Neurology Community Transition Plans

Kara Smith, MD

Dear colleagues, 

It is extremely bittersweet for me to be departing UMass this coming June. In the past nearly ten years, I have been honored and humbled to work with you all each day. From the supportive sense of community to the dynamic intellectual connections, this department has shaped me so much as a clinician, educator, and researcher. I would like to thank in particular Dr. Brown, Dr. Silver and Dr. Barrett for their leadership and mentorship. Our Movement Disorders Division has achieved transformational growth, and none of that would have been possible without my amazing co-director Dr. Anindita Deb lending her passion and talent toward our mission.  

At Boston University/Boston Medical Center, I will be taking on the role of Division Chief of Movement Disorders and Fellowship Director. I look forward to leading some of the most pivotal and cutting-edge clinical trials in the Parkinson’s disease field, and collaborating with the renowned Sargent College of Rehabilitation Sciences on speech, technology, and neurorehab research. I hope to continue my interests in music therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, and to develop new programs to engage underrepresented populations in research.  

I have been so privileged to be part of the UMass Neurology family, and I sincerely hope to keep in touch.  

All the very best! 

Kara 

Alexander Lichtenberg, MD

Alexander Lichtenberg, MD, is completing the combined neurology/psychiatry residency program and will be working as a behavioral neurologist at the Swedish Neurological Institute in Seattle, WA. Before joining UMass Chan, Dr. Lichtenberg earned a BS in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and an MD from New York Medical College. Dr. Lichtenberg shares, “I have been privleged to learn a tremendous amount from many attendings in various divisions, particularly with the movement division and with Dr. Barrett in her cognitive neurology clinic at the VA. I have also had the opportunity to collaborate regularly with the epilepsy division on neuropsychiatric cases.” 

Dr. Lichtenberg, we wish you success in your upcoming endeavors! 

Michelle Manxhari, BA

Michelle Manxhari, BA, clinical research coordinator with a degree in Biology from College of the Holy Cross is excited to matriculate as a medical student at UMass Chan this fall and take on the new challenges and opportunities that come with it.  

Michelle has special interests in preventative medicine, emphasizing how lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and mental health influence overall wellness and can help prevent chronic conditions. While supporting neurology as a research coordinator, Michelle shared, “Although I didn’t have prior research experience, through my position as a CRC, I gained a deeper understanding of clinical research and its crucial role in advancing science and medicine. I’m very grateful for the experience.” 

Good Luck in med school, Michelle, we are glad we will still see you around campus! 

Natalia Munhoz Alvez

Natalia Munhoz Alvez, visiting scholar from the University of Campinas, Brazil, has completed her year-long program with UMass Chan in the Neuroimmune Interactions Lab, working with investigator Jean Pierre Schatzmann Peron, PhD. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of MS and the involvement of CD4 Cytotoxic T lymphocytes subpopulations in the neuropathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis. The research was also a collaboration with Dr. Carolina Ionete and Dr. Chris Hemond from the MS Center.

We want to send best wishes to our team members who have moved on from our community recently:

• Minh Lang, NP, from the Epilepsy Division
• Rajavi Sanghavi, CCC-SLP, from the Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence