Cedars-Sinai's Neurology Residency Program to Graduate Inaugural Class

Contact: Sandy Van | Email: sandy@prpacific.com

Los Angeles - June 8, 2015 — Cedars-Sinai's inaugural class of neurology residents is set to graduate June 14. The three graduates began their neurology residency training in July 2012, and all have been accepted into prestigious fellowship programs at three nationally recognized medical centers – Stanford University, UCLA and Cedars-Sinai.

According to Nancy Sicotte, MD, director of the Neurology Residency Program, the graduation marks one of several important milestones since 2010 when the Division of Neurology became a full-fledged department.

"Our residency program was approved in late 2011 and our first class started in 2012 – a year ahead of schedule," said Sicotte.

Barely 3 years old, the program has already received full accreditation through 2025 and has established itself as highly sought after by neurology residency candidates. Last year, there were 190 applicants for three positions, Sicotte said.

"This full accreditation is a testament to the strength of our program and reflects the review committee's confidence in our ability to train and graduate accomplished neurologists," said Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president for Academic Affairs, dean of the Medical Faculty and director of the Burns and Allen Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai. "The neurology residency is a welcome addition to Cedars-Sinai's robust graduate medical education program."

The 2015 graduates are Emmanuel H. During, MD; Joanna Juan Gan, MD; and Mani K. Nezhad, MD.

During, a native of France, earned his medical degree at Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France. He completed an internship at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and a research fellowship in psychiatry at New York University Center for Brain Health. He has been accepted into a sleep medicine fellowship at Stanford University, one of the nation's top programs for sleep disorders.

Gan earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University School of Medicine. A former UCLA Daily Bruin staff photographer, Gan has been involved in providing care to underserved communities in the rural Andes, Costa Rica and Panama. In 2008, she co-led a team of Chinese medical students delivering much-needed care to rural Sichuan after an earthquake. Gan has been accepted into a combined epilepsy and neuro-behavioral fellowship at UCLA.

Nezhad earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he also earned a master's degree in biophysics and physiology and was the program valedictorian in 2007. He has served as a teaching assistant at Georgetown University School of Medicine in pathology, medical neuroscience and physiology. In 2012, he was named ICU Intern of the Year at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. Nezhad has been accepted into Cedars-Sinai's recently accredited neurovascular fellowship program and will work with Shlee Song, MD.

The Neurology Residency Program is part of Cedars-Sinai's highly respected Graduate Medical Education Program, which includes approximately 350 residents or fellows in numerous disciplines.