Maimonides Health on Thursday launched a new Women’s Neurology Center, a specialized practice combining neurology and OB/GYN care to address women’s neurologic health needs across every stage of life.
The center is the first of its kind in New York City’s five boroughs and is designed to provide individualized neurologic care for women from adolescence through post-menopause. The practice is led by Dr. Susanna O’Kula, a neurologist and epileptologist at Maimonides, alongside Dr. Rodney McLaren, director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Ambulatory Services. Together, clinicians focus on how hormonal changes, pregnancy, menopause and other biological factors uniquely affect women’s neurologic health.
Women face heightened risks for certain neurologic conditions, particularly during life stages such as pregnancy and menopause. Stroke remains the third leading cause of death among women in the United States and often presents differently than in men, with women experiencing poorer outcomes, officials said.
Conditions including preeclampsia, migraine with aura, endometriosis, early menopause and pregnancy itself are associated with elevated stroke risk. Chronic neurologic disorders such as multiple sclerosis and migraine also occur three to four times more frequently in women, officials noted.
“The impact of hormones on the female brain is very complex, and as we gain greater knowledge in this area, we’re learning that there are many ways to optimize women’s neurological health across the lifespan,” said Dr. O’Kula. “We have designed this program to cater to the needs of all women with neurologic concerns, diagnosed or undiagnosed. Improving equity and access to care in a field where women’s concerns have historically often been dismissed is central to our mission.”
For patients who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or considering future family planning, the center offers preconception counseling, coordinated prenatal care, and postpartum neurologic follow-up.
Patients at the Women’s Neurology Center benefit from the full scope of Maimonides’ Division of Neurology, including expertise in neuroimmunology, neurovascular health, headache medicine and neuromuscular disorders. Care is coordinated with specialists across the health system, including cardiology, neurosurgery, geriatrics, primary care, rehabilitation services and maternal-fetal medicine. Advanced diagnostic tools available to patients include MRI, EEG, EMG, laboratory testing and epilepsy gene panels.
