Q&A Panel Discussion

Presenters

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  Vishad Sukul, MD

  Section Chief, Functional and Epilepsy Surgery

  Westchester Medical Center

  Vishad V. Sukul, MD, FAANS, FCNS, is Section Chief of Functional and Epilepsy Neurosurgery at Westchester Medical Center and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology at New York Medical College. He is a fellowship-trained, board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in functional neurosurgery, epilepsy surgery, and neuromodulation. His clinical practice encompasses surgical and neuromodulatory therapies for epilepsy, movement disorders, and chronic pain. Dr. Sukul’s academic interests focus on advancing neuromodulation through emerging technologies, including adaptive and closed-loop stimulation, and exploring the application of brain connectomics and network-based approaches to improve therapeutic targeting and clinical outcomes. His research includes epilepsy neuromodulation, spinal cord stimulation, and national trends in neuromodulation utilization. An active member of the North American Neuromodulation Society, Dr. Sukul is involved in neuromodulation education and has contributed to NANS programming for residents, fellows, and practicing clinicians.

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  Vibhor Krishna, MD

  Associate Professor with tenure

  University of North Carolina Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  Dr. Vibhor Krishna is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in functional neurosurgery. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor with tenure and Vice Chair of Neurological Surgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. As a surgeon-scientist, one of the most exciting areas of his work is the development of focused ultrasound (FUS) technology to treat neurological disorders. He leads an NIH-funded research program to optimize the technique of FUS ablation. His research has catalyzed key advancements, including the launch of a Phase-1 clinical trial of FUS in patients with treatment-refractory epilepsy, which has yielded promising initial results. He was deeply involved with the Phase-2 and Phase-3 multicenter trials that secured FDA approval for treating Parkinson's disease with FUS.

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  Vibhor Krishna, MD

  Associate Professor with tenure

  University of North Carolina Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  Dr. Vibhor Krishna is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in functional neurosurgery. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor with tenure and Vice Chair of Neurological Surgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. As a surgeon-scientist, one of the most exciting areas of his work is the development of focused ultrasound (FUS) technology to treat neurological disorders. He leads an NIH-funded research program to optimize the technique of FUS ablation. His research has catalyzed key advancements, including the launch of a Phase-1 clinical trial of FUS in patients with treatment-refractory epilepsy, which has yielded promising initial results. He was deeply involved with the Phase-2 and Phase-3 multicenter trials that secured FDA approval for treating Parkinson's disease with FUS.

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  Sarah K. Bick, MD

  Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Nashville, Tennessee

  Dr. Bick is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She attended medical school at Vanderbilt and completed Neurosurgery residency and functional neurosurgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her clinical interests include deep brain stimulation, movement disorders, epilepsy surgery, facial pain, and psychiatric neurosurgery. She also runs a lab focused on studying the neurophysiology of cognitive and psychiatric processes with the goal of developing novel neuromodulation approaches.

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  Shabbar Danish

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  Charles N. Munyon, MD, FAANS

  Head of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery

  Novant Health · Charlotte, North Carolina

  Dr. Munyon completed his medical education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his residency and fellowship training at Unviersity Hospitals of Cleveland Case Medical Center. He is the head of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery for the Novant Health System, where he treats movement disorders, epilepsy, and complex pain conditions. Since September of 2020, Dr. Munyon has performed almost 900 focused ultrasound thalamotomies for treatment of essential and Parkinsonian tremor.