
Overview
Brenda Banwell is the director of the Department of Pediatrics, as well as pediatrician-in-chief and co-director of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, where she helps manage the hospital’s many clinical and research centers. Dr. Banwell is a renowned expert in the research and treatment of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuroimmune disorders. She specializes in and studies the use of neuroimaging to assess the clinical and cognitive impact of the conditions, as well as the function of the immune system in children with these disorders. She also created a standardized clinical care algorithm and clinical database in order to evaluate the clinical impact of MS. Dr. Banwell has published more than 250 manuscripts in high-impact journals, along with over 25 book chapters. In addition, she has over 200 national and international invited lectureships and visiting professorships. An advocate for pediatric multiple sclerosis needs and research, Dr. Banwell serves as chair of the International Medical and Scientific Board of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, and the Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody–Associated Disease (MOGAD) International Research Consortium. She is also chair of the pediatric committee of the National Institutes of Health NeuroNEXT program, which conducts studies on treatments for neurological diseases through academic, private, and industry collaborations. Dr. Banwell currently serves as past-chair of the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group, Dr. Banwell earned her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario. She later completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Western Ontario-Children's Hospital of Western Ontario and a second residency in pediatric neurology at University of Toronto – The Hospital for Sick Children. Her residencies were followed by a fellowship in neuromuscular research at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Banwell is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Delta-Sarcoglycanopathy. Her top areas of expertise are Multiple Sclerosis (MS), CACH Syndrome, Optic Neuritis, and Transverse Myelitis.
Her clinical research consists of co-authoring 304 peer reviewed articles and participating in 1 clinical trial. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years.
Insurance
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Accepted insurance plans:
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- HMO
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- EPO
- HMO
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- PPO
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
- INSURANCE PLAN
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
- MEDICARE SNP
- EPO
- HMO
- PPO
- EPO
- POS
- HMO
- INDEMNITY
- POS
- PPO
- EPO
- POS
- PPO
- OTHER MEDICAID
- STATE MEDICAID
- INSURANCE PLAN
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
- MEDICARE PDP
- MEDICARE SNP
- MEDICARE-MEDICAID PLAN
- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
- EPO
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
- EPO
- HMO
- INSURANCE PLAN
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
- MEDICARE PDP
- MEDICARE SNP
- MEDICARE-MEDICAID PLAN
- OTHER MEDICARE
- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
Locations
601 North Caroline Street, Floor 5, Floor 5, Baltimore, MD 21287
Clinical Research
Clinical research consists of overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies, and publishing articles in peer reviewed medical journals. Providers who actively participate in clinical research are generally at the forefront of the fields and aware of the most up-to-date advances in treatments for their patients.
1 Clinical Trials
Neurology Center Of Fairfax LTD.
Robert Kurtzke is a Neurologist in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Kurtzke is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Delta-Sarcoglycanopathy. His top areas of expertise are Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, X-Linked Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Arthrogryposis, Post Polio Syndrome, and Nerve Decompression.
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Dr. Tom Crawford has been a member of the Department of Neurology since 1987. He is co-director of the MDA clinic for Neuromuscular Disorders and Neurologist for the Ataxia Telangiectasia Clinical Center at Johns Hopkins. His practice involves general child neurology with a principal interest in caring for children with neuromuscular, neuromotor, and ataxic disorders. Primary research interests involve the basic science and clinical characterization of two important neurologic disorders that affect children: Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Ataxia Telangiectasia. He is also actively involved in the Biology of neurofilaments by characterization of transgenic animal models. He is on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Boards of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and the Medical Advisory Committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He is the Neurologist for the Ataxia Telangiectasia Clinical Center at Johns Hopkins, which has evaluated almost half of the known patients with this disorder in the United States. Additional specific clinical interests include evaluation and treatment of children with brachial plexus palsies. Dr. Crawford received his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed a pediatric internship and residency at the Pediatric Pavilion of the Los Angeles County / University of Southern California Medical Center, followed by a pediatric chief residency. He completed his training in Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology at the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital. He then traveled east to the laboratory of Dr John Griffin at Johns Hopkins for a fellowship in Neuromuscular Disorders. Prior to medical training and Neurology residency, he majored in Psychology and Religion at Yale College. Dr. Crawford has published extensively and presented nationally and internationally. He has an active role in teaching medical students and residents in neurology. In addition, Dr. Crawford has special interest and experience in EMG studies of children and adults. Dr. Crawford is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Delta-Sarcoglycanopathy. His top areas of expertise are Primary Lateral Sclerosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Ataxia-Telangiectasia, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2.
Kennedy Krieger Institute
Dr. Leung obtained her undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University. While attending medical school at Duke University, she completed a year-long research fellowship studying genetic markers of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the National Institute on Aging as part of the NIH Clinical Research Training Program. She completed her neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the graduate training program in clinical investigation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Leung joined the Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute as a translational research fellow in 2010 and was appointed to the faculty in 2014. Her clinic specializes in electromyography and the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary muscle diseases. Dr. Leung’s research focuses on the development of imaging biomarkers and outcome measures for muscle diseases. She is the principal investigator for a longitudinal cohort study of whole-body MRI in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Dr. Leung is also a site principal investigator for the Ionis-DMPKRx trial, a phase Ib/IIa clinical trial of a novel RNA-based therapy for myotonic muscular dystrophy. Dr. Leung is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Delta-Sarcoglycanopathy. Her top areas of expertise are Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), Dysferlinopathy, Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I, and Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy.
Areas of Expertise
MediFind evaluates expertise by pulling from factors such as number of articles a doctor has published in medical journals, participation in clinical trials, speaking at industry conferences, prescribing and referral patterns, and strength of connections with other experts in their field.
Learn more about MediFind’s expert tiers
- Elite
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)Dr. Banwell isElite. Learn about Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
- Distinguished
- CACH SyndromeDr. Banwell isDistinguished. Learn about CACH Syndrome.
- Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease
- Neuromyelitis OpticaDr. Banwell isDistinguished. Learn about Neuromyelitis Optica.
- Optic NeuritisDr. Banwell isDistinguished. Learn about Optic Neuritis.
- Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS)Dr. Banwell isDistinguished. Learn about Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS).
- Transverse MyelitisDr. Banwell isDistinguished. Learn about Transverse Myelitis.
- Advanced
- Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)Dr. Banwell isAdvanced. Learn about Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM).
- Agyria Pachygyria PolymicrogyriaDr. Banwell isAdvanced. Learn about Agyria Pachygyria Polymicrogyria.
- Anti-NMDA Receptor EncephalitisDr. Banwell isAdvanced. Learn about Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis.
- EncephalitisDr. Banwell isAdvanced. Learn about Encephalitis.
- Focal or Multifocal Malformations in Neuronal Migration
- HiccupsDr. Banwell isAdvanced. Learn about Hiccups.
- Experienced
- Absence SeizureDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Absence Seizure.
- ApraxiaDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Apraxia.
- Brain HerniationDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Brain Herniation.
- Cerebellum Agenesis HydrocephalyDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Cerebellum Agenesis Hydrocephaly.
- Cerebral HypoxiaDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Cerebral Hypoxia.
- Childhood PancreatitisDr. Banwell isExperienced. Learn about Childhood Pancreatitis.

