UNMC, Creighton honor neurology resident physicians

Back row from left to right: Dr. Faisal Khan, resident, Dr. Jeffrey Thornton, resident. Front row: Dr. Ramesh Kumar, resident; Dr. John Puente, resident; Dr. Vahid Taghavi, resident; Dr. Deborah Dover, resident; and Dr. Carolina Ionete, resident. Drs. Puente and Dover graduated from the program.

For the second straight year, the joint residency program for UNMC and Creighton University honored its resident physicians with a graduation celebration at Champions Run.

The event, which was held last month, featured Kenneth Tyler, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, as the guest speaker. Earlier in the day, Dr. Tyler also delivered the first lecture at UNMC in honor of Walter Friedlander, M.D., former and first chairman of neurology at UNMC.

At the graduation ceremony, Dr. Tyler provided the attendees with a historical – and humorous – perspective of the neurology field and gave the residents motivation that they had made a wise career decision.

“Neurology is one of the most exciting professions you could possibly be in,” Dr. Tyler said. He encouraged the residents to seek out mentors, as “they can make an incredible difference in your life.”

Pierre Fayad, M.D., left, and guest speaker Kenneth Tyler, M.D.

He told the residents: “It helps to retain a sense of humor. My best memories (of my educational training) were the casual, social things like this dinner – not the lectures.”

Pierre Fayad, M.D., professor and chairman of the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences, saluted Dr. Tyler as a “neurologist, a historian and a gentleman.”

Dr. Fayad recognized all six residents in the program and said residents are crucial in making sure that excellent neurological care is perpetuated from generation to generation. John Bertoni, M.D., professor and chairman of neurology for Creighton and associate residency director, equated working with residents as similar to the joy parents have in watching their children grow and develop.

Back row from left to right: Dr. Eliad Culcea; Dr. Jeffrey Thornton, resident; Dr. Pierre Fayad, program director; and Dr. John Bertoni, Creighton University. Middle row: Dr. Sanjay Singh; Dr. Pariwat Thaisetthawatkul; Dr. Faisal Khan, resident; Dr. Carolina Ionete, resident; and Dr. John Puentes, resident; Front row: Dr. Ramesh Kumar, resident; Dr. Prendes, Creighton University; Dr. Vahid Taghavi, resident; Dr. Deborah Dover, resident; and Dr. Lorenzo.

The joint residency program is a three-year program with two residents in each class. The two graduates this year were Deborah Dover, M.D., and John Puente, M.D.
Dr. Dover will be going into private practice in Great Falls, Mont., while Dr. Puente will be joining a neurology practice in Lincoln.

Dr. Fayad cited the residents for their academic accomplishments and the continued improvement in the neurology residency program. He noted that this year, for the first time in the history of the program, three out of the six residents were nationally ranked above the 90th percentile compared to their peers on the in-service neurologic test (a national standardized test for neurology residents that is meant to assess their knowledge) while one resident was ranked in the 99th percentile compared to his peers.
Other awards given included:

• Teacher of the Year – Sanjay Singh, M.D., assistant professor, neurological sciences and director of the Nebraska Epilepsy Center;
  
• Resident of the Year – Carolina Ionete, M.D.

Dr. Fayad also recognized Eliad Culcea, M.D., a neurological sciences assistant professor at UNMC for the past five years and a graduate of the residency program. Dr. Culcea has accepted a position in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Left to right, Dr. Deborah Dover, resident; Dr. Vahid Taghavi, resident; Elizabeth Buscher, administrator; Dr. John Puente, resident.

He noted that two new faculty will be joining the department in the upcoming academic year. Pierre Gilio, M.D., will be joining as assistant professor after completing fellowships in neuro-oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the leading cancer centers in the country, and sleep disorders at the University of Chicago.

Daniel Murman, M.D., will be joining UNMC as associate professor. He completed a fellowship in neuro-geriatrics at the University of Michigan and served as associate professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Dr. Murman has received a career development award from the National Institutes of Health to study of Alzheimer’s disease.