9 CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES UPDATE FALL 2017 17TH ANNUAL NEUROLOGY TOWN-GOWN MEETING “BUILDS BRIDGES” Call it a meeting of the minds—in Neurology, that is. Wednesday, June 13, 2018 marked the date of the 17th annual William J. Weiner, MD, Town Gown Neurology Update, held at the SMC Campus Center on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. Named in honor of the former Department of Neurology chair who initiated the event, the half-day event provides the opportunity for referring neurologists from surrounding communities to enjoy collegial conversations with their faculty counterparts in the Department of Neurology while earning CME credits for attending various presentations. “The idea behind the meeting is to invite our community neurologists to meet and interact with our faculty here, because so many of them refer their patients to us,” says Peter Crino, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology. “We see this event as opportunity to build bridges with our ‘town’ colleagues while providing them with important updates on a number of relevant clinical topics.” This year’s meeting, attended by more than 100 neurologists, featured talks on epilepsy, auto-immune encephalitis, and stroke, with the keynote address, “An Update on the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease: Moving the Bench and Bedside Closer,” delivered by Eric McDade, DO, Associate Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in. St. Louis and a graduate of the Neurology Residency Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. n A 21st CENTURY FACELIFT FOR BRESSLER 12 If you find yourself stepping off the elevator on the 12th floor of the Bressler Research Building on West Baltimore Street, prepare to be surprised. That floor, home to the University of Maryland Department of Neurology Research Laboratories, has been transformed. The two-month renovation of that floor, which was completed in April 2018, focused mainly on the public spaces, starting with a complete redo of the front lobby. “I don’t think there had been any upgrades in the décor since the Eisenhower era,” jokes Peter Crino, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology. “I’m grateful to Dawn Flair in Neurology Administration, who was instrumental in organizing and coordinating this entire effort.” Upgrades included removal of old tiling, a new ceiling, a refinished floor, and freshly painted walls. Modern signage was installed that includes a listing of all researchers and their respective offices. A large wall monitor opposite the elevators continually broadcasts information about upcoming seminars or conferences, as well as any current information posted by the floor’s researchers. Finally, new furnishings were added to the lobby to provide a more sophisticated atmosphere. All hallways were cleared of old file cabinets and their contents, while all doors received new signage. Individual lab spaces will be updated over time as new faculty members are hired to occupy them. “As our department shifts to more of a translational research culture, we need to professionalize our environment in order to attract new young clinician- scientists to our faculty who will want to do more NIH-funded research,” notes Dr. Crino. “Giving our research laboratories a modern, 21st century look will certainly appeal to our new recruits—as it already does to our present faculty.” n