Dane Chetkovich, M.D., Ph.D., will be appointed as the new chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Neurology, effective September 1, 2017.
Dr. Chetkovich is currently a professor of Neurology and Physiology and the Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Chetkovich will succeed Robert Macdonald, M.D., Ph.D., who is stepping down after having served 16 years as the department’s chair.
Upon graduating from the University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Chetkovich earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. He completed an internship at Baylor followed by a residency at University of California, San Francisco where he served as chief resident in neurology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship.
Chetkovich practices general neurology and his research focuses on molecular mechanisms that underlie how abnormalities of ion channels in the brain lead to neuropsychiatric disease. Particularly, he is interested in developing novel approaches to influence the subcellular targeting of ligand and voltage- gated ion channels, molecules responsible for controlling communication between neurons in the brain.
He has received several teaching awards at Northwestern, including the John A. Kessler Teaching Award in 2016 and Neurology Resident Teaching Award in 2015. He serves on the editorial board for Epilepsy Currents and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology committee responsible for writing the neurologist board certification exam in the United States.
As the Chair of Neurology, Dr. Chetkovich will be leading 16 adult and pediatric clinical divisions, more than 80 faculty members, and a training program with more than 40 residents and fellows. He will also oversee Vanderbilt’s notable programs in sleep disorders, movement disorders, cognitive and behavioral disorders (including memory and Alzheimer’s), epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, neuro-oncology and a Comprehensive Stroke Center.
“Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of the premier medical centers in the country, and the Department of Neurology is truly outstanding,” said Chetkovich. “To be able to join the VUMC family and lead efforts to advance clinical, scientific and educational innovation in such a fantastic department is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Photo: Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Digital Image. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Web 23 June 2017. <ww2.mc.vanderbilt.edu>.
https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2017/05/26/chetkovich-named-chair-of-department-of-neurology/