Michael Skolka, MD, Receives 2023 Golseth Young Investigator Award

Rochester, Minn. (September 26, 2023)- The American Neuromuscular Foundation is excited to share that Michael Skolka, MD, has received the 2023 Golseth Young Investigator Award for his abstract titled, “The Utility of Electrodiagnostic Testing in Rhabdomyolysis in the Era of Next Generation Sequencing.” Dr. Skolka, a neuromuscular (NM) fellow at Mayo Clinic, aimed to identify rhabdomyolysis patients with a high likelihood of myopathic EMG and to examine the correlation between electrodiagnostic (EDX) findings and the underlying etiology of the unprovoked rhabdomyolysis. “We found that myopathic EMG occurred in approximately half of our rhabdomyolysis patients. Patients with weakness and elevated CK at baseline were more likely to have myopathic EMG, and most patients with myopathic EMG had non-metabolic myopathies instead of metabolic myopathies as an underlying etiology of rhabdomyolysis. Additionally, nonmyopathic EMG did not exclude an underlying myopathy,” said Dr. Skolka.

One unexpected discovery was that the data supported evaluating patients for an underlying myopathy following unprovoked rhabdomyolysis even if they only had one episode of rhabdomyolysis, challenging the current clinical tendency to assess patients only after recurrent episodes. The team also designed an algorithm to guide healthcare providers in evaluating patients who have experienced an episode of unprovoked rhabdomyolysis.

“I want to sincerely thank all of my mentors at Mayo Clinic and at the AANEM, especially Dr. Teerin Liewluck as well as Drs. Margherita Milone, Ruple Laughlin, William Litchy, and Devon Rubin, who all helped with this project and who have guided me along the way in my training,” he said. Dr. Skolka will be recognized at the 2023 AANEM Annual Meeting, Nov. 1-4 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

About American Neuromuscular Foundation (ANF) Based in Rochester, MN, ANF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the global effort to cure neuromuscular disease. As part of its mission to promote the advancement of scientific research and education, the ANF offers annual development grants and abstract and fellowship awards to launch research into muscle and nerve disorders by experts in the field. For more information about ANF, visit neurmuscularfoundation.org.

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