Education
The Neuromuscular Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center offers two one-year, ACGME-approved fellowships related to Neuromuscular disease and electrodiagnostics/EMG. Fellows have opportunities to train in either the Clinical Neurophysiology (CNP) fellowship with a focus on electromyography or the Neuromuscular Medicine fellowship. We pride ourselves on having a very collegial relationship with our fellows and view them as partners during their stay in our division.
Our services
Our devoted, board certified team specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases affecting muscle and nerve function, including:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases of motor neurons
- Inherited and acquired neuropathies, including Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Myasthenia gravis and disorders of the neuromuscular junction
- Muscular dystrophies and myopathies
In addition to physician consultations, the Neuromuscular Division at BIDMC offers comprehensive neurodiagnostic studies such as:
- Nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG)
- Nerve and muscle biopsy
- Neuromuscular Ultrasound
- Autonomic Testing and skin biopsy
Specialty Clinics/Services:
Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic: For patients diagnosed with ALS, a team approach to treatment is essential. The multidisciplinary ALS clinic at BIDMC allows for convenient access to a wide variety of providers including our neurologists, speech and physical therapist, and social workers. In addition to the latest treatments, patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials aimed at developing the next generation of ALS therapies.
Botulinum toxin therapy: Treatment for patients with spasticity related to neuromuscular disease.
Research
The Neuromuscular Division in the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has an active research program concentrating on human and translational studies. A strong focus of our research is on the development of improved technologies for the initial assessment and monitoring of neuromuscular disease, including the development of the technique of electrical impedance myography (EIM) for the non-invasive evaluation of muscle condition. Research into this modality as well as quantitative ultrasound are ongoing and include clinical studies, basic animal research, and well computer modeling. Ongoing collaborations with researchers and Boston Children’s Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as with researchers in other parts of the country helps ensure a dynamic and innovative research program.
In addition to these technological efforts, the division is involved in clinical trials research in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and myasthenia gravis. Other therapy-focused work is also underway in both animals and humans, including studies in spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, and muscle disuse.
The division has also been focused on patient centered outcomes research and ongoing efforts for improving and applications for these methods across the neurological field are being pursued. This includes development of evidence and consensus based practice guidelines, and research in methods of dissemination of guidelines.
The division’s research is supported by a number of governmental grants (mainly from the National Institutes of Health and NASA), foundations, and to a lesser extent, industry.
Meet Our Team
Seward Rutkove, MD
Dr. Rutkove is Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and
Chairman, Department of Neurology, BIDMC. Dr. Rutkove’s areas of interest include basic and translational research in electrical impedance myography in neuromuscular disorders, and ultrasonographic analysis of muscle as a biomarker of disease, as well as the effects of temperature on peripheral electrophysiology. His major contribution in the field has been in the embodiment of electrical impedance myography as a technique for the assessment of neuromuscular disease.
Elizabeth Raynor, MD
Dr. Raynor is the Chief of the Division of Neuromuscular Disorders in the Department of Neurology at BIDMC. She specializes in clinical Neuromuscular medicine as well as Clinical Neurophysiology, specifically electromyography (EMG) and electrodiagnosis. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the Director of the BIDMC EMG Laboratory, and Director of the BIDMC EMG Fellowship training program. Her clinical interests include diagnosis and management of neuromuscular disorders, including special interest in motor neuron disorders.
Pushpa Narayanaswami, MD
Dr. Narayanaswami is the Vice Chairman of Clinical Operations as well as Healthcare Quality director for the Department of Neurology at BIDMC. She is a neuromuscular neurologist with an interest in health services research. She completed her initial neurology training in India, followed by a residency and fellowship at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Her research interests include development of clinical practice guidelines, disseminations and implementation research, and evaluation of adverse events and medical errors.
Courtney E. McIlduff, MD
Dr. McIlduff is the Medical Director of the Motor Neuron Disorders clinic as well as serving for several years as Director of the Neuromuscular Ultrasound Program at BIDMC. She cares for a broad range of patients with general neurologic and neuromuscular conditions, with a special interest in motor neuron disorders. To complement clinical responsibilities, she performs research to develop painless, non-invasive measures of muscle health and directs clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She especially enjoys teaching, and plays an active role in the education of medical students, residents, and fellows.
Aimee K. Boegle, MD , PhD
Dr. Boegle is the Associate Program Director of the Neurology Residency program as well as the Director of the Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship at BIDMC. She is a neuromuscular neurologist whose clinical interests include the care of patients with neuromuscular disease as well as general neurologic illness. Dr. Boegle works closely with the neurology residents and fellows, promoting neurologic and neuromuscular education.
Masumeh Hatami, MD
Dr. Hatami is a neuromuscular neurologist and neurophysiologist and sees patients with variety of neuromuscular diseases with special interest in polyneuropathy. She also collaborates in a multidisciplinary spine clinic with spine surgeons, physiatrists, and pain specialists. Her research is more focused on using quantitative imaging parameters to identify new biomarkers, which can monitor disease progression and therapeutic responses in polyneuropathies.
Fernanda Wjansztjan Yungher, MD
Dr. Wajnsztajn Yungher is a clinical neurophysiologist with a focus on neuromuscular disorders. Her primary clinical interests include diagnoses and treatments for inherited and immune-mediated peripheral neuropathies. Her research interests involve identifying and using novel biomarkers for clinical practice in neuropathies to enhance quality of care. She also dedicates her time to the education and training of the department’s residents and fellows.
Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship (CNP):
In the CNP fellowship, fellows spend the majority of their time developing EMG expertise in addition to rotation to other areas of clinical neurophysiology, including EEG, autonomic disorders, and sleep. Patient care is a critical part of the fellowship and fellows spend approximately two half-days participating in outpatient Neuromuscular clinic where they have the opportunity to diagnose and manage patients with a variety of neuromuscular disorders, in addition to providing inpatient Neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic consultations. This experience is further enhanced through participation in the multidisciplinary Motor Neuron Disorders clinic. There are opportunities to learn skin biopsy procedures for intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) quantitative analysis. Opportunities for research are also available and participation in a project during the year is strongly encouraged. Formal didactics include weekly neuromuscular and clinical neurophysiology teaching conferences. Fellows who successfully complete this fellowship are eligible for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Subspecialty qualification in Clinical Neurophysiology.
Contact Dr. Raynor for more information.
Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship focus:
Elizabeth Raynor, MD
eraynor@bidmc.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-667-8130, fax: 617-667-3175
Neuromuscular Medicine-EMG Fellowship:
In this fellowship, as in the CNP fellowship, there is extensive training in performance and interpretation of electrodiagnostic studies (EMG), as well as the evaluation and management of Neuromuscular disorders. In addition to EMG and Neuromuscular clinic sessions, one half-day per week is spent in the pediatric Neuromuscular/MDA clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital. As for the CNP fellows, there are opportunities to learn skin biopsy procedures for evaluation of INEF. In addition, fellows attend a weekly multi-center muscle biopsy conference. All fellows attend the weekly Neuromuscular educational conference and participate in the multidisciplinary Motor Neuron Disorders clinic. Clinical and translational research projects are strongly encouraged. Fellows who successfully complete this fellowship are eligible for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Subspecialty qualification in Neuromuscular Medicine.
If there are specific questions about the program, please contact Dr. Boegle for more information.
Neuromuscular Medicine-EMG Fellowship:
Aimee Boegle, MD , PhD
aboegle@bidmc.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-667-8130; fax: 617-667-3175
Eligibility
Applicants must have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited program in neurology, child neurology or a program in one of these specialties that is located in Canada and accredited by the RCPSC. Fellows must provide verification of their level of competency in neurology or child neurology using ACGME or CanMEDS Milestones assessments from the core residency program.
How to Apply
BIDMC’s EMG fellowship training programs are committed to abiding by the centralized fellowship application and Match process recently developed by the AAN and AANEM in response to concerns over excessively early interview timing. Applicants can apply through the AANEM fellowship portal. Applications can be submitted starting January 1 of the year prior to the fellowship start date. Interview offers will not be made before March 1 and fellowship positions will not be offered before June 1.