Agenda - 2026 Ochsner Regional Neurosciences Symposium

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST/VISIT EXHIBITS

8:00 AM - 8:15 AM

Welcome! Day #1
Aaron M. Karlin, MD

8:15 AM - 8:45 AM

Abnormal Head Shapes in Kids
Jerome Volk, MD, FAANS

8:45 AM - 9:15 AM

Parkinson's
Daniel Dees, MD - USA

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Neuromodulation in Epilepsy
Lora Kahn, MD

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Suffering in Neurologic Illness: A Palliative Approach Beyond Medications
Barley Halton, MD

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Sleep in Neurology
Kevin Hargrave, MD

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Keynote - Autonomic Neuropathies from Amyloid to Zebras
Amanda Peltier, MD – Vanderbilt

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

OPTIONAL - Industry Sponsored Lunch by J&J Innovative
FDA Approved Option for gMG Patients 12 Years of Age and Older by Sharique Ansari, MD, MPH

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

At the intersection of Neurosciences and BioDesign: Using 21st Century Tools to deliver 21st Century Neurological Care
Korak Sarkar, MD, MHDS, FAAN

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Updating MS Diagnosis: The 2024 McDonald Criteria Explained
Bridget Bagert, MD

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Anti-Amyloid Therapy in Practice: Real-World Outcomes from the Ochsner Experience (2023–2026)
James Rini, MD

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Ultrasound in Neuromuscular Disorders
Vivek Venkatesh, MD

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

ALS Clinic Roundtable
Mahmoud Sarmini, MD/Kristin Johnson, DO/Dewitt Harrison, DO/Stephen Kantrow, MD/Gabi Diaz, PT/Hayley Montgomery, OT/Alicia Cantrell, SLP/Deborah Ross/Jena' Hampton, RN, BSN, BS

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

De-escalation Techniques for Patients with Brain Injury Patients
Jeff Watkins, MD/Anna McCaffrey, DPT, PT, CBIS/Anna Hall, MOT, CBIS

3:25 PM - 3:50 PM

Brain Injuries
Vernard Fennell, MD

3:50 PM - 4:15 PM

Neuroprognostication in Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Louis A. Cannizzaro, MD

4:15 PM - 4:40 PM

STx in the treatment of BI
Kate Lougon, SLP

4:40 PM - 5:00 PM

The Role of Neuropsychology in Brain Injury
Beth Arredondo, PhD

5:00 PM

QUESTIONS/CLOSING

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST/VISIT EXHIBITS

7:15 AM - 8:00 AM

OPTIONAL – Industry Sponsored Presentation by Alexion
All about Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Plexiform Neurofibromas (PN), and a Treatment Option - Regina Zambrano, MD

8:00 AM - 8:15 AM

Welcome Day #2
Sarah Breaux, MD

8:15 AM - 8:45 AM

Combining Antiseizure Medications in the Treatment of Epilepsy
Bassel Abou-Khalil, MD – Vanderbilt

8:45 AM - 9:15 AM

QSART and Small Fiber Neuropathy
Ehtesham Khalid, MD

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Sex Differences in Dementia
Brian Mizuki, PsyD

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Review
Joseph Tarsia, MD

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Foot Drop
Savannah Truehart, MD

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

AI Cage Match
Don Shin - Cross Comm / David Leingang / Casey Clayton / Jose Fontestod

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

QUESTIONS/LUNCH BREAK/VISIT EXHIBITS

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

OPTIONAL - Industry Sponsored Lunch by Lilly
Clinical Decision Making with Kisunla by Dr. Paul Schulz, Director, Neurocognitive Disorders Center, The McGovern Medical School of UTHealth, Houston

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Robotic Spine Surgery
Bradley Hall, DO, MBA

1:30 PM - 2:15 PM

NeuroAesthetics: An Introduction to the Neuroarts
Sarah Perez, MD - VA and Jan Grimes

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Common CAM Therapies in the Neurosciences
Aaron Karlin, MD

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Adaptive Sports in the Neurosciences
Matthew Amodeo, MD

3:25 PM - 3:50 PM

Pediatric Chronic Pain
Michael Hagen, MD

3:50 PM - 4:15 PM

Music Therapy
Meredith Sharpe

4:15 PM - 4:40 PM

SCI Summer Intensive Program
Amanda Horaist, NP

4:40 PM - 5:00 PM

Nutracueticals/Alternative Therapies in MS
Jenny Feng, MD, MSc

2:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Poster Presentations

5:00 PM

QUESTIONS/CLOSING

5:00 PM

OPTIONAL - Industry Spondored Presentation by Ceribell
Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus: Recognition and the Role of Rapid EEG and AI by Veeresh Kumar, MD

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST/VISIT EXHIBITS

8:00 AM - 8:05 AM

Welcome Day #3
Ehtesham Khalid, MD, FRCPE, FCPS

8:05 AM - 8:30 AM

Current Updates in the Treatment of Carotid Artery Disease
Kim Lee, MD

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Stroke Recovery
Chen Lin, MD - LSU Shreveport

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Huntington’s Update
Victor Sung, MD - UAB

9:45 AM - 10:15 AM

Update in Management of Diabetic Neuropathy
Patrick Fitzsimmons, MD

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM

Dementia Prevention in 2026: What the Evidence Shows and What We Can Do
Bridget Bagert, MD

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

BREAK/QUESTIONS/VISIT EXHIBITS

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Practical Updates in Migraine
Maria Carmen-Wilson, MD

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Applied Neurovascular Anatomy
Muhammad Khan, MD

12:00 PM

CLOSING
Aaron Karlin, MD