Neuromuscular Medicine

Division Chief

  • Profile Headshot
    • Chief, Division of Neuromuscular Disorders
    • Director, H. Houston Merritt Clinical Research Center
    • Medical Director, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics/Laboratory of Metabolic and Mitochondrial Disease

The Division of Neuromuscular Medicine provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinical care and advanced electrophysiological diagnostic testing for a broad spectrum of both adult and pediatric neuromuscular disorders. Subspecialty centers and programs within the division include:

  • The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center (Dr. Neil Shneider, Director)
  • MDA Clinic and the H. Houston Merritt Center for Inherited Myopathies and Mitochondrial Disorders
  • Peripheral Neuropathy Center (Dr. Thomas Brannagan III, Director)
  • Electromyography (EMG) Service (Dr. Louis Weimer, Director)
  • Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic

Patient Care

ColumbiaDoctors Neurology Neuromuscular Medicine specialists provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinical care and advanced electrophysiological diagnostic testing for a broad spectrum of both adult and pediatric neuromuscular disorders. 

Learn About Patient Care

Subspecialty centers and programs within our Division of Neuromuscular Medicine include:

Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center

Diagnosing and treating ALS and other motor neuron disorders is both difficult and complex. For these patients, quality of life is often directly linked to the timeliness and appropriateness of the care they receive. In the compassionate, collaborative setting of the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Multidisciplinary Care Center, our expert team specializes in providing a comprehensive treatment approach to meet the specific needs of each individual patient.

Peripheral Neuropathy Center

Peripheral neuropathy results from damage to the peripheral nervous system, which is responsible for transmitting information between the brain, the spinal cord, and the rest of the body. Autonomic neuropathy is a group of disorders that damage the nerves supplying the internal body structures that regulate numerous "automatic" body functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, and bowel, bladder, and sexual function. Our team specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of these neuropathies.

MDA Clinic and the H. Houston Merritt Center for Inherited Myopathies and Mitochondrial Disorders

Inherited myopathies include muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, myofibrillar myopathies, and metabolic myopathies. Mitochondrial diseases often affect muscle and are caused by defects in the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell that generate energy. Our team specializes in the evaluation and treatment of these genetic muscle diseases.

Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and other pediatric neuromuscular disorders are the focus of this clinic. Our specialized team works collaboratively to deliver unparalleled expertise and compassionate, exemplary care to each of the patients we serve.

Research

The Division's research efforts span across a number of collaborative centers and initiatives here at CUIMC, and seek to improve our understanding and effective treatment of neuromuscular disoerders through basic science research and and clincal studies.

Explore Our Research

Education

Learn about our Peripheral Nerve Disorders and Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship programs and other educational opportunities in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Peripheral Nerve Disorders Fellowship

Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship