Editor’s note: This will appear in the HHC State of the System book


HHC Neuroscience Institute
Uncovering the mysteries of the brain is the challenge of modern medicine and the field of neuroscience. Hartford HealthCare has been leading that challenge for decades. Now, the Hartford HealthCare Neuroscience Institute is poised to go to the next level, recruiting nationally renowned physicians and developing innovative programs. Just in the last year, Dr. Mark J. Alberts was recruited to be the first physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Alberts will work closely with our expertly trained physicians and staff to ensure patients get the very best, innovative care available anywhere.

Hartford HealthCare launched a destination headache center, where patients come from across the country seeking the care of Dr. Brian Grosberg. Patients share stories of dramatically improved quality of life – free of the debilitating pain of migraine, a complex neurological disorder. Hartford Healthcare also launched a highly specialized Movement Disorders Center, led by Dr. Joy Antonelle DeMarcaida and Dr. Duarte Machado. Their team offers hope, along with leading-edge technology to patients suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Tourette syndrome and other movement disorders.

In addition, Dr. Joel Bauman is the only neurosurgeon in Connecticut who performs complex micro-surgeries on injured nerves outside the spine (nerve transfer surgeries for peripheral nerve injuries) and Dr. Brendan Killory performed the first Visualase case, a laser procedure to treat metastatic brain tumors and the second ever reported (in the world) awake craniotomy in a pregnant woman who had a brain tumor near her language areas.

All of these newer services and procedures complement a strong foundation of Neuroscience care, including the Stroke Center at Hartford Hospital, which received American Stroke Association “Get with the Guidelines” recognition and Joint Commission designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and the Hospital of Central Connecticut Stroke Center, which is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission.