IDEAS Symposium Focuses on Neurological Health Disparities

The symposium is part of the larger IDEAS Committee, a group within the Miller School’s Department of Neurology centered on social justice and advocacy.

Illustration of man holding his head in pain

This year’s second annual Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism, and Social Justice (IDEAS) Symposium hosted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology revealed stark neurological health disparities endured by underserved communities.

The IDEAS Symposium is part of the larger IDEAS Committee, a group within the neurology department centered on social justice and advocacy. IDEAS is spearheaded by Teshamae Monteith, M.D. ‘04, professor of clinical neurology and chief of the Headache Division at the Miller School.

Continuing the Diversity Conversation

Last year’s inaugural symposium created a forum to advance diversity and equity in health care. This year’s symposium continues that mission as it serves one of the department’s key initiatives: Fostering an environment of inclusive excellence. The IDEAS Committee led both symposiums:

Annelly Buré-Reyes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Division at the Miller School

Erika Marulanda-Londono, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of clinical neurology in the Stroke Division and associate program director of the Neurology Residency Program

Paige Kalika, D.O., assistant professor of clinical neurology, pediatric neurology and headache in the Pediatric Neurology Division at the Miller School

“IDEAS is a formal space to showcase scholarly endeavors centered around diversity issues in neurological care,” said Annelly Buré-Reyes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Division at the Miller School. “Our symposium was designed to encourage researchers, practitioners, trainees and advocates to share their work, experiences and insights.”

Jessica Kiarashi, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, gave the symposium’s keynote address, discussing equity in headache medicine for underserved populations.

Department of Neurology representatives displayed and discussed their research during the symposium, including five oral presentations on health disparities in underserved communities and a 13-poster session that addressed sleep health in Hispanic communities, stroke care disparities and the lack of minority enrollment in research.

IDEAS Symposium keynote speaker
Symposium keynote speaker Dr. Jessica Kiarashi (second from left) with IDEAS Committee members (far left) Dr. Erika Marulanda-Londono, (second from right) Dr. Annelly Bure-Reyes and (far right) Dr. Paige Kalika.

“Health disparities are present in all areas of medicine and our symposium aims to address these with comprehensive innovation,” Dr. Buré-Reyes said. “This year, we’ve included rapid-fire presentations from members at all training levels to showcase their work in the IDEAS realm. This approach covers all facets of patient care and research, fostering a comprehensive understanding and collaborative effort to reduce disparities and improve health care outcomes.”

Notable projects included:

• Jude Hassan Charles, M.D., from the Department of Neurology’s Stroke Division, discussing the development of a stroke-awareness tool for the Haitian community.

• Taylor Peabody, M.D., from the Department of Neurology’s Movement Disorders Division, speaking about advance care planning and disparities in end-of-life care in underrepresented populations

Both presentations highlighted critical efforts to address disparities in health care and provided innovative solutions to improve outcomes in underserved communities.

“Since diverse populations have different needs, DEI education/awareness can assist in recognizing these challenges,” Dr. Marulanda-Londono said. “Overall, this awareness can improve patient outcomes and cultural competence and reduce health disparities. These efforts will ultimately contribute to inclusive excellence in health care and lead to our department being a model for other institutions.”

For the 2025 symposium, the IDEAS Committee hopes to have representatives from every division within the Department of Neurology. Additionally, there are plans to increase attendance from related fields, continue to grow audiences and support interdisciplinary collaboration while making the symposium available via Zoom to other academic neurology departments.


Tags: Diversity & Inclusion, Dr. Teshamae Monteith, headache medicine, health disparities, IDEAS committee, inclusion, neurology, stroke