Options were once limited for Hoosier children in need of care for multiple sclerosis and other neuroinflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. Thanks to the work of Indiana University School of Medicine Fellow Jerilyn Nova (Summay), MD, that’s no longer the case.
Under the leadership of Stefanie Rodenbeck, MD, assistant professor of clinical neurology at the school, Nova is developing a new neuroimmunology clinic for children at Riley Children’s Health.
“We are proud to be the only clinic of this kind in the state,” said Nova, who upon graduation in the spring, will be Indiana’s only fellowship-trained pediatric autoimmune neurologist. “This is going to be the place where patients and their families will find answers.”
Previously, families had to travel far to receive care at the closest pediatric neuroimmunology center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Nova, Rodenbeck and the team at Riley are excited to help eliminate those barriers and offer top-notch, multidisciplinary care to local families.
“There are very few neuroimmunologists in the country, especially pediatric neuroimmunologists,” said Rodenbeck, director of the IU School of Medicine's neuroimmunology fellowship program. “Often times, our clinic will be the umpteenth opinion for these kids after they have traveled to larger or more established centers. Having to drive that far can be extremely challenging for families.
“I know for adults, it is so comforting to be able to offer them a centralized subspeciality clinic that is familiar with their disease. To now be able to do the same in pediatrics — to have Dr. Nova offer that comfort and reassurance to families that their child is going to be taken care of — it can’t be overstated how important this clinic will be to our Hoosiers and surrounding communities.”
Before serving as the Department of Neurology’s neuroimmunology fellow, Nova completed her pediatric neurology residency training at the IU School of Medicine and earned her medical degree at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Although her initial exposure to pediatric neuroimmunology came during medical school, Nova said her decision to pursue a career in the niche subspecialty was solidified as a resident.
“The more I worked with these inpatient kids and saw those cases, I just knew this is what I want to do,” she said. “The patients I see with autoimmune conditions in general tend to be people that are similar to my demographic — they’re younger, usually female, and the majority of kids are from underrepresented backgrounds. I’ve always had a passion for the medically underserved population.”
During the intensive one-year fellowship, Nova has gained advanced experience and expertise through direct inpatient and outpatient care of patients with multiple sclerosis and related disorders including neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein associated disease and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.
“Historically, when we’ve talked about neuroimmunology fellowships, that’s essentially been a multiple sclerosis fellowship,” said Rodenbeck, who joined the faculty in 2021 after completing a fellowship in autoimmune neurology at the University of Utah.
“Because of my training background as well as the neuroimmunology and autoimmune neurology specialists that we have in our division, we have been able to offer so much more than that (to trainees), and that’s part of what sets the IU School of Medicine apart,” Rodenbeck said. “The breadth and multitude of patients and pathologies that we’re able to see here allows our fellows to be very uniquely trained and ready to practice anywhere.”
In addition to leading the pediatric clinic, Nova will continue conducting research.
Her current project focuses on partnering with other hospitals and the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Alliance — an organization that provides support for parents of children with multiple sclerosis — to create an app aimed at supporting children with unique neuroimmune diseases.
“We’re going to gather a lot of demographic data such as disease diagnosis, age and what resources families use,” Nova said. “Not only is it going to help inform the app, but I’m hoping it also helps inform my clinic too so we can see what needs exist not only in our community, but in the pediatric autoimmune neurology community as a whole. I’m hoping that it helps a lot of people.”
As more referrals from Riley physicians trickle in, Nova said she is excited for the future of the new clinic and the opportunity to build relationships with her patients and their families.
“When Dr. Rodenbeck and I saw one of our first kiddos, I remember when his grandmother saw me, her face lit up and she was so excited,” Nova said. “At the end of their appointment, we hugged each other. It felt like I was a part of the family.
“So many of these kids go through this struggle with their disease symptoms or treatment for so long, and you, as their physician, become the constant face that they see, especially after they have seen a lot of other doctors or nurses who know of their disease, but they’re not intimately familiar with it. The opportunity to not only be that friendly face, but to also be the expert ready to be there for them is pretty unique.”
The Department of Neurology’s neuroimmunology fellowship program is supported by the Kennedy Hoffman and Koorsen Family Fund.
