The University of Maryland Neuromuscular Program

Neuromuscular Physician Biographies

James W. Russell, M.D., M.S.
Director Neuromuscular Division
Medical Director, Maryland Neuropathy Center
Professor, Department of Neurology, Anatomy of Neurobiology

Dr. James Russell completed his neurology residency at the University of Iowa and completed training in neuromuscular/peripheral nerve disease and electrophysiology at the Mayo Clinic Rochester and the National Institutes of Health. He is board certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, and holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Research and Trial Design from the University of Michigan. Dr. Russell is a member of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Diabetes Association, and a Fellow of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine and of the Royal College of Physicians. He has an active neuromuscular practice as well as research program in peripheral neuropathy.

Research Interests:

Clinical Research: Dr. Russell has clinical research interests in neuromuscular diseases, and specifically in the study of peripheral neuropathies. He has active clinical research interests in the pathogenesis and treatment of neuropathy in diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, and in inflammatory neuropathies. He also has clinical and research interests in disorders of the autonomic nervous system, including autonomic neuropathies.
Translational Research: Dr. Russell's laboratory has as its research focus understanding the mechanisms and treatment of diabetic neuropathy and his laboratory is interested in developing strategies to decrease oxidative and excitotoxic stress in neurons and Schwann cells. The laboratory is currently examining pathways of oxidative and mitochondrial injury in the peripheral nervous system, and mechanisms to prevent or reverse cellular injury. Understanding these basic mechanisms of glucose-induced injury in the peripheral nerve will allow a more a rational design of therapies aimed at ameliorating diabetic neuropathy. Other research in the laboratory includes examining mechanisms of axonal growth and myelination in peripheral neuropathy. This translational research is aimed at developing improved diagnosis and treatment for peripheral neuropathies.

Charlene E. Hafer-Macko, M.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology
Director of Myasthenia Gravis Center

Dr. Charlene Hafer-Macko is Co-Director of the Neuromuscular Fellowship in the Department of Neurology. She completed her neurology residency at the University of California Los Angeles and completed neuromuscular disease and electrophysiology training at University of California Los Angeles and peripheral nerve disease fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins University. She's board certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology. She holds a Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. She has an active neuromuscular practice in peripheral neuropathies and myasthenia gravis. She serves as the Director of the Muscle and Molecular Biology Core for a National Institute of Aging Claude D. Pepper Center of Aging and several Baltimore Veterans Administration Center grants, including the Stroke Research Enhancement Award Program and Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence.

Research Interests:

Dr. Hafer-Macko's clinical translational research focuses on skeletal muscle alterations after chronic stroke and the impact of exercise rehabilitation on these structural and metabolic abnormalities in muscle. The fundamental findings are that pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with aging in skeletal muscle, including increased inflammatory pathway activation, oxidative injury, and atrophy, are accelerated following hemiparetic stroke and contribute to disability and impaired insulin and glucose metabolism. She is extending these research interests to clinical research trials of exercise rehabilitation for individuals with other neuromuscular conditions associated with aging, including myasthenia gravis, diabetic neuropathy, immune mediated and other peripheral neuropathies, and HIV.

Neil C. Porter, M.D.
Director Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Dr. Porter completed his Neurology Residency at John Hopkins, and his Neuromuscular/Electrophysiology Fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dr. Porter is board certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology.

Research Interests:

Muscular Dystrophy and Traumatic Nerve Injury.

Richard F. Mayer, M.D., FAAN, FRSM
Professor Emeritus of Neurology

Dr. Mayer completed his Neurology Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Neuromuscular/Electrophysiology Fellowships at the Harvard Neurological Unit, the Mayo Foundation and Clinic, and the National Hospital in London, UK.

Research Interests:

Studies of the pathophysiology of diseases of peripheral nerve and neuromuscular junction and how they may be improved by therapy.

This page was last updated on: June 23, 2010.

For more information about the University of Maryland Neuromuscular Program, or to make an appointment, call the University Physicians Consultation and Referral Service at 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).