WASHINGTON (June 30, 2011) – The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences announced today that Henry J. Kaminski, M.D., will be joining the faculty as the Meta Amalia Neumann Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology in September 2011. Dr. Kaminski most recently served as professor and chair of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry and director of the Clinical Research Unit at the St. Louis University. He is an internationally recognized expert in the care of patients with myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. His research, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1993, focuses on understanding the biology of the extraocular muscle and the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis.
“Dr. Kaminski is an outstanding researcher, educator, and clinician in the field of neurology. We are delighted that he will be joining our faculty and bringing new leadership to GW’s Department of Neurology," said Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D, Interim Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Dean of GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Dr. Kaminski is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and serves as the editor of Myasthenia Gravis and Related Disorders, which is now in its second edition, and of Neuromuscular Disorders in Clinical Practice, one of the only comprehensive texts in the field of neuromuscular disease. He serves as councilor for the American Neurological Association, the world’s oldest neurological association, vice president of the Association of University Professors of Neurology, and chair of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
Dr. Kaminski received a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, an M.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and performed his internship in Internal Medicine and his residency in Neurology at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. He spent most of his career at Case Western Reserve University, where medical students elected him to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society for his dedication and excellence to teaching. During his time in Cleveland, he also was chief of the Neurology Service at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was awarded several performance awards for his work in the care of veterans.
Dr. Kaminski will succeed the outgoing chair, John J. Kelly, M.D., who has served as professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences with distinction for the last 20 years. Samuel J. Potolicchio Jr., M.D., professor of Neurology, Director of the Neurophysiology Center and Co-Director of the Center for Sleep Disorders, will serve as the interim chair of the Department of Neurology until Dr. Kaminski arrives.
