Associates in Neurology Celebrating 30 Years!
 by Gregory L. Anderson, M.D.

We at Associates in Neurology are pleased to have served and been a part of the Central Kentucky medical community for 30 years.

As neurologists, we care for our patients, managing the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system disorders, including diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. These conditions include stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, migraine, sleeping disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and a wide variety of diseases or injuries to the nerves and muscles.

We realize neurotic illness can be challenging and frightening to our patients, and we have always endeavored to be sensitive and caring as we seek to make the proper diagnosis and then work with our patients to provide a treatment plan. Our mission is: “To provide our patients with efficient, high-quality neurological care, by knowledgeable caring professionals in an environment of respect.” We have kept the priority to take the time to listen to our patients and offer the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic options available.

The last two decades have been exciting in the field of neurology. We have taken tremendous strides in our diagnostic capability with the use of and improvement in CT and MRI imaging. Now we are able to see millimeter size abnormalities in the nervous system. We use ultrasound, PET imaging and DNA testing for infectious and inherited disorders, and we are able to monitor EEG or brainwave activity live and on video for days at a time, even in the patient’s home environment.

But even more exciting has been the introduction of new medications and treatments for serious conditions. For many years we had four main drugs to use for seizures. Now we have over twelve, and many are still being studied. Previously we had no specific treatment for MS or Alzheimer’s disease, but now there are four medications specifically approved for MS and five for Alzheimer’s disease. Others are on the way. There are also very effective medications now for treating and preventing migraine.

We have been fortunate to be actively involved in clinical research. This gives us an opportunity to offer cutting-edge therapy to our patients and allow them to be involved in the progress of medicine.

As our population grows older, there will be an escalating need for neurological care with the increasing prevalence of strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and age-related disorders. We are optimistic we will be involved in finding ever more effective treatments, ways to make earlier diagnosis and methods to prevent or delay those conditions.

Associates in Neurology experienced a long history of growth and innovation. The practice was originally founded by Dr. George Privett and first incorporated as a practice in 1975. Dr Privett recalls:

“I opened the solo practice of neurology as George W. Privett Jr. PSC, in a two-room office across the street from Good Samaritan Hospital on Limestone Street. The only neurologist in town at that time practiced at St. Joseph Hospital and Central Baptist Hospital. This left Good Samaritan Hospital without any regular neurology coverage. The practice grew and prospered. Our office moved down Limestone to a larger space above the old Dunn Pharmacy, and then to a new building at 152 West Zandale Drive, which we built with Neurosurgical Associates. I knew by then that I wanted the life of a group practice, and so I recruited three new associates in succession.

“My next recruit, Dr. Gregory Anderson, was an excellent neurologist who trained at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Anderson shared my vision, so we began to build a stable practice together. In 1985, we changed the name of the practice to Associates in Neurology. That same year we moved to Physicians Mall on Harrodsburg Road.
“Over the next few years, several of our current associates were brought in, including Dr. Craig Knox, who also trained at the Mayo Clinic. We were joined in 1995 by Dr. Cary Twyman from Georgetown University and Dr. Jim Thompson from the University of Kentucky, both of whom already had successful practices in Lexington.”

Dr. Privett retired from the practice of neurology to focus on his interest in Neuroimaging, and Dr. Anderson became the senior and managing partner of the practice. The group has subsequently grown to include Dr. Maria Pavez, who, after training at UK, primarily staffs our Danville Clinic; Dr. Jalil Shojaei from the Medical College of Pennsylvania-Hahnemann University; Dr. Warren Chumley, also from UK; and two nurse practitioners, Sarah Cecil and Jollene Shirley. This gives is a total of nine providers. The practice is now located in Corporate Center at Harrodsburg Road and New Circle Road.

Our doctors have not only practiced in Lexington, but they were also among the first to have regional clinics in many communities. We now maintain full time clinics in Danville and Corbin. From the beginning, the practice has been involved in neurodiagnostic monitoring in the operating room during carotid artery and spine surgery, sleep medicine, routine and ambulatory EEG, EMG and other electrodiagnostic studies in Neuroimaging. Our physicians have been consultants at all the private hospitals in Lexington, Shriners Hospital and Eastern State Hospital, as well as many regional hospitals in Central Kentucky. They also serve as voluntary faculty for the University of Kentucky.

This is an exciting and challenging time to be involved in medicine. We at Associates in Neurology look forward to growing and continuing to serve our referring physicians and patients for many years to come.