Fellows

Current Fellows of the Florida Society of Neurology

Glen R. Finney, MD was born in Broward County, Florida.  He graduated Florida State University with honors in Biological Sciences.  At medical school in Temple University he was active in AMSA, rising to Vice-Chair of their House of Delegates.  He did his neurology residency at the University of Miami.  Dr. Finney attended multiple times the American Academy of Neurology’s Neurology on the Hill educating Congress on neurology.  Dr. Finney completed a Behavioral Neurology Fellowship at University of Florida, among the oldest and best world-wide.  He was selected for the AAN’s premiere advocacy training, the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, and returned to PALF as mentor, advisor, and faculty.  Dr. Finney joined faculty at University of Florida Department of Neurology and held leadership positions including clerkship director, program director, fellowship co-director, and division chief for behavioral neurology.  He has served the AAN as a committee member for Legislative Affairs, Government Relations, and BrainPAC.  Dr. Finney also served as advocacy editor at the AAN website.  He has been the State Medical Society representative to the Florida Medical Association Board of Governors, counselor on the State Specialty Society Section, member of the FMA taskforce on Employed Physicians, Committee on the Future member, and Chair of the Council on Medical Education.   Dr. Finney joined the Florida Society of Neurology board of directors after fellowship and has held positions as FSN Annual Meeting Program Director, Treasurer, Secretary, FSN Delegate to the FMA, President-Elect, and in 2013 was installed as President of the Florida Society of Neurology.


Dr. Kenneth M. Heilman received his M.D. from the University of Virginia in 1963, was a Medicine PGY 1&2 at Cornell-Bellevue Hospital (1963-65), and an Air Force Captain and Chief of Medicine at NATO Hospital, Izmir, Turkey (1965-1967).  He took a Neurology residency and fellowship at the Harvard Neurological Unit of Boston City (1967-1970), mentored by Drs. Denny-Brown and Geschwind.  He joined the faculty at the University of Florida (1970) as an Assistant Professor, promoted to Associate Professor in 1973 and Professor in 1975.  He is now the James E Rooks, Jr Distinguished Professor. He was Chief of the Neurology Service at the Gainesville VA (1996-2009).  He is listed in multiple editions of the Best Doctors in America, America’s Top Doctors and Who’s Who. As Director of the Behavioral Neurology Program he has help to trained more than 70 post-doctoral fellows, many of whom are now leaders.

Dr. Heilman’s research has been supported by the VAMC and/or NIH for more than 40 years.  He is the co-author or co-editor of 14 books and more than 500 peer reviewed publications describing new diseases/disorders (e.g., orthostatic tremor), and helping to understand neurobehavioral disorders.

Dr. Heilman has received many honors:  membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, Sigma Xi and the Dana Foundation, Clinical Research and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the University of Florida, past President and Distinguished Career Awards from the International Neuropsychology Society and the Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Honorary Member of the American Neurological Association, Fellow in the American Academy of Neurology.


Dr. Michael Finkel joined the FSN in 1999, when membership and meeting attendance was very low. His Action Plan for the AAN PALF program was to re-energize the FSN. It became an organization with geographic representation of private and academic practices in governance, along with Board members who are neurologists in training. The FSN annual meeting has evolved into one dedicated to the advancement of neurological knowledge for both neurologists and non-neurologists, and as a forum for future and present neurology trainees.

Dr. Finkel served FSN on the Board and committees for several years, including 2 years as President. He has lectured at the FSN annual meeting. He has lobbied state officials when necessary to ensure that neurology patients cannot be forced to take generic neurological medications without the approval of their neurologist. He has worked with Board members to set the foundation for the Florida Neuroalliance, to which he intends to devote time in my forthcoming retirement, with Board concurrence.  He has directed the FSN outreach program, the Nigeria Florida Neuroscience Partnership, which has held one major teaching meeting, and which has helped many Nigerian neurologists to attend observerships at Florida institutions.

Nationally, Dr. Finkel served on several AAN committees, including Legislative Affairs, International .Affairs (Past Chair) and Membership. He served as AAN Delegate to the World Federation of Neurology. He has been President of the Wisconsin Neurological Society and the Florida Society of Neurology.

Internationally, Dr. Finkel has served on committees for the World Federation of Neurology and has been President of the World Neurology Foundation.


Dr. Rosanna Garner has been in private practice in Florida in the field of Neurology since 1993. She is currently a member of the Florida Society of Neurology Board of Directors. She has acted as a speaker at the annual meeting in the past.  She is past president of the Pinellas County Medical Association, from 2002-2003, after serving as vice president from 2000-2001. She was an FMA delegate in 1998, 1999, and 2000-2008. She has also served as a marketing committee member for the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine in 2012 and 2013. She is an active member of the AAN, AANEM, International Brain Injury Association, American Society of Neuroimaging, Florida Medical Association, Pinellas County Medical Association, and the Florida Society of Neurology. Dr Garner also volunteers as clinical adjunct professor for LECOM Bradenton.


Dr. Jean Cibula completed her BA and MD at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, after which she did her residency in neurology and fellowship in behavioral neurology and epilepsy at the University of Florida. She subsequently was on faculty at the University of Kentucky (Lexington) for several years, then moved to the Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio, where she was in private practice. After returning to Gainesville in 2008, she rejoined FSN and has been involved in the education committee, planning the annual meeting, and served on the FSN board. She has long been an advocate for patients, particularly those who are underserved, through the FSN as well as the Epilepsy Foundation both locally and in the state. She received the Epilepsy Foundation of Central Ohio’s Program Service Award in 2007. She also is on national committees for the American Epilepsy Society and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (elected fellow in 2010), and serves as treasurer for the Equestrian Medical Safety Association.  She was named division chief for the epilepsy division at the University of Florida Department of Neurology and the UF Comprehensive Epilepsy Program in 2012. She is also serving as the secretary for the College of Medicine’s Faculty Council, which participates in shared governance for the COM as faculty advocates.


Dr. Angelo Alves has been involved with the Florida Society of Neurology for the past 15 to 20 years by attending several of its annual meetings and at least 5 to 10 of them. In addition, he has been trying to persuade some of my local colleagues to become members of the society  because I am surprised that there are only very few local neurologists as members of the same.

Dr. Alves holds Board Certification in General Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with also added Board Certifications in the subspecialties of Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry and Neuro-imaging by the United Counsel for Neurological Subspecialties (UCNS). Dr. Alves is also a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and has been a member since 1970.  He was awarded a PhD in Psychology in 2005.


Vidya Kulkarni MBBS, MD (ABPN)  serves as a neurologist in the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Compensation & Pension Clinic in Gainesville, FL. She received her MBBS at the University of Bombay, completed a clinical neurophysiology (EEG) fellowship at Detroit Medical Center, and completed a neurology residency at the University of South Florida. Her interests in stroke and clinical neurophysiology led her to present research at AAN's annual meetings, publish research in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, and receive the Association of Indian Neurologists in American (AINA) Award for her work at the 58th AAN Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. She has been an active member of the AAN since 2001 and of the FSN since 2009. She has served as a member on the FSN Board of Directors for 2 years and served as Treasurer for the FSN.