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ASK THE EXPERT
JOSEPH V. FRITZ, PHD, CEO DENT Neuroscience Research Center TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NEUROIMAGING AT DENT.
DENT NEUROLOGIC INSTITUTE ABOUT Founded in 1963, the Dent Neurologic Institute is the largest private neuroscience group practice in the United States. Its mission is to provide the highest quality care through comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services, with rapid access to expert teams lead by fellowship trained physicians. Dent maintains a leadership stature through education, research, patient advocacy and international collaborations.
CONTACT (716) 250-2000 dentinstitute.com LOCATIONS 3980 Sheridan Drive Amherst NY, 14226 200 Sterling Drive Orchard Park, NY 14127
Integrating new diagnostic and treatment protocols into a comprehensive, accessible outpatient clinic has been in our DNA since the Dent Neurologic Institute was founded in 1963. We were among the first in the nation to install CT and MRI scanners in the 70’s and 80’s. With never-before-seen visibility into neurologic disease, Dent established the American Society of Neuroimaging and the Dent Neuroimaging Fellowship Program to share discoveries. Today, our multispecialty team of clinicians and scientists continues to advance neuroimaging through clinical practice, education, guideline development and scientific discovery.
HOW IS DENT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER IMAGING CENTERS? Neuroimaging is fundamental to the workup of neurologic disorders and is tightly incorporated into our neurology practice. Given the sophisticated functioning of the nervous system and often subtle anomalies that are responsible for a patient’s symptoms, we believe it is critical to use fellowship trained experts in both neurology and imaging to optimize techniques and provide professional interpretation. We also employ clinical scientists that work with international experts to bring and enhance the latest technology for our patients. This unique combination of neuroimaging expertise, direct patient care relationship, and state of the art technology leads to highly effective diagnosis and treatment of the most complex neurologic disorders.
WHY CONDUCT RESEARCH IN PRIVATE PRACTICE SETTING? ISN’T THAT THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AND HOSPITALS? Keeping on the forefront of innovation requires a scientific infrastructure, which is indeed uncommon for an outpatient environment. But neurologic disorders are primarily managed outside the hospital, and it is the outpatient setting that houses the most complete patient record. As a comprehensive practice that has been in the community for 55 years, DENT possesses a richness of patient experience that lends itself to experiential learning and scientific discovery. In a nutshell, we see more patients, have access to more data, and are less inhibited by red tape than most institutions. Furthermore, our research is driven from a practical realism that resonates with everyday neurologists. We believe it is our obligation to leverage these unique advantages and use scientific methods to improve the care for all patients.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR DENT IMAGING? We have entered an era of explosive growth in treatment options for neurologic disorders. New quantitative imaging methods are being developed for precise targeting and tracking of therapeutic effectiveness. We have also entered into beta site agreements that give us early access to breakthrough technology. Examples include dramatic shortening of patient scan time, and exciting new insights into functional changes associated with behavioral, memory, pain and other neurological syndromes. Of course, we will continue to educate the neuroimaging community through national webinars, conference presentations, new fellowships, and journal publications.
