Starting in 2016, diplomatic staff members at the US embassy in Cuba began to report an unusual constellation of neurological signs and symptoms, which have been dubbed ‘Havana Syndrome’ and whose cause remains unknown. A committee convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to advise the State Department has concluded in a recent report that the most likely explanation is a targeted attack with a pulsed microwave weapon, although they did not rule out other possible explanations such as socially transmitted psychogenic illness.
Speakers:
-
Clifford B. Saper, MD, PhD, James Jackson Putnam Professor and Chair of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was a member of the NASEM committee and co-author of the report. Dr Saper will summarize the evidence that led the committee to its conclusions.
-
Martin A. Samuels, MD, Miriam Sidney Joseph Professor and Founding Chair Emeritus, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, will discuss the social contagion effect and the broader phenomenon of ‘unexplained medical syndrome’.
The NASEM report can be downloaded here. Its release in December 2020 was widely reported in the press, including the New York Times and many other publications. Not all experts have accepted the microwave hypothesis, and one prominent skeptic is Robert Baloh (UCLA Neurology), who along with sociologist Robert Bartholomew has argued (in a paper and a book) that social transmission of psychogenic illness is the most likely explanation.
For CME (note- registration is required for CME only; for those who do not need CME and for non-MDs, you only need to click on the zoom link to attend- there is no need to register):
2. Text your assigned activity number to this phone number (617) 648-7950.
-
a. Longwood Neurology Grand Rounds - Activity Number: 1636
-
b. Note: You can only record attendance 15 minutes before, during or 15 minutes after the activity time.
Upcoming Schedule:
2/24/21 Erin Gibson
3/03/21 Kirk Daffner
3/10/21 Andrea Rossetti
3/17/21 Bart De Strooper
3/24/21 Frances Jensen
3/31/21 Eli Diamond
