Managing challenges for women in neurology

Manju Kurian is a Professor of Neurogenetics at UCL-Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.
 
After graduating in medicine (University of Cambridge), she trained in paediatrics before subspecialising in paediatric neurology. At the end of her clinical training, she undertook a PhD (University of Birmingham) investigating the molecular genetic basis of childhood neurological disorders (2007-2011).  She is now an academic clinician and principal investigator at the Institute of Child Health.

She has been awarded a Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship (2012-2017), L’Oreal For Women in Science Award (2017), NIHR Professorship (2017-2022), ICNA Jon Stobo Award (2018), and the Jules Thorn Award for Biomedical Research (2019-2026). Her grant income exceeds £10 million and she has more than 200 peer reviewed publications to her name, including works in Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, Science, Science Translational Medicine and Lancet Neurology.

Kurian’s current research encompasses gene discovery for childhood neurological disorders, with a clear focus on movement disorders, including neurotransmitter disorders. Her lab uses mainly cell models to investigate the underlying pathological basis of disease. She works closely with UCL Gene Therapy groups to develop novel therapeutic strategies for children with pharmacoresistant neurotransmitter and other genetic movement disorders. Her long-term goal is to translate her research for patient benefit, through improved clinical diagnosis and precision medicine approaches.

Georgina Arrambide, MD, PhD, trained as a neurologist and multiple sclerosis / NMOSD specialist at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. She works at the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia (Cemcat) in Barcelona, Spain, since 2009.  

Her main area of research involves the identification of clinical, radiological, and fluid molecular diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS), and the differential diagnosis of MS including NMOSD and MOGAD. She is co-leading the NMOSD and MOGAD clinic at Cemcat since October 2021. She is the editor for Europe of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal – Experimental, Translational and Clinical and a member of the editorial committee of the Acta Neurológica Colombiana.  

Finally, she is a member of the International Women in Multiple Sclerosis (iWiMS) network executive committee, the European Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis (BioMS-eu) steering committee, the MOGAD Eugene Devic European Network (MEDEN) steering group, the Platform Adaptive Trial for remyelination and neuroprotection in mUltiple Sclerosis (PLATYPUS) steering committee, and the CURE-MS steering committee. 

Vladimira Vuletić is a Professor of Neurology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Rijeka and Head of the Clinical Department of Neurology and the Department for Science, Research and Development at the University Hospital Centre Rijeka, Croatia.  

She is a neurologist, researcher, and lecturer with extensive leadership experience in academic and tertiary neurological care. Her clinical expertise focuses on movement disorders, cerebrovascular diseases, and advanced therapies for neurodegenerative conditions. Previously, at University Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb, she served as Head of the Department of Cerebrovascular Disease and Intensive Care Unit and Head of the Movement Disorders Unit within the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases.  

She played a key role in establishing specialized neurological units and in introducing advanced treatments for movement disorders in Croatia, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), apomorphine pump therapies, and botulinum toxin treatment for dystonia and spasticity.  

She is the founder and head of the Ministry of Health Reference Centre for invasive methods in movement disorders, particularly DBS, at UHC Rijeka. An active researcher and educator, she has delivered more than 200 invited lectures at national and international meetings, authored numerous scientific publications and books, and managed multiple national, European, and international research projects.  

She is Associate Editor of Parkinsonism & Related Disorders and a Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology, and other leading professional societies. She combines clinical, scientific, pedagogical, and management expertise with strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills.