Meet our Neurology staff
Meet our Neurology staff
Clinical Neurologist Research Health Scientist, Ralph H. Johnson VA Healthcare System Professor of Neurology, Director of the Translational Unit for the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Associate Director for Technical Development for the Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory, Medical University of South Carolina VA Charleston Healthcare
VA Charleston health care
Jonathan Halford is board certified in Neurology, Psychiatry, Epilepsy, Sleep Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology.
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
Residency: Neurology-Psychiatry - Duke University Medical Center
Fellowship: Clinical Neurophysiology - Duke University Medical Center
Board Certification: Yes
My main clinical service is to care for epilepsy and sleep medicine patients.
In my free time I like to exercise (bike, weight lifting), sing in choir, and surf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Vanessa Hinson is a Neurologist and Chief of Neurology at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: University of Hamburg, Germany
Residency: Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
Fellowship: Rush University (Movement Disorders) Chicago, IL
Board Certification: Yes
I am the Chief of the RHJVAMC Neurology service and the Director of the PADRECC Affiliated Parkinson's Center. I specialize in Movement Disorders and see patients with Parkinson's Disease, tremors, dystonia, tardive dyskinesia, tics, chorea and ataxia. Movement Disorders patients in our clinics also have access to a unique interdisciplinary clinic where they get seen by the neurologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, palliative care provider, social worker, PT, OT, ST, and recreation therapist all in one morning.
Patients followed in our RHJVAMC Movement Disorders clinic have access to a variety of clinical trials. Currently, I am working on a program called "Vet-PD", exploring the causes for Parkinson's Disease in Veterans. This entails a look at environmental factors and military exposures, as well as a genetic predisposition.
I enjoy spending time with my 4 (almost grown) sons, challenging my husband on the pickleball court, or hitting tennis balls with my team. My travels usually take me home to Germany to connect with family and friends in Hamburg.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chirantan Banerjee MD
Associate Professor of Neurology, Division of Stroke and Cerebrovascular disorders
VA Charleston health care
Dr. Chirantan Banerjee is a Neurologist and Associate Professor of Neurology at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: B. J. Medical College, Gujarat University
Residency: Neurology - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Fellowship: Vascular Neurology - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Board Certification: Yes
I staff the vascular neurology fellow outpatient clinic at RHJVAMC. I bring my expertise in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders, and am the program director for the ACGME stroke fellowship program.
My clinical research interests include cryptogenic stroke in young patients, telestroke outcomes, non-atherosclerotic causes of stroke such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, sickle cell disease and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. I am site principial investigator for several ongoing stroke randomized clinical trials and research studies.
In my free time I like to spend time with family, travel, hike and collect south asian art.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Jerome Kurent is a Staff Neurologist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Residency: Psychiatry and Neurology - Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore, MD
Fellowship: Hospice and Palliative Medicine - National Institutes of Health
Board Certification: Yes
Provide outpatient Neurology care in the Neurology Resident Consult Clinic;
Provide care to Veterans with ALS in the RHJ ALS Interdisciplinary Clinic; and
Perform EMG studies for Veterans referred with suspected neuromuscular disorders and related conditions.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my extended family; enjoy the great outdoors; woodworking; travel;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah Schmitt MD
Associate Professor of Neurology
VA Charleston health care
Dr. Sarah Schmitt is the Associate Professor of Neurology at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: Washington University of St. Louis
Residency: Neurology - University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship: Neurology, Epilepsy, Clinical Neurophysiology - University of Pennsylvania
Board Certification: Yes
As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran treated at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, I am proud to provide the best possible care for other veterans treated at our facility. I am a trained specialist in the area of seizures and epilepsy. I want to enable our veterans with epilepsy to lead the best lives possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas "Kyle" Nygren PMHNP-BC
Psychiatrist
VA Charleston health care
Dr. Thomas "Kyle" Nygren is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: MSN - University of South Carolina
Board Certification: Yes
Same Day Access (SDA) clinic. I provide mental health treatment to walk in patients within the RHJ hospital system. I served 12 years in the military (4 active, 8 reserve), was enlisted as a combat medic, and am an OIF veteran. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, I was an ER nurse for 11 years, and was lucky enough to win nurse of the year in 2017.
In my free time I like to spend time with family, listen to audiobooks and try to survive Charleston traffic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VA Charleston health care
Dr. Kyle Smith is a Neurologist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: Kansas City University
Residency: Neurology - University of Minnesota
Board Certification: Yes
My main clinical service is general neurology, and Botox.
Dr. Kyle Smith grew up in Spartanburg, SC and went to The College of Charleston (‘09). He moved back home to South Carolina in 2022 to work at the Ralph H. Johnson VA in Charleston, SC. He was excited to work at such a distinguished VA with outstanding resources to help take care of our veterans. Dr. Smith completed medical school at Kansas City University (’14), neurology residency at University of Minnesota (’18), and has been practicing general neurology since 2018. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). He sees the entire spectrum of adult neurologic disease but his primary interest is multiple sclerosis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VA Charleston health care
Ashley Wabnitz a Neurologist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Medical School: University of South Florida
Residency: Neurology - Wake Forest
Fellowship: Vascular Neurology - Medical University of South Carolina
Board Certification: Yes
I am the Stroke Medical Director and work on both the inpatient Neurology service and see patients in the outpatient Stroke Clinic.
She earned her medical degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida and completed her neurology residency at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She then went on to complete her vascular neurology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina and stayed on as faculty where she has joint appointment with the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Wabnitz specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of adult stroke patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. At the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, she serves as the Stroke Medical Director and strives to provide evidence-based, quality care for our veterans with cerebrovascular diseases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~