Division of Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
The Division of Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities performs comprehensive evaluations and treatment of children with suspected disorders of the nervous system.
Overview
We provide educational services for the medical school and research opportunities for families and patients. Our work is conducted in close coordination with the primary care physician, and, if needed, the child’s school. We have specialty services focusing on neurological or developmental subspecialties. The Division works in close conjunction with multiple other divisions and departments to provide additional subspecialty services including concussions, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and neuro-oncology.
About Our Division
The Division oversees the education of the pediatric residents and medical students during their respective pediatric neurology electives and uses a comprehensive review of the pediatric neurology curriculum for medical students, residents, fellows, and nurses.
The neurology team is actively involved in hospital education and policy formulation at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital (BMSCH) participating on multiple Hospital and Medical School committees. In addition, we provide didactic education to medical students for their Neurology basic sciences course, as well as to child psychiatry fellows and genetic counseling students.
Clinical Care Services
The Division of Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities offers outpatient and inpatient services for patients with a variety of nervous system disorders.
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We also provide inpatient services for children and young adults with neurological conditions ages 0 to 21 years, and participate in the inpatient floors, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric oncology wing, pediatric emergency room, and adolescent floor in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
Our outpatient offices provide evaluations for developmental and neurologic conditions from birth until age 21 years. We provide numerous services including electroencephalography, evoked potentials, referral for neuroimaging, and more.
Open five days a week, the pediatric neurology outpatient clinic is located at:
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey
89 French Street, Second Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901For additional information, please see the Rutgers Health and Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital websites or please call 732-235-7875 for an appointment.
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The Division of Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities provides services for children with a wide range of disorders of the nervous system. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Tics
- Migraines and other headaches
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Concussion and head injury
- Abnormal head size
- Abnormal muscle tone
- Muscle disorders
- Multiple sclerosis and related disorders
- Nerve injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Neurogenetic conditions
- Spinal cord disorders
- Unexplained developmental delay
- Stroke
- Movement disorders such as dystonia, ataxia, and chorea
- Vertigo
- Prenatal counseling for suspected fetal neurological conditions
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Our Epilepsy Program works at a level 4 Epilepsy Center, part of the RWJ Clinical Neurophysiology Department. Our services include but are not limited to:
- Electroencephalography (EEG)
- Inpatient video EEG
- Evoked potential (EP) testing
- Ambulatory EEG services
- Electromyography/Nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS)
- Neuropsychological testing
- Comprehensive epilepsy surgical evaluation, including referral for laser ablation therapy
- Evaluation for ketogenic diet services and vagal nerve stimulator implantation
Our Concussion Program includes a comprehensive evaluation by a specialized child neurologist with the option for Impact testing.
Our Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Program includes a comprehensive evaluation by a specialized child neurologist within integrated multidisciplinary cognitive, psychological, and psychiatric services.
Community Outreach
The Epilepsy support group meets to support awareness and education to pediatric and adult patients, family members, and other members of the community about topics related to seizures and epilepsy and how to maintain optimal health. This group meets every other month.
Additional information may be found at these reputable websites:
Research
Our large population of patients also serves as a basis for clinical research. Ongoing research involves a collaboration among various providers and coordinates care between basic science researchers and clinicians. Please inquire about any of the following studies:
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- Childhood Radiologically Isolated Syndrome Study, Vikram Bhise, M.D.
- Home-based Cognitive Rehabilitation in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Jasdeep Hundal, PsyD
- Examination of Class II Invariant Peptides in Children with MS, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Lisa Denzin, PhD
- Quality of Life and Transition: A Qualitative Study in Children with MS – a Follow-up Study, Parent Perspective, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Manuel Jimenez, M.D.
- Incidence of Lyme Disease in Bell's Palsy, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Amisha Malhotra, M.D.
- Incidence of a Second Seizure in Children with Autism and New Onset Seizures, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Abdolreza Esfahanizadeh, M.D.
- Evaluation of Proteomics and In Vivo Brain Modeling in Children with Absence Epilepsy, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Mladen-Roko Rasin PhD
- Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in the Neurology Clinic, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Maya Ramagopal, M.D., Lakshmi Moorthy, M.D.
- Central Sleep Apnea in Children, Vikram Bhise, M.D., Maya Ramagopal, M.D.
- Participation in PARADIGMS Multi-center Study, Vikram Bhise, M.D.
- High-dose ACTH Regimen in Infantile Spasms, Vikram Bhise, M.D.
- Neurobiology of idiopathic autism: Cellular and molecular phenotypes of common CNV, 16p11.2, DiCicco-Bloom (PI); Millonig (Co-PI)
- Metabolomic analysis of neural precursor cells derived from Autism iPSCs and their response to environmental stressors, DiCicco-Bloom (PI); Millonig (Co-PI)
- The Generation and Characterization of Autism iPSCs, Millonig (PI); DiCicco-Bloom (co-PI)
Donations are welcomed and may be directed for specific purposes if you wish to support research for any of the above projects or other fields in child neurology.
For more information, please call 732-235-7875
Faculty and Staff
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Vikram Bhise, M.D.
Division Director, Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
bhisevi@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Abdolreza Esfahanizadeh, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
esfahaab@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Genevieve Gabriel, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
gg685@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Karishma Parikh, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
kp1026@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Amanda Spinner, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
as3780@rwjms.rutgers.edu -
Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom, M.D.
Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology and Pediatrics
732-235-7875
diciccem@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Manuel Jimenez, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
732-235-7875
jimenema@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Anna Beckwith, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Fellowship Program Director, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
732-235-7875
amb561@rwjms.rutgers.edu -
Anna Ku, NP
Phone: 732-235-7875Daniel Lima
Phone: 732-235-7875Deborah O'Brien, RN
Phone: 732-235-7875Stacy Quinn
Staff Assistant
Phone: 732-235-7083Thomas Toomey, RN
Phone: 732-235-7875
Contact Us
Child Health Institute of New Jersey
89 French Street, Suite 2200
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
For Appointments: 732-235-7875