Dr. Patwa, professor of neurology, neuromuscular medicine division chief, and VA neurology service chief, has been appointed Chief of Staff of VA Connecticut Health. Included in his new role, Dr. Patwa will also serve as Associate Dean for Veterans Affairs for Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Patwa is a consummate physician educator and has been an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of neuromuscular diseases for over twenty years. His research interests include inflammatory neuropathies, myopathies, myasthenia gravis, and amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and he has led countless clinical trials. He has also served as the Yale Neurology Clerkship Director.
Among his many accolades, he is a recipient of the ALS Association Beacon of Light Award and has advocated for veterans diagnosed with ALS at the federal level.
Dr. DiCapua, associate professor of clinical neurology, has begun a new role as acting chief of neuromuscular medicine. He succeeds former division chief Dr. Huned Patwa, following his new appointment at VA Connecticut. Dr. DiCapua’s previous leadership positions in the neuromuscular medicine division included: clinical chief, neuromuscular medicine; clinical director of neuromuscular medicine; and director, fellowship program, neuromuscular medicine.
As Acting Chief, Dr. DiCapua’s primary goal is to collaborate with neuromuscular medicine faculty to provide and expand the highest quality of patient care. He has even initiated weekly, multispecialty, neuromuscular education conferences that he hopes will translate into multidisciplinary clinics in the future.
Expanding the division’s research program will be an additional goal in the coming years. As well as increasing the number of neuromuscular clinical trials, Dr. DiCapua is eager to partner with the division’s research scientists and the program in Clinical and Translational Neuromuscular Research to advance the treatment of neuromuscular diseases.
Dr. Tokuno, associate professor of neurology, will serve as Interim Chief of Neurology at VA Connecticut.
On staff at VA Connecticut since 1999, he was initially involved in bench research, investigating development of local anesthetics, supported by a VA Career Award. He is currently the director of the EMG lab at the VA, organized an outpatient Neurology pain service, and supervises residents in the general neurology continuity clinics. Interested in the intersection of neurophysiology and pain, Dr. Tokuno’s research focuses on the use of botulinum toxins in treating chronic pain syndromes.