Name: Shari Malini DeSilva, M.D.
Licensure
2004: Arkansas
Board Certifications (all current):
1982: Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners
1987: Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
1992: Diplomate, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine
1994 (recert. 2004): Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with Special Qualifications in Clinical Neurophysiology
1997: Diplomate, American Board of Pain Medicine
1997: Diplomate, American board of Independent Medical Examiners (Recert. 2002)
2001: Diplomate, American Board of Sleep Medicine
2001: Diplomate, American Association of Medical Review Officers
2003: Diplomate, American Board of Ambulatory Medicine
Other:
ACLS Certification 12/2002, PALS certification 2/2003; ATLS certification 4/03
Education:
Six Year Combined BS/MD program:
Undergraduate: Northwestern University, Evanston, ILL 1975-1979
Medical School: Northwestern University, Chicago, ILL 1977-1981
Internship: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, ILL 1981-1982
Neurology Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 1982-1985
Neuromuscular Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimre, MD 1985-1987
Neuroimmunology Fellowship: at N.I.N.C.D.S., N.I.H., Bethesda, MD 1987-1991
Course Work: Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences, NIH, Bethesda MD 1987-1991 (20 credits in Immunology, Genetics and Statistics)
Course Work: Trinity Theological College, University of Melbourne College of Divinity
2002-present (online) toward Masters in Divinity
Work Experience:
1991-1992: Acting Director of Electromyography Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Neurology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Saw patients with Neurological, Neuroimmune, and Neuromuscular illnesses, and did EMG studies, and taught residents).
1992-1999: Chief, Neuromuscular Section, Chief Cellular Immunology Laboratory, and Chief Pain Medicine at VAMC Washington DC and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University, Washington DC, and Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, USUSHS, Bethesda MD. (I saw patients with neurological and neuromuscular disorders and chronic pain, did EMG studies, read EEGs and sleep studies, taught residents, and performed invasive pain procedures including epidural steroid injection and facet denervation.
1999-2000: Private Practice in Central/East Indiana: I saw in and outpatients with a broad range of neurological diseases, performed EMGs, did Pain procedures, and read EEGs, Evoked potentials, and Sleep studies.
2000-2004: Neurologist for Parkview Occupational Health, Fort Wayne, IN: I performed Neurological consults, did EMGs and Pain procedures on patients with Occupational illnesses, and serve as an Independent Medical Examiner for Disability determinations.
2004 to present: Neurologist, St. Mary's Hospital, Rogers Arkansas. I see in and outpatients, perform and interpret EEGs, EMGs, sleep studies, and perform a variety of procedures.
Locum Tenems/Volunteer Work:
1988-1991: Volunteer Physician, Zachaeus Medical Clinic (Free clinic) Washington DC (general medical care)
1998-1999: Locum Tenem's work for Neurology Associates of Greenbelt, involving weekend inpatient consultative care at area hospitals in Maryland.
1999: Locum Tenems work for America On-Line as On-line consultative physician during weekend hours.
2000-2004: Volunteer Neurologist and Medical Director;Struggling Readers; program (Evaluate and treat children with learning disorders, ADHD and reading failure through the Catholic Church, Fort Wayne, IN (2003-2004: Volunteer Neurologist Mathew 25 Health and Dental Clinic, (free clinic) Fort Wayne
2003-2004: Locum Tenems work for Indiana Epilepsy and Child Neurology, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
2004 to present: Struggling Reader Foundation (Fort Wayne, IN and Rogers, Arkansas)
Honors/Awards:
1973: Washington Heart Association High School Research Award
1974: American Cancer Association High School Research Award
1987: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dept. of Neurology Award for Resident Teaching
Professional Society Memberships:
American Academy of Neurology
American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine
American Association of Sleep Medicine
University/Government/Hospital Service:
1991-92: Director of Resident Education, Temple University School of Medicine
1992-95: Hospice Committee, Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
1993-95: Research and Development Committee, Dept. of VAMC
1995-99: Acute Pain Task Force, Dept. of VAMC
1995-99: Resident Coordinator for Clinical Neurophysiology Teaching Program.
1999: Director, Pain Services, VISN 5 (Mid-Atlantic Region for the Dept. of VA)
2001-2002: Nutrition and Pharmacy Committee, Whitley Hospital, Columbia City, IN
2002-2003: POHC leadership Group, Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, IN
2004-present: Ethics Committee St. Mary's Hospital, Rogers AR
Teaching Activities:
1984: Instructor, Johns Hopkins Neuropathology Course (for Medical Students)
1986-87: Instructor and course organizer, Neuromuscular Disease course (for Johns Hopkins Residents)
1990-1991: Instructor, NIH. Neuroscience Course (for Neurology Nurse Interns)
1992-1999: Liason for Am. Board Electrodiag. Med. In Service Examination.
1992-1999: Director, Neuromuscular Review Course (for Neuro Residents and Fellows).
1997-1999: Pain Course (For Chronic Pain Patients)
2001-2002: Lectures on Learning Disorders and Sleep Medicine (to Fort Wayne Community)
Research Grants:
1985: NIH Immunology Training Grant A107247 Total Period 9/1/85-8/31/87.
1985: Johns Hopkins Hospital Institutional Research Grant RR5378;Total Lymphoid Irradiation in the Treatment of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis; (DB Drachman PI, SM Desilva CoPI)
1991: Temple University Hospital Biomedical Research Support Grant SO7 RR05417 Total Period 12/1/91-12/01/92.
1991-1992: Trial of Sandoglobulin in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Inflammatory Neuropathy; (Sandoz Corp. R. Babbington, PI)
1992: Clinical Investigator Development Award, NINDS (grant awarded but not accepted due to my transfer to the Dept. of VAMC, Washington DC).
1994-97: Dept. of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Grant: Total Period 4/94-4/97 (SM Desilva PI) ;The Regulation of Virus Specific Immunity in Multiple Sclerosis.
Publications:
Full Length Scientific Papers:
1. Hansen R., Desilva S. and Strickland GT: Antisporozoite antibodies in mice immunized with irradiation attenuated plasmodium berghei sporozoites. Trans. Royal Soc. Trop. Med. And Hyg. 73: 50 (1979) 574-5.
2. Strickland GT, Desilva S., and Sayles PC: Lymphocyte changes in murine and human malaria Tropenmed. Parasitol. 30 (1) (1979) 35-42
3. Drachman DB, Desilva S, Ramsey D, and Pestronk A: Humoral pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis. Ann. NY Acad. Sci 505 (1987) 90-104.
4. Desilva S, Drachman DB, Mellits D. and Kuncl RW: Prednisone treatment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Long-term benefit. Arch. Neurol. 44 (1987) 818-822.
5. Blum JE, Desilva S, Drachman DB and Order SE: Low dose rate total lymphoid irradiation: A new method of rapid immunosuppression. Int. J. Rad. Onc. Bio. Phys. 15 (1988) 547-552.
6. Desilva S, Blum JE, Drachman DB, McIntosh K and Order SE: Treatment of experimental myasthenia gravis with total lymphoid irradiation. Clin. Immunol. Immmunopath. 48 (1988) 31-41.
7. Desilva S, Kuncl RW, Griffin JW, Cornblath DR and Chavosusty S: Paramyotonia congenita or hyperkalemic periodic paralysis? Clinical and electrophysiological features of each entity in one family. Muscle Nerve 13 (1990) 21-26.
8. Drachman DB, McIntosh KR, Desilva S, Kuncl RW and Kahn C: Strategies for the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Ann. N.Y.Acad. Sci. 540 (1988) 176-186.
9. Desilva S, McIntosh KR, Blum J, Order SE, Mellits D and Drachman DB: Total lymphoid irradiation and antigen specific tolerance: Future therapy for experimental myasthenia gravis? J.Neuroimmunol. 29 (1990) 92-103.
10. Desilva S and McFarland HF: Multiple sclerosis patients have reduced HLA Classs II restricted cytotoxic responses specific for both measles and herpes virus. J. Neuroimmunol. 35 (1991) 219-226.
11. McClatchey A, McKenna-Yasek D, Cross D, Worthen H, Kuncl RW, Desilva S, Cornblath D, Gusella J and Brown R: Novel mutations in families with unusual and variable disorders of the skeletal muscle sodium channel. Genetics 2 (1992) 148-152.
12. Kuncl RW, Wittstein I, Adams RN, Wiggins WW, Avila O, Pestronk A, McIntosh K, Lucas D, Desilva S, Lehar M and Drachman DB (1993) A novel therapy for myasthenia gravis by reducing the endocytosis of acetylcholine receptors. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 298-302.
13. Desilva S, Marks S, Golden D, Mahalingham R, Balish M, Sandbrink F and Houff S: Zoster Myelitis: Improvement with antiviral therapy in two cases. Neurology 47 (1996) 929-931.
14. Misra, D., DeSilva, S., Fellerman H. Dufour, DR,. Streeten, D. Nylen E: Hyperkalaemia and selective hypoaldosteronism in myotonic dystrophy (2002) Clinical Endocrinology 56 (2): 271-275
Abstracts:
1. Blum JL, Desilva S, Drachman DB and Order SE (1986): Total Lymphoid irradiation in the treatment of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Neurol. 26 (Suppl. I): 160.
2. Desilva S, Blum JE, Drachman DB and Order SE (1986) Total lymphoid irradiation in the treatment of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Neurol. 36 (Supl. 1) 160.
3. Desilva S, Drachman DB, Mellits D and Kuncl RW (1987) Prednisone treatment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Long-term benefit. Neurol. 37 (Suppl. 1): 160
4. Drachman DB, Desilva S, Ramsay D and Pestronk A (1987) Seronegative myasthenia gravis: A humorally mediated variant of myasthenia Neurol. 37 (Suppl. 1) 214.
5. Desilva S, McIntosh K, Blum J, Shih P, Order S and Drachman D (1988) Total lymphoid irradiation and Antigen Specific Tolerance. Neurol. 38 (Suppl. 1) 376.
6. Desilva S, Krupp Iand McFarland H (1990) In vitro antibody responses to measles infection and Pokeweek mitogen stimulation in patients with multiple sclerosis Neurol. 40 No. 4 (Suppl. 1) 368.
7. Kuncl RW, Drachman DB, Adams R, Witstein I, Wiggins W, Avila O, Pestronk A, McIntosh, K, Maurath D, Desilva S, Shih P, and Lehar M (1991) Novel therapy of myasthenia gravis by reducing endocytosis of acetylcholine receptors. Neurol. 41 (Suppl.) 345.
8. Desilva S and McFarland H (1991) Patients with multiple sclerosis have defective HLA Class II restricted cytotoxic responses to both measles and herpes simplex type I viruses. Neurol. 41 (Suppl. 1) 368.
9. Gottfried M, Hunter K, Desilva S and Houff SA: Crainial Neuropathies associated with 2- Dideoxyinosine therapy for HIV infection. Neurol. 44 (Suppl 2) April 1994
10. Sandbrink F, Desilva S, Jamieson D, Simuni T (1997) Electrodiagnostic evaluation of lead neuropathy. Neurol. 48 (Suppl. A105).
