Dr. Girish Nair received his medical training at T.D. Medical College in Alleppey, Kerala, India. He completed his residency at the Government Medical College in Miraj, India, and then went on to gain a specialty in neurology at the Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences in Mumbai. He joined the Memory and Aging Research Center at Nair Hospital in Mumbai in October, 2007 as Research Officer to work in the Memory Clinic and to develop his research on cognitive disorders.

Kathleen: Hi Dr. Nair, thank you for speaking with me and agreeing to share your experiences with the readers of our ADRC newsletter. How did you start working for this project, what attracted you to it?

Dr. Nair: I was introduced to the project by my mentor Dr. A. B. Shah, who is also the Principal Investigator (Mumbai Site) of the project. Cognitive neurology was my area of interest right from the early days of my neurology training. The project offered me an opportunity to be part of a multi-disciplinary team working on the evaluation, diagnosis and management of cognitive disorders. The cross cultural component of the study was another huge attraction. I am looking forward to be introduced to the profile of dementing illnesses in my visit to Mount Sinai ADRC soon, which would provide a chance to observe and learn about it.

Kathleen: How would you describe a typical day at the center?

Dr. Nair: A typical day starts with the clinical team (including other clinicians, psychologists, and clinical staff) assembling by 9:30 am. Over cups of coffee, the team reviews appointments for the day. Referral note information for new patients (screens) and background data for follow-up patients scheduled for the day are discussed. Up to four patients are scheduled for clinical evaluation every day; each session lasting two to three hours. At the end of the day, the team would discuss and iron out any conundrums and to schedule cases for the weekly diagnostic meeting.
Kathleen: That’s a busy day. Can you tell us: what have been some of your most memorable experiences working on this project?
Dr. Nair: Well, that’s a tough one, for there have been several of them! The treatable dementias have been a source of immense professional satisfaction. We had, recently, a charming elderly couple come in. The gentleman had long standing Parkinson’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. He was falling fairly frequently. As we went about assessing his difficulties walking, his wife remarked that during courtship, he would never let go of her hand – if only now he would continue doing the same, he might not fall so frequently!

Kathleen: That’s a great anecdote. Tell us a little about your research interests, has your work on the project influenced them?
Dr. Nair: My work at the project with patients of cognitive impairment has whetted my interest in cognitive neurology. In India reversible nutritional/metabolic factors contribute to the severity in degenerative dementias. This reversible/treatable aspect of dementing illnesses greatly interests me. The infectious dementias are another area of interest.

Kathleen: What are you looking to accomplish in the future?
Dr. Nair: My aim is to work at a center of excellence in dementia and develop my research interest on cognitive disorders. I would also like to work towards greater understanding of the clinical expression of degenerative, vascular, and nutritional deficiency, and metabolic and toxic dementias in the Indian context.
Kathleen: This has a pleasure, Dr. Nair, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.