ANNOUNCEMENT - Mohamad Koubeissi, MD, MA, FAAN, FANA, FAES, professor of neurology, has been selected to serve as interim chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine. Koubeissi currently serves as the Director of the Epilepsy Center at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).
“Dr. Koubeissi brings a background of innovation and leadership to this role. I am grateful to him for taking on this critically important position during this time of recovery and growth at The GW MFA and SMHS,” said Barbara L. Bass, MD, professor of surgery, Walter A. Bloedorn Chair of Administrative Medicine, vice president for health affairs at GW, dean of GW SMHS, and CEO of The GW Medical Faculty Associates.
In addition to serving as the director of the Epilepsy Center, which for years has earned the highest designation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC), Koubeissi leads the annual GW Epilepsy Board Review Course and the world-renowned, monthly live-streaming series GW Epilepsy Seminar Series. He holds the title of Fellow with the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, and the American Epilepsy Society. He also has earned numerous other honors, including the 2012 Innovation Award from the School of Engineering at Case Western for his research on deep brain stimulation in epilepsy.
Koubeissi has lectured on the medical and surgical treatment of intractable epilepsy across the United States as well as in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. His research on consciousness and epilepsy was featured in a 2015 National Geographic documentary that aired around the world in more than 50 languages. He has published over 110 peer-reviewed papers and edited four books on epilepsy.
“His creativity, ability to innovate and lead, and his commitment to excellence, make Dr. Koubeissi the right person to serve in this position. I am very pleased that he is willing to expand his portfolio and take on the important duties of the interim chair role in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Dr. Koubeissi on important initiatives at the MFA and the School,” said Anton N. Sidawy, MD, MPH, FACS, professor and Lewis B. Saltz Chair of the Department of Surgery, and chief physician executive of the GW MFA.
“I am honored to take on this new role. I have enjoyed the partnership I’ve had with fellow faculty members in the department and I know that our working relationship will continue to flourish as we all move forward together,” said Koubeissi. “I am very grateful to Dr. Kaminski for the leadership and mentorship he has provided me and others in the department. We are pleased that he is remaining on our faculty to focus on his research and will be a big part of the neurosciences Center of Excellence.”
Koubeissi assumed the role of interim chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine effective March 1, 2023. A national search for a permanent chair will be initiated.
Henry Kaminski, MD, out-going chair of the Department, will continue to serve the academic medical enterprise in several missions. As a leader in the department, he will continue his activities as a clinician and educator while devoting more time to his acclaimed translational and clinical research initiatives in myasthenia gravis and the NIH Rare Disease Network on Myasthenia Gravis. Dr. Kaminski has served as chair of the department for nearly 12 years and built an outstanding team of academic physicians with deep clinical expertise as well as a slate of acclaimed educational and research programs.
“Dr. Kaminski has been an outstanding colleague, educator, clinician, and leader at SMHS and the MFA for the past 12 years. During his tenure as Chair of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, the department has flourished. We are grateful to him for his commitment to his students, residents, faculty, and for continually fostering excellence across the department. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Dr. Kaminski, as he transitions into his new role at SMHS and MFA,” said Dean Bass.
