Apr 20, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. - Michael Mega, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Providence Brain Institute to lead cognitive assessment clinical services at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
Dr. Mega received his medical degree at George Washington University. He completed his neurology residency at Boston University, a research fellowship in neurobehavior at UCLA, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA.
Dr. Mega’s focus is on cognitive neurology: disorders of memory, language, visuospatial processing and problem solving. In addition to working with patients who have already been diagnosed with early dementia, Dr. Mega sees people who are worried that their memory is worse than others their age. He notes that “Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain up to two decades before people start noticing signs such as forgetfulness, so it’s important to start intervening as early as possible.”
Dr. Mega will start seeing patients in his new office on the Providence St. Vincent campus in early May. Additionally, he anticipates taking part in two important clinical trials that are about to get under way nationwide. The first involves disease-modifying drugs that help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The second trial involves the use of a skin patch, designed to increase medication compliance for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Mega will recruit patients who live in the Portland-Vancouver area to be part of these trials.
"The addition of Dr. Mega continues our commitment to expand our clinical services and provide excellent neurological and neurosurgical care to our patients," said Bonnie Smith, Assistant Administrator for the Providence Brain Institute. The Providence Brain Institute brings together expert physicians, surgeons and researchers who provide excellent patient care and investigate and develop new treatments for stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and neurosurgical conditions.
Dr. Mega says he has always had a passion for understanding how humans think. "I’ve had a life-long love of how the brain works, how to keep it healthy, and what to do when we experience problems."
Dr. Mega’s office is in Mother Joseph Plaza, adjacent to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center: 9427 SW Barnes Road, Suite 595. Patients can call 503-216-1090 to schedule an appointment.
Providence Health & Services’s Providence Brain Institute cares for more stroke, multiple sclerosis and neurosurgery patients than any other health system in Oregon. The institute includes the Providence Stroke Center; the Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center; the Providence Epilepsy Center; the Providence ALS Center; the Gamma Knife Center of Oregon; and Providence Neurointerventional Services. For more information, visit www.providence.org/brain .
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