Newswise — (Honolulu, HI) – Paul E. Barkhaus, MD, received the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine’s (AANEM) 2015 Distinguished Researcher Award at the AANEM 2015 Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI. Dr. Barkhaus was recognized for his continuous significant contributions to clinical neurophysiology research. “I owe everything to the control subjects and patients who have given of their time and effort over the past 20 years during which my research protocol has been continuously active,” says Dr. Barkhaus.
When Dr. Barkhaus began his career, his plan was to become a psychiatrist. But when his mentor advised him that a psychiatrist needed to be knowledgeable in neurological disorders, and that he should take as many neurology rotations as possible in medical school, he became fascinated by neurology. “I had the good fortune to have two great mentors in electromyography (Dr. Ram Ayyar) and neuromuscular diseases (Dr. George Ristow),” says Dr. Barkhaus. “I was inspired by their keen clinical observational skills and the ability to utilize electrodiagnostic technology to support the diagnosis.” A faculty member at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Milwaukee since 1993, Dr. Barkhaus became Professor of Neurology with tenure in 2011. Early in his time at MCW, he began working with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and established the ALS program. Under his guidance, this program has grown in patient volume and services, and has been recognized as a center of excellence by the National ALS Society.
Dr. Barkhaus has been a member of AANEM since 1980, and says, “I like to think that I have grown with the organization over the years. It has afforded me many opportunities in improving my practice and teaching skills, plus research opportunities.”
Technology has “progressed marvelously” in these past decades, rendering past technologies obsolete. “Few appreciate how these systems were jury-rigged,” he said, “but it provided a great learning curve and perspective on the development of our modern systems that have such tremendous capability. And I am confident that they will get even better.”
As for the future, he believes that to survive, the discipline must be vigilant and adaptable. “Some of our more innovative projects involved going back and reinvestigating concepts that were taken for granted (e.g., motor unit potential rise time). So in my opinion, looking into the past can be part of the future. Conversely, by developing new techniques, we can provide efficient methods of diagnosing and monitoring diseases. There are always opportunities: younger investigators just need to always be planning and be prepared to go that extra distance.”
About AANEMFounded in 1953, the AANEM is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and electrodiagnostic medicine. Nearly 5000 physician members—primarily neurologists and physiatrists—are now joined by allied health professionals and PhD researchers working to improve the quality of medical care provided to patients with muscle and nerve disorders. AANEM programs are guided by its five pillars: education, professional standards, advocacy, communications, and research. Its administrative office is located in Rochester, MN. More information about AANEM Achievement Awards and Dr. Barkhaus’ credentials is available at www.aanem.org/awards.
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