Department Overview

Section of Neuromuscular Disorders

Faculty:

Simon Zimnowodzki, MD Director of EMG Laboratory	Madhu Soni, MD Section Head	Irwin Siegel, MD
Megan Shanks, MD

Through the section of neuromuscular disorders, patients with disorders of the peripheral nervous system are evaluated in weekly neuromuscular disorder clinics. The Muscular Dystrophy Association-funded neuromuscular clinic is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of inherited neuromuscular disorders and selected acquired diseases. The full range of services includes physical and occupational therapy, respiratory and nutritional care, orthotics and social work.

An active electrodiagnostic service provides a full range of testing, including advanced nerve conduction techniques. The clinical neurophysiology fellowship is a certified integral program providing instruction in the neurophysiologic testing of disorders of the peripheral and central nervous system. The education of residents and fellows is a part of the daily routine of the section. Teaching conferences include a weekly neuromuscular/EMG conference.

Simon Zimnowodzki, MD, is assistant professor of neurology and director of the EMG lab at the Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center. He has been a neurologist for approximately twenty-five years, the first seventeen of which he practiced all facets of neurology, but with an emphasis on neuromuscular disease. For the last seven years, he focused exclusively on the subspecialty of electrodiagnostic medicine.

He completed his neurology residency at the University of Michigan and a neuromuscular fellowship at the University of Wisconsin. His formative years of EMG training were under the tutelage of one of the foremost authorities in electrodiagnostic medicine. He is board certified in Neurology and in the subspecialties of Neuromuscular Medicine and Clinical Neurophysiology. Additionally, he is boarded in EMG through the American Board of Electrdiagnostic Medicine.

"Dr. Zim" has a teaching style which is clinically oriented and hands-on, with an emphasis on the practical utility of EMG in the diagnosis and prognosis of various neuromuscular disorders. In the EMG lab residents learn techniques and concepts which hone their clinical skills in neuromuscular medicine, benefiting them regardless of whatever specialty in neurology they choose to practice. Moreover, residents are exposed to a host of neuromuscular conditions they would rarely see in any other clinic setting, and have the opportunity to participate in clinically oriented research topics.

Megan Shanks, MD, joined Rush University Neurologists in December 2004. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Northwestern University in 1988 and went on to obtain her medical degree from Rush Medical College in 1993. After finishing a residency in neurology at UC San Diego in 1997, Dr. Shanks went on to receive advanced training as a neurophysiology EMG fellow at the Cleveland Clinic in 1998. She practiced general neurology from 1998 to 2003 in the Chicago north shore area. During that time she treated a wide range of neurologic disorders, in particular stroke and neuromuscular disease, lectured at public health fairs, and served as an examiner for the ABPN.

At Rush from 2004 through 2006 she specialized in neurocritical care and stroke. Since 2006 she has focused on neuromuscular disease, and is proud to be a part of the muscular dystrophy team at the Rush MDA clinic. She is board certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and vascular neurology, and ASN certified in neurosonology. Dr. Shanks' specialty interests are in nerve and muscle disease. Dr. Shanks is delighted to be an active participant in residency education and patient care.