Introduction

(Content provider: Dr. Achal K Srivastava)

Neurology is one of the earliest super – specialty at the Institute. Dr. James Austin, a Neurologist from Oregon, USA started a nucleus of Neurology service in the department of Medicine in 1962-63. In 1965, Dr Sushila Nayar, then Union health minister, invited Prof. Baldev Singh (one of the founder members of NSI, Neurological Society of India) to start a department of Neurology at AIIMS. When Prof Baldev Singh (also called ‘father of neurology’ in India and lovingly called "Papa Neuron") moved to neurophysiology on his retirement, the department was headed by Dr S N Pathak and then by Dr Vimla Virmani in 1975. After Prof. Vimla Virmani, Prof. M C Maheshwari took charge of the department in 1978. The department was shifted to the Cardiothoracic and Neurosciences Centre in the year 1985. In the year 2001, Prof. M.Behari took over the mantle of leadership. She retired in June 2016. Prof Kameshwar Prasad became the head of the department in October 2013. He retired on 31st January 2019. Prof. MV Padma Srivastava took over the leadership on 1st February 2019. From its inception, the emphasis of the department has been on quality patient care, research and to achieve academic excellence. Though the department started with 25 in patient beds, now there are 75 beds including neurointensive care. Out patient services and inpatient care has been incessantly on the rise over the years. The department has tried to maintain impeccable record of comprehensive patient care, teaching and training of students as well as contribute significantly to the scientific literature in terms of research. The department actively pursues clinical care and research activities in the sub-specialities of Movement Disorders, Neuroinfections and immunology, Stroke, Intractable epilepsy, Neuro-muscular Disorders, Sleep, Headache, Dementia amongst others. The department is equipped with the latest modalities for the diagnosis and management of various neurological disorders. The department has been in the forefront of medical research since its formation and is renowned internationally for quality clinical and basic research, particularly in the field of stem cells, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, sleep and headache. Regular patient information programs and scientific deliberations are conducted by the department. The faculty of the department routinely participates in the public awareness programs on television, and radio etc. and are active in various national and international CME programs.