This is the second in a two-part series on Lyme-infection associated chronic illness. This presentation discusses prior clinical trials of posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), small case series and open label studies of the illness and the national Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Clinical Trials Network.

Instructor: Brian Fallon, MD, MPH

Learning objectives:

  1. To be able to describe the key design elements and outcomes of the 4 NIH-funded Clinical Trials for Patients with persistent LD Symptoms
  2. To be able to describe other approaches to treat persistent LD symptoms that have not yet undergone efficacy studies
  3. To be able to describe some of the mechanism-based studies in the national LTD Clinical Trials Network that assess safety and tolerance and may provide promising results for future study and patient care



Accreditation Statement

Application for CME credit has been filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.

References


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Brain Fallon, MD, MPH

About the Instructor

Brian Fallon, MD, MPH

Brian A. Fallon, MD, MPH, is the director of the Center for Neuroinflammatory Disorders and Biobehavioral Medicine and director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University. A graduate of Harvard College, he obtained his MD degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as a master's degree in public health epidemiology from Columbia University. He did his medical internship at Columbia University Medical Center and research training and an NIH fellowship in biological psychiatry at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

In addition to his work on illness anxiety, hypochondriasis, obsessive compulsive disorder, and somatoform disorders, Dr. Fallon is recognized internationally for his research on neurologic and neuropsychiatric Lyme disease. He has served on expert panels for the National Institutes of Health in different areas, including OCD and neurologic and chronic Lyme Disease, and has received over $10 million in both private and governmental grants to continue his research. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Laughlin Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, two commencement awards from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (Richard Raynor Watson Award and the Titus Munson Coan Prize for best essay in Biomedical Research ("The Rise of Tuberculosis among the Homeless Mentally Ill"), the Columbia University Horwitz Award for excellence in Research, the Columbia Universit Medical Student Teacher of the Year award for psychiatry, a NARSAD Principal Investigator Award (2006), and the Roseke award from the American Psychiatric Association for outstanding teaching to medical students (2008). His major research interests cut across the boundaries of medicine, psychiatry, nuclear medicine and neurology.