity to see inpatient consults, work in outpatient clinics or teach local medical students about the intricacies of neurology.

While residents are abroad, they will work closely with attendings from neurology and other select specialties back in Pittsburgh to facilitate the best possible care; it’s also the residents’ job to remain mindful of the limited resources that may be available in these settings. International clinical training provides a curriculum designed to address heath policy, public health and social factors influencing health and disease in the global context.

Past international clinical training sites have included:

• Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa
• Potential future site: Georgetown Public Hospital, Georgetown, Guyana, South America

Ongoing projects within the department include expanding sites to areas in the Middle East and parts of Asia, as well as developing research projects related to stroke and epilepsy in conjunction with our global health faculty.

Faculty:

• Nirav Barot, MD, MPH (Global Neurology Division Chief)
• Ajitesh Ojha, MD (Neurology Residency Program Director)
• Thuy D. Bui, MD (Director of Global Health and Underserved Populations Track)
• Paula Clemens, MD
• Arun Antony, MD
• Houman Homayoun, MD

Current Residents:

• Mathura Ravishankar, MD
• Lamees Alzyoud, MD
• Alaina Giacobbe, MD
• Bishow Mahat, MD
• Vanessa Dwairi, MD
• Kunal Malik, MD
• Medha Tandon, MD