June 4, 2018
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Brian C. Callaghan, M.D.; Stephen A. Goutman, M.D.; and Lisa McGinley, Ph.D., have received promotions from the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents. Dr. Callaghan is now associate professor of neurology, with tenure. Dr. Goutman has ascended to clinical associate professor. Dr. McGinley received the title of assistant professor. The promotions become effective September 1.
“I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments by Drs. Callaghan, Goutman and McGinley,” said Eva L. Feldman, MD, PhD, F.A.A.N., the Russell N DeJong Professor of Neurology and Director of the University of Michigan Program for Neurology Research & Discovery. “We are very fortunate to have such incredible minds leading groundbreaking research in neurological complications of diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr. Callaghan, the Fovette E. Dush Professor of Neurology, joined the department in 2011 as an assistant professor. His research has focused on the metabolic factors that are associated with neuropathy. He has completed four observational studies that have demonstrated that hyperglycemia, obesity, and the number of metabolic syndrome components (increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels), but not hypertension or dyslipidemia, are associated with neuropathy. This has led to a proposed interventional study of surgical weight loss and/or high intensity interval training to determine if either intervention can prevent nerve injury. If successful, either intervention would be the first disease modifying therapy for neuropathy. In February 2018, he published “Diabetes and Obesity Are the Main Metabolic of Peripheral Neuropathy,” in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.
“Dr. Callaghan is an exceptional clinician researcher,” said Feldman. “His work has increased our understanding of how obesity and diabetes produces neurological disability in patients, as he works towards new interventions for these disorders. Dr. Callaghan recently received grants from both the Veterans Administration and the National Institute of Health to support this important clinical work. Every day he teaches me something new– I feel very fortunate to work with him.”
Dr. Callaghan has investigated ways to improve the efficiencies of healthcare delivery within neurology with a focus on peripheral neuropathy and headache. Additionally, he has studied the utilization and costs associated with neurologic testing, prescriptions, and neurologic visits with implications for payment reform. Dr. Callaghan completed his M.D. and neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. He performed his clinical fellowship at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Goutman joined the Department of Neurology in 2012 as an assistant professor. He is the director of the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Goutman’s research is focused on identifying causes of and treatments for ALS. He leads research efforts that received funding by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control aimed at identifying environmental risk factors and causes of ALS and showed, in an article that received widespread attention, a connection between ALS and organochlorine pesticides. Dr. Goutman also helps direct the U-M ALS Biorepository which provides essential resources to ALS researchers within and external to the University of Michigan enabling studies into areas of ALS genetics, epigenetics, and immunology. Dr. Goutman completed his medical degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and his neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He received a master’s in clinical research design and statistical analysis at the University of Michigan.
“Dr. Goutman is the new Director of our ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic and we could not be in better hands than to have Dr. Goutman at the helm,” said Dr. Feldman. “While providing state-of-the art care to ALS patients, he is also on the forefront of ALS clinical and epidemiological research. His work is confirming a long-held belief I have had—that the environment, and potential environmental toxins, play a role in the onset of ALS and the progression of the disease. He is recognized nationally for his transformative research, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Goutman is devoting his career to understanding and treating ALS, making the future much brighter for ALS patients.”
Dr. McGinley joined the Department of Neurology in 2013. Her research is centered on developing stem cell treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. Her other research interests include the development of image-based biomarkers as efficacy indicators and novel methods to track stem cells in real-time after transplantation to the brain. Most recently, she published “Human neural stem cell transplantation into the corpus callosum of Alzheimer’s mice,” in the October 17 issue of Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. Dr. McGinley received her PhD in regenerative medicine from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
“Dr. McGinley’s promotion came on the same week she received word of a new grant that we received to continue to pursue our work on stem cell transplantation as a therapy in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Feldman. “Dr. McGinley is the linchpin of this effort, and her transformative ideas along with her extraordinary leadership and a great deal of ‘sweat equity’ has allowed us to achieve this significant milestone. She is simply remarkable, and patients with Alzheimer’s disease will long benefit from her groundbreaking research.”
Under the direction of Dr. Feldman, PNR&D has undertaken research in some of the most complex and challenging fields of disease. From Alzheimer’s to ALS to the nerve damage that disables people with diabetes, it has made medical discoveries that are bringing treatments to patients. With a combination of scientific expertise, clinical experience, and technical resources found in few other places, PNR&D is leading the way in translating laboratory discoveries into new patient therapies.
