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Demyelination of the Central Nervous System in Canadian Children

Brief Biography

Dr. Banwell graduated with a degree in Medicine from the University of Western Ontario in 1991. She pursued a residency in paediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario, University of Western Ontario, from 1991-1994 and a Paediatric Neurology residency at The Hospital For Sick Children, University of Toronto from 1994-1997. Dr. Banwell successfully completed the American Board Certification in Pediatrics, the Canadian Fellowship Examination in Paediatrics in 1994 and the Canadian Neurology Fellowship Examinations in 1997. After completing training in Paediatrics and Neurology, Dr. Banwell spent two years completing a Neuromuscular Disease Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Banwell is the Director of the Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, a multidisiplinary clinic dedicated to children with multiple sclerosis and other acquired demyelinating diseases. Dr. Banwell also runs a weekly paediatric neuromuscular disorders clinic.

Areas of Specialty

Paediatric onset neuromuscular disease and paediatric multiple sclerosis.

Clinical Care Activities

Paediatric onset neuromuscular disease and paediatric multiple sclerosis

Academic Background

Neuromuscular Research Fellow
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Research Interests

Immunological and virological studies in demyelinating disease;
pathological studies of paediatric myopathies

Research Activities

Clinical studies focus on the cognitive and neuroimaging features of paediatric multiple sclerosis while basic science work focusses on T- and B-cell autoimmunity studies.

External Funding

Immune regulation and biomarker development for pediatric and adult autoimmune diseases. Bar-Or A, Banwell B, Piccirillo P, Sherman P, Polychronakos C: Canadian Institutes of Health Research - New Emerging Team Grants (2007 - 2012)

Validation of accelerometry as a meausre of physical activity and inactivity in children with chronic disease. Feldman B, Stephens S, Takken T, Van der Net J, Tremblay M, Eslinger D, Bigger W, Wright V, Schneiderman-Walker J, Longmuir P, Banwell B, Beyenne J: Canadian Institute of Health Research, Institute of musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis - Seed Grant: Physical Activity, Sport and Health Competition. (2007 - 2008)

Achievements

2007 - Woman Against Multiple Sclerosis
Woman of the Year Award.

2006 - AAN Leadership Development Program (Selected)
American Academy of Neurology.

2006 - The William A. Hawke Award - Clinical Excellence in Teaching
The Hospital for Sick Children.

2006 - Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Recipient.

2002 - Faculty Award for Clinical Excellence
The Hospital for Sick Children

2002 - William A. Hawke Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Hospital for Sick Children

1999 - The Neurology Fellow Research Award
(Awarded by the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota)

1997 - The President's Prize
(Awarded by the Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences, and presented at the Plenary Session of the 32nd Annual Meeting, June, 1997. Moebius Syndrome - skeletal and facial muscle pathology")

1997 - Humanitarian Award
(Awarded by The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation)

1997 - American Academy of Neurology Resident Scholarship Award
(Presented at the 49th Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April, 1997)

1996 - The Prichard Prize
(Awarded for the best presentation at the Annual
Neurology Resident Research Day, Department of Pediatric Neurology
University of Toronto. ¡§Infantile Spasms: the Role of MRI¡¨).

Publications

Banwell B, Ghezzi A, Bar-Or, Mikaeloff AY, Tardieu M: Multiple sclerosis in children: invited review. Lancet Neurology 2007: 6: pp 887-902. PA

Banwell B: Clinical features and viral serologies in pediatric multiple sclerosis: results of multinational study. Lancet Neurology 2007: 6: pp 773-781. PA

Banwell, B: Editorial. The long (itudinally extensive) and the short of it: transverse in children. Neurology 2007: 68(18): pp 1447-1449. PA

Tenembaum S, Chitnis T, Ness J, Hahn JS, Banwell B: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S23-S36. C

Pohl D, Waubant B, Banwell, B, Chabas D, Chitnis T, Weinstock-Guttman B, Tenembaum S; for the International Pediatric MS Study Group: Treatment of pediatric multiple sclerosis and variants. Neurology 2007: 68 (16): pp S54-S65. C

Ness JM, Chabas D, Sadovnick AD, Pohl D, Banwell B, Weinstock-Guttman B; for the International Pediatric Study Group: Clinical features of children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S37-S45. C

MacAllister WS, Boyd JR, Holland NJ, Milazzo MS, Krupp LB; for the International Pediatric MS Study Group: The psychosocial consequences of pediatric multiple sclerosis. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S66-S69. C

Krupp LB, Banwell B, Tenembaum S; for the International Pediatric MS Study Group: Consensus definitions proposed for pediatric multiple sclerosis and related disorders. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S7-S12. SRI

Hahn JS, Pohl D, Rensel M, Rao S, Banwell B: Differential diagnosis and evaluation in pediatric multiple sclerosis. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S13-S22. C

Feasby T, Banwell B, Benstead T, Bril V, Brouwers M, Freedman M: Guidelines on the use of intravenous immune globulin for neurologic conditions. Transfusion Medicine Reviews 2007: 21 suppl 1: pp S57-S107. C

Belman AL, Chitnis T, Renoux C, Waubant E, Banwell B: Challenges in the classification of pediatric multiple sclerosis and future directions. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S70-S74. C

Banwell B, Shroff M, Ness JM, Jeffrey D, Schwid S, Weinstock-Guttman B; for the International Pediatric MS Study Group: MRI features of pediatric multiple sclerosis. Neurology 2007: 68: pp S46-S53. PA

O'Connor K, McLaughlin KA, De Jager PL, Chitnis T, Bettelli E, Xu C, Robinson WH, Cherry SV, Bar-Or A, Banwell B, Fukaura H, Tenembaum S, Wong SJ, Tavakoli NP, Idrissova Z, Viglietta V, Rostasy K, Pohl D, Dale RC, Freedman M, Steinman L, Buckle GJ, Kuchroo VK, Hafler DA, Wucherpfennig KW: Self-assembling antigen tetramers permit discrimination of autoantibodies to folded and denatured self-antigens in demyelinating diseases. Nature Medicine 2007: 13: pp 211-217. C

Maegawa G, Stockley T, Tropak M, Banwell B, Blaser S, Kok K, Giugliani R, Mahuran D, Clarke J: The natural histroy of juvenile or subacute GM2 gangliosidosis: 21 new cases and literature review of 134 previously reported. Pediatrics 2007: 118(5): pp 1550-62. C

Payne ET, Rutka JT, Ho TK, Halliday WC, Banwell B: Treatment leading to dramatic recovery in acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis. Journal of Child Neurology 2007: 22(1): pp 109-113(C). SRI

Saengpattrachai M, Ray PN, Hawkins CE, Berzen A, Banwell B: Grandpa and I have dystrophinopathy?: approach to asymptomatic hyperCKemia. Pediatric Neurology 2006: 35(2): pp 145-9(C). SRI

Minassian B, Raeka A, Alic S, Banwell B, Villanova M, Fardeau M, Mandell J, JuelV, Rafii M, Auranen M, Kalimo H. Narrowing in on the causative defect of an intriguing X-linked myopathy with excessive autophagy. Neurology 2002; 59(4):596-601.

McAdam L. Blaser S, Banwell B. Pediatric tumefactive demyelination: case series and review of the literature. Pediatr Neurol 2002;26(1);18-25.

Banwell B. Clinicopathologic Conference: Loss of milestones and failure to thrive in a 28 month old male. J Peds 2002;140(6);759-765.

Banwell B. Intermediate filament-related myopathies. Pediatr Neurol 2001;24:257-263.

Chow G, Banwell B, Clarke J. Late-onset GM2 gangliosidosis presenting as burning dysesthesias. Pediatr Neurol 2001;25:59-62.

Banwell BL, Engel AG. aB-Crystallin Immunolocalization yields new insights into inclusion body myositis. Neurol 2000;54;1033-1041.

Non Peer Reviewed - Journal Publications

Banwell B: Genetic studies in childhood MS. MS in Focus 2006. PA

Banwell B: Multiple sclerosis in children. Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report. North American Research Committee on MS 2004: 23(4): pp 1-11 (C). PA

Banwell B: Are acquired demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system underdiagnosed in Canadian children? Pediatric Child Health 2004: 9(9): pp 638 (E). PA

Banwell B: Acquired demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system are under-diagnosed in Canadian children. In: Canadian Pediatric Surveillence Program 2004 Results. Ottawa. Canadian Pediatric Society and Public Health Agency of Canada 2004: pp 15-17 (E). PA

Banwell B: Pediatric multiple sclerosis a practical, evidence-based approach to caring for children. Neurotransmission 2003: 4(1): pp 4-7 (C). PA

Banwell B: The littlest patients: kids face special challenges. Compass 2003: 4(1): pp 6 (C). PA

Banwell B: Pediatric multiple sclerosis: summary of a pediatric multiple sclerosis clinic. Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report. North American Research Committee on MS 2002: 21(4): pp 9-14 (C). PA

Books/Chapters

Hahn C, Banwell B: Diseases of the peripheral nervous system. In: Pediatric critical care medicine: Basic science and clinical evidence (Wheeler DS, Wong HR, Stanley TP, eds). Springer-Verlag, London, England 2007: pp 990 (E). SRI

Letters to Editor

Banwell B: Response. Pediatric Neurology 2007: 36(4): pp 278. PA