Neurosurgery and Neurology Host the NY Chapter of the Dominican Medical Association

Recently Neurosurgery and Neurology partnered together to host the Dominican Medical Association of NY’s latest medical education program for patients, “Surgical management of movement disorders: a multidisciplinary approach.” Dr. Casilda Balmaceda (profile) and Co-Chief of Functional Neurosurgery, Dr. Gordon Baltuch each spoke to share the Neurosciences' latest approach for managing these conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremor and Alzheimer’s. The group gathered on campus at the Hammer Building where patients, caregivers, students and other representatives from the organization came to learn the many care options available, including surgery.

In these cases, especially where surgery is a consideration, having a strong relationship between neurologists and our neurosurgeons is key. Says Dr. Gordon Baltuch, “Since arriving at Columbia, I have worked closely with Dr Casilda Balmaceda, a Columbia/NI trained neurologist who has a large community predominantly Hispanic practice in Washington Heights. Our multidisciplinary presentation to the Dominican medical association gave us an opportunity to update our community physicians on the latest medical and surgical therapies for essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease.”   Dr. Baltuch has worked extensively with this particular patient population, including his recent trip to DR to present his groundbreaking work at the Dominican Society of Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Dr. Balmaceda also shared, "The conference showed excellent teamwork between our community and all the neurological issues it entails including Dr Baltuch, who is at the forefront of surgical treatment of these conditions. I represent the neurological issues of the Hispanic community and treat them with empathy, knowledge and passion. I have found in Dr.  Baltuch a kindred spirit where my patients are comfortable and  know they can trust in his care. This talk is the beginning of an excellent collaboration between me, the Hispanic  community and Dr. Baltuch.”

The Dominican Medical Association of NY was founded by a group of physicians from the Dominican Republic on April 26, 1997. Its collective mission is, “to educate our community on health issues and assist newly arrived physicians from abroad in gaining a foothold in their field by providing them with the necessary tools to pass U.S. medical boards and then integrating them into the local medical community through partnerships developed with public and private medical centers.”

The monthly conference event of the DMA-Inc. NY is coordinated by Dr. Douglas Mendez, co-chair of the Board of Directors, who completed his Master of Sciences at Columbia University an actually is the Senior Staff Associate for Research at The Sergievsky Center & Taub Institute for Research of the Aging Brain. Dr. Mendez shared, “Our organization is grateful for the support we have received from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and extremely pleased to have Dr. Baltuch on board for the past conference. We look forward to having him back soon.”

Columbia Neurosurgery continues its deep partnership with both Dominican doctors and their patients as we continue to share our latest surgical techniques and neurosurgical research findings around the world.  We look forward to future events together that will continue to educate and support this unique patient population.