From the Field: Neurologist-Written Insights From 2025

Throughout the past year, NeurologyLive^® served as a platform not only for interviews and expert commentary, but also for original clinician authored perspectives that addressed some of the most pressing and evolving issues in neurology. Physicians, researchers, and clinician scientists from across subspecialties took the time to share their insights, experiences, and interpretations of emerging data, contributing written work grounded in both scientific evidence and real-world clinical practice.

These submitted features explored a wide range of topics, including practical considerations in patient care, evolving diagnostic frameworks, and reflections on emerging therapies, unmet needs, and future directions across neurologic disease states. Together, they represent the voices of clinicians helping to shape ongoing conversations in the field. Below, we highlight a selection of standout clinician contributions from 2025, each offering a perspective worth a closer look.

How Multiple Sclerosis Affects Men – Robert Shin, MD, FAAN

In this feature, Robert Shin, MD, FAAN, a professor of neurology and ophthalmology at the University of Virginia and director of the UVA MS and Clinical Neuroimmunology Center, examines how multiple sclerosis uniquely affects men across diagnosis, disease progression, and long-term outcomes. Drawing on clinical data and real-world experience, he highlights biological factors, delays in diagnosis, and underrecognized mental health challenges that contribute to worse prognoses in men with MS. The piece underscores the importance of earlier recognition, comprehensive care, and reframing MS as a disease that demands equal vigilance regardless of sex.

The Transition of Care from Pediatric to Adult Neurology: Leaving the Cocoon – Susan Duberstein, MD

Drawing on her experience as an epileptologist and complex care specialist, Susan Duberstein, MD, associate professor of child neurology and pediatrics at Montefiore Einstein, outlines the often-overlooked challenges of transitioning patients from pediatric to adult neurology care. She highlights the critical roles of care continuity, patient education, psychosocial support, and multidisciplinary coordination in ensuring successful transitions for individuals with epilepsy and other chronic neurologic conditions. The article offers practical, clinician-focused insights on preparing patients and families for adulthood while minimizing gaps in care and long-term risk.

A Rationale and Step-by-Step Strategy for Including Care Partners in MS Care – Rosalind Kalb, PhD; Jon Strum

In this feature, Rosalind Kalb, PhD, and Jon Strum underscore the often-overlooked role of care partners in multiple sclerosis and outline why their well-being is essential to successful long-term disease management. The authors offer neurologists a practical, time-efficient framework for meaningfully engaging care partners from diagnosis through disease progression, with actionable strategies that can be implemented in both solo practices and comprehensive MS centers. By reframing MS as a shared disease experience, the piece highlights how supporting care partners can directly improve patient outcomes and care continuity.

What If Stroke Diagnosis Started in the Ambulance? The Role of Portable Technology in Accelerating LVO Detection and Treatment – Christopher Favilla, MD; Aaron Timm

Christopher Favilla, MD, of Penn Medicine, and Aaron Timm explore how portable optical blood flow monitoring could reshape prehospital stroke triage by improving early detection of large vessel occlusion. Drawing on emerging clinical data, they outline how real-time, noninvasive cerebral blood flow assessment may help EMS teams route patients directly to EVT-capable centers, reducing treatment delays and improving functional outcomes.

The Complement Connection in Guillain-Barre and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy – Kevin Chang, PharmD

Kevin Chang, PharmD, a longtime NeurologyLive contributor, examines the growing body of evidence implicating complement-mediated injury in Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The feature walks through the underlying immunopathophysiology, from nodal vulnerability and MAC formation to emerging biomarker data, while contextualizing recent phase 2 and phase 3 trial results with complement inhibitors. Together, the article offers a clinically grounded look at how targeted complement therapies may reshape treatment paradigms for inflammatory neuropathies beyond IVIg and plasma exchange.

Collateral Damage to Patients From Formulary Restrictions in Multiple Sclerosis: Perspectives from an MS Specialist, a Patient, and a Neurologist in Training – William Kilgo, MD

Drawing from clinical practice and trainee perspectives, William Kilgo, MD associate professor of neurology at the University of South Alabama, details a real-world case in which insurance coverage barriers led to a preventable MS relapse. Through patient testimony and resident commentary, the article exposes how step therapy and opaque prior authorization processes can undermine effective disease-modifying treatment. The piece serves as a call to action for clinician advocacy focused on preserving continuity of care and patient-centered decision-making.

Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Beyond CPAP and Toward Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation – Vaishal Shah, MD, MPH, FAASM, FAAP

Vaishal Shah, MD, MPH, FAASM, FAAP, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic, examines how obstructive sleep apnea management is shifting beyond CPAP toward neuromodulation-based therapies. He outlines the neurologic rationale, clinical evidence, and patient selection considerations for hypoglossal nerve stimulation, positioning it as an emerging brain-health–relevant option for patients who struggle with CPAP adherence. The piece highlights why neurologists should play a more active role in modern, precision-driven sleep apnea care.

The Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Neurology: Focus on Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis Care – Kiranpal Singh Sangha, PharmD

In this piece, Kiranpal Singh Sangha, PharmD, a clinical pharmacy specialist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, examines the expanding role of clinical pharmacists in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology care. He outlines how pharmacists improve medication access, manage complex DMT regimens, mitigate polypharmacy risks, and support adherence and safety in increasingly multidisciplinary neurology practices. The piece underscores why pharmacist integration is becoming essential as neurologic therapies grow more complex, costly, and risk-sensitive.