Greenwich Hospital, a Hub for 22nd-Century Neurorestorative Care 

What is the difference between the mind and the brain? How can gene editing change the game for people with Parkinson’s disease? Using noninvasive approaches, is it possible to bypass the blood-brain barrier? If so, what does that mean for people who have dementia, ALS, multiple sclerosis or even glioblastoma?   

These are just some of the rapid-fire questions asked by a riveted audience at Greenwich Hospital’s “From Autism to Parkinson’s Disease and Beyond: Neurorestorative Surgery.” Led by Yale School of Medicine Neurosurgeons Murat Gunel, MD, and Zion Zibly, MD, the interactive program, which took place April 3 at the Belle Haven Club, was part of the hospital’s Office of Development’s Medical Insights speaker series.  
 

Trailblazers and Treatments

Dr. Gunel, neurosurgeon-in-chief at Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) and sterling professor and chair at the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery is one of the world’s most illustrious doctors and researchers within the field of genomics, neurosurgery and neuroscience. His research interest focuses on gene discovery in diseases of the human brain, including its development, vascular disease and tumors.   

Dr. Zibly is an international expert in high intensity focused ultrasound. He brings that expertise to Greenwich Hospital, making Greenwich a destination for hundreds of patients seeking relief for tremors that do not respond to medication and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. He is YNHH’s director of The Brain Focused Ultrasound Institute and director of the Neurosurgical Cancer Pain Center. 

“Yale research scientists are trailblazers, contributing to the fundamental understanding of neurological diseases and the development of new and effective treatments. At Greenwich Hospital, we have seen incredible possibilities turn into reality surrounding the diagnosis, treatment and care of our patients,” said Greenwich Hospital’s Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer Noël Appel. 

Fast-Moving Progress

Discussion ranged from how researchers are using artificial intelligence to better understand the brain; how leading-edge noninvasive technologies are restoring function for people suffering from movement disorders; how this technology can possibly be used to restore early memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients; the use of brain-computer interfaces to help people who have lost the power of speech regain communication; and how deep brain stimulation may impact the mind-brain connection to help those suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorder, for example.  

 “The world of neuroscience is fascinating, fast-moving, and filled with hopeful progress that is life-changing for patients,” said Greenwich Hospital President Diane P. Kelly. “The innovations Dr. Gunel and Dr. Zibly shared are fueling transformative growth regionally, globally, and right here, at Greenwich Hospital – which has become a hub for both neurorestorative research and care.”  

“Local initiatives are in lockstep with incredible growth within neurosciences as a health system. The Yale Medicine Neurosurgery Department, headed by Dr. Gunel, is one of the top NIH-funded neurosurgery departments in the country and Yale New Haven Health has completed its first phase of building a state-of-the-art Neurosciences Center in New Haven,” she said. 

About Medical Insights Series

Greenwich Hospital’s Medical Insights series is designed to introduce the community to clinical leaders within areas of distinction at Greenwich Hospital – expansion areas that are fueling the hospital’s $125 million Arc of Care Campaign. To learn more about Greenwich Hospital’s initiatives within neuroscience, please contact Noël Appel at noel.appel@greenwichhospital.org or 203-863-3861.