Innovations in Care Delivery

Editors' Blog

  • Demanding a Home Run: Resetting Expectations for ALS Clinical Trials
    Kellen Quigg, MD | December 20, 2021

    In 2004, Miller and Moore wrote a paper on setting expectations for clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) noting that “we need to hit a couple of singles before we hit a home run.”1 They suggested that a 16% change in the slope of ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALS-FRS) would be meaningful. In the ensuing 17 years, only edaravone2 has provided anything close to a base hit. The understanding of ALS pathophysiology has grown, and technologies and development pipelines have expanded tremendously, yet still the focus of investigators remains fixated on design and execution of trials to detect small clinical differences. It’s time that we re-evaluate our expectations: demand home runs from therapeutics, and conduct efficient, inclusive, and persuasive trials to demonstrate their benefits unequivocally.

    [Continued]

    Aducanumab Resource Site


    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on June 7, 2021, the approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm). The drug was approved under the Accelerated Approval pathway, one of the alternative drug approval pathways.

    In addition to our latest articles on cognitive disorders and dementia, Neurology has included a list of aducanumab resources to help our members stay informed on the current landscape of the new Alzheimer disease drug.

    Find out more

    The Effect of COVID-19 on Neurologic Practice

     

    The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting neurologic care across the globe. We plan to highlight blogs from neurologists on their experiences, particularly in regards to innovations in care delivery that have resulted from this pandemic.
     

    Is pediatric epilepsy surgery elective? Considerations in the era of COVID-19

    Erin Fedak Romanowski, DO     Read full article
    Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, CS Mott Children’s Hospital, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor
    Nancy McNamara, MD
    Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, CS Mott Children’s Hospital, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor

    Together, apart: Effective communication in inpatient neurology during COVID-19

    Tarini Goyal, MD     Read full article
    Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Neurohospitalist Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA

    View Blog Site

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  • Interview With A Health Services Expert

    Dr. Kevin Kerber interviews Dr. Ralph Sacco  

    Dr. Sacco talks about his leadership role in balancing the needs of neurologists, the department and other stake holders with the needs of patients. He outlines successful approaches to improving patient access to quality care, the challenges in implementing these approaches, and what he sees as the future in care delivery.

    In April of 2017, Drs. Kerber and Callaghan had the chance to talk to Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where Dr. Sacco is  Chairman & Professor Department of Neurology, Director and Principal Investigator of the University of Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Executive Director Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute, Miller Professor of Epidemiology, Public Health Sciences, Human Genetics, and Neurosurgery, Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Science. Dr. Sacco is also the President of the American Academy of Neurology.

    Sacco image

    N A M E: Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, FAHA, FAAN
    T I T L E: Chairman & Professor Department of Neurology; Director and  Principal Investigator of the University of Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute; Executive Director Evelyn F McKnight Brain Institute; Miller Professor of Epidemiology, Public Health Sciences, Human Genetics, and Neurosurgery; Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders; and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Science.
    E D U C A T I O N: Dr. Sacco is a graduate of Cornell University and graduated cum laude from Boston University School of Medicine. He holds a master’s in epidemiology from Columbia University, School of Public Health and completed his residency training and postdoctoral training in stroke and epidemiology at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian.
    H O B B I E S: Renovating homes in NY, biking, and volunteer work.

    INTERVIEW Audio

    FUll transcript of interview

     A  R  C  H  I  V  E  S 

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  • Call to Action!

    ​Neurology: Clinical Practice has launched their next Practice Current survey on a universally controversial topic — Practice Current: How do you manage mild cognitive impairment? Please consider completing the survey to add your own perspective.

    ​An important perspective about new medical equipment in low resource countries: Dr. Omar Siddiqi, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Global Neurology Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, shares his experiences with the unforeseen negatives to innovative, medical technology in resource limited settings. He states, "Near as I can tell, the only purpose they serve is to charge patients for a sham test."

  • About The Editors

    Callaghan Image

    Editor, Innovations in Care Delivery
    Brian C. Callaghan, MD, MS
    Ann Arbor, MI

    Biography

     

    Kerber image

    Editor, Innovations in Care Delivery
    Kevin A. Kerber, MD, MS
    Ann Arbor MI

    Biography