Meet the new Moving Along Editorial Board members

Vanessa Carvalho, MD,
Portugal

I was born and grew up in Vidago, a small city in the North of Portugal. I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto in 2014 and completed my training in neurology at Hospital Pedro Hispano in Matosinhos in 2021.  

During my residency, I had the opportunity to pursue fellowships in Movement Disorders at University College of London and at Hospital Santa Maria. During my training I was also a founding member of the Portuguese Residents and Young Neurologists Section (CIREN) in 2017 and was part of the Board of the Resident and Research Fellow Section (RRFS) European Academy of Neurology (EAN) from 2018 until 2023.  

Since 2021, I have been a Neurologist at Hospital Santa Maria in Lisbon, working at the Neurogenetics and Movement Disorders clinic, and I am pursuing a PhD in Clinical Research. My main fields of interest are rare neurological disorders, particularly chorea and ataxia, evidence-based care, and sex and gender differences in neurological disorders.  

I am very interested in advocacy for neurological disorders and the work developed by non-governmental scientific societies, and I am currently part of the Guideline Production Group and the Coordinating Panel on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the EAN; the Young Members Steering Committee of the MDS; and the Young Neurologists Sub-Committee of the Education Committee of the World Federation of Neurology.   

Outside of Neurology I enjoy traveling, trekking, reading, drawing, painting, knitting, attending music festivals, and spending time with family, friends, and my two cats (who enjoy interrupting  video meetings).  

Elie Matar, BSc(Adv), MD, PhD, FRACP, 
Australia

Dr. Elie Matar is a subspecialist movement, cognitive and sleep neurologist and early career clinician-scientist based in Sydney, Australia. He undertook his foundational training in Sydney before pursuing further clinical training and post-doctoral research through international fellowships and visitorships in movement disorders and behavioral neurology, including at the Queen Square National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery (London, UK). He currently holds a joint academic and clinical position leading a program of research spanning methods integrating clinical phenotyping, advanced and computational neuroimaging, electrophysiology and neuropathology in Lewy body dementia, isolated REM sleep behavior disorder, and Parkinson’s disease. His research aims to understand the mechanisms and progression of sleep, and cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms of Lewy body disorders to develop new treatment targets and biomarkers. He is passionate about cross-disciplinary research and practice and teaching and contributing to the MDS through online modules and committee roles. Through his involvement with Moving Along, he hopes to contribute to the dissemination of cutting-edge research and foster global discussions on advancing the field of movement disorders.

Daniel Gams Massi, MD, 
Cameroon

I am Dr. Daniel Gams Massi, a consultant neurologist at the Douala General Hospital since 2018, and lecturer of neurology in the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala. I have completed my training as general practitioner in the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé 1 in 2012, and as neurologist in the neurology department of Fann National Teaching Hospital, University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal in 2017. I have been trained in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy in Senegal. I am also a researcher, with more than 60 publications in different fields of neurology, including Movement Disorders.  

I am involved in community health through several continuous medical education for primary health care professionals and general practitioners working in peripheral health facilities. I am also involved in local and international scientific societies; I am the immediate secretary general and current treasurer of the African Academy of Neurology, the secretary general of the Cameroonian academy of neurology, and a member of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-African Section Executive Committee since 2023.  

My interest in Movement Disorder field is to promote education and access to diagnosis and care for the community. Regarding research, I am mostly involved in the epidemiological, clinical research, and genetic studies of Parkinson’s disease in Africa. 

Vikram Holla, MD, DM, 
India

I am Vikram Holla and I am currently based in Bengaluru, India. I grew up in rural India and completed my primary education at a local school in my hometown. Thereafter, I went on to pursue graduation at VIMS, Ballari, followed by post-graduation in General Medicine from UCMS & GTBH, Delhi. Later, I did my neurology residency from KGMU, Lucknow, and completed a PDF in Movement Disorders at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.  

Transitioning from a small rural town to some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country has been a transformative experience. Since 2019, I have been serving as a neurologist at NIMHANS, a premier referral institute of national importance. My professional focus revolves around patient care and advancing the understanding of movement disorders. Clinically and through research, I am deeply involved in exploring the genetics of movement disorders, improving management strategies for rare movement disorders, advocating for better awareness and care, and performing deep brain stimulation surgeries. Additionally, I have a strong interest in neuroinfections and infection-related movement disorders.  

On a personal note, I am a family-oriented individual who cherishes spending time with my wife and our beloved dog, Mishti. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and discovering pet-friendly breweries, combining my love for food and my furry companion.