NSGR - Mimics of Autoimmune Encephalitis - Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan, MD (University of California Davis - Davis, CA)

At the end of this presentation, participants should be able to:

• Recognize classic features of patients with a diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis
• Identify red flag features suggesting an alternative diagnosis
• Apply a structured approach to evaluating patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms

About this presenter:

Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Co-Director, Pediatric Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disease Program
University of California Davis

Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan is currently a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of California Davis. Dr. Vaidyanathan completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at the combined 6-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. After completing her pediatric neurology residency at Phoenix Children's Hospital, she did further subspecialty fellowship training in neuroimmunology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. As the Co-Director of the Pediatric Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disease Program at UC Davis, which is only one of three programs in the Northern California area, Dr. Vaidyanathan is working to grow the presence of pediatric neuroimmunology in the Sacramento area. Her research interests include identifying and addressing health disparities and inequities in patients with neuroinflammatory conditions. She also has a passion for medical education and training the next generation of neurologists, which she attributes to the many inspirational mentors she worked with while at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s, as well as her role as Education Chief during her 5th year of residency.