Synopsis
Neuroscience Advanced Clinical Imaging Service (NACIS) is the translational clinical and research program embedded in the Neurosurgery Department at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). Although officially established in January 2020, NACIS emerged from work since 2012 which was supported by a Clinical Paediatric Neurosurgery Research Fellowship from the RCH Foundation.
NACIS provides advanced neuroimaging analysis, integration, and visualisation, to complement the clinical expertise of multidisciplinary specialist teams. The service aims to enhance diagnostic and neurosurgical treatment capacity for children with brain disorders, aiming to improve their long-term outcomes and quality of life.
In this Grand Round, three NACIS members will introduce the program, illustrate the transformative impacts of NACIS upon clinical care so far, and discuss future opportunities for bridging the knowledge gap between clinical practice and the rapidly expanding landscape of advanced neuroimaging techniques.
Speakers
Dr Joseph Yang is the lead clinical research scientist for NACIS. He has a medical doctoral background in neurosurgery. His research focuses on exploring translation values of advanced diffusion MRI and white matter modelling techniques in childhood epilepsy and brain tumour neurosurgery. He completed a PhD in the surgical application of advanced diffusion MRI tractography in paediatric epilepsy surgery.
Dr Bonnie Alexander is a research fellow with a background in paediatric neuroimaging. Bonnie has had an integral role in the development of multiple neonatal brain atlases, and application of these atlases to investigating brain morphology and functional outcomes in children born prematurely. Bonnie completed a PhD in cognitive functional brain imaging and brain stimulation.
Dr Aaron Warren is an early career research fellow interested in multi-modal neuroimaging methods, neuromodulation therapies, and epilepsy. Aaron completed a PhD focusing on the utility of combined electrophysiology and functional MRI for understanding brain networks underpinning severe epileptic and developmental encephalopathies.