Neurology

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Dr. Harry WhelanHarry T. Whelan, MD

Bleser Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics and Hyperbaric Medicine
Director of Hyperbaric Medicine
Division of Pediatric Neurology

Specialty: Pediatric Neurology
 

Sub-Specialties:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Light Emitting DiodeTherapy
  • Air and Gas Embolism 
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisioning and Smoke Inhalation 
  • Decompression Sickness 
  • Radiation Tissue Damage 
  • Burn Injury 
  • Developmental Disorders of the Central Nervous System 
  • Wound Healing 
  • Brain Tumors 
  • Osteomyelitis
     

Education:
 

  • Doctor of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, 1979

 

Training:

  • Internship & Residency, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, 1979-1984
  • Fellowship, Pediatric Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1981-1984

Awards and Honors:

  • NAVY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL (Research), 1995
  • NAVY & MARINE CORP COMMENDATION MEDAL (Professional School Liaison Officer), 1997
  • NASA-Space Technology Hall of Fame (Inducted for Research), 2000
  • Bleser Foundation Endowed Professorship awarded in Neurology, 2001
  • Distinguished Research Professorship awarded, National Defense University, 2004
  • Chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine & Surgery - Senior R & D Officer, 2005

Brief Clinical/Research Interest Statement:

Dr. Whelan is Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Hyperbaric Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has over ten years of experience conducting research on the use of new light technologies in the treatment of cancer and wounds. He is also Principal Investigator on the only FDA approved treatment protocol for Photodynamic Therapy of childhood cancer. His use of NASA space-based LED technology to activate cancer killing drugs has now extended further into direct effects of near infrared LED light on human growth stimulation. Potential benefits to space station astronauts and special operations forces include preventing muscle atrophy and healing wounds, including visual and neurologic wounds.

Dr. Whelan is also a Naval Reserve Diving Medical Officer, holding the rank of Captain, with clinical and research experience in Hyperbaric Medicine, wound care and combat casualty care. He has over 80 publications, including cancer, laser, LED and diving/hyperbaric studies. He is also principal investigator for the Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) "Persistence in Combat" program at MCW, and serves in an endowed professorship funded by the Bleser Foundation.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (From a total of 88 publications)

Full-Length, Original Manuscripts:

  1. Whelan HT, Kindwall EP: Hyperbaric oxygen: some unanswered questions despite clinical usefulness. In: Hudetz AG, Bruley D, eds Oxygen Transport to Tissue XX: Plenum Publishing, New York, 1998;454:441-445.
  2. Whelan HT, Bajic DM, Karlovits SM, Houle JM, Kindwall EP: Use of Cytochrome-P450 monooxygenase 2 E1 isozyme inhibitors to alter seizures caused by central nervous system oxygen toxicity Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine 1998;60:480-485.
  3. Whelan HT, Krouwer HG, Schmidt MH, Kovnar EH: Current therapy and new perspectives in he treatment of medulloblastoma. Pediatric Neurology. 1998;18:103-115.
  4. Schmidt MH, Reichert KW, Ozker K, Meyer GA, Donohoe DL, Bajic DM, Whelan NT, Whelan HT: Preclinical evaluation of benzoporphyrin derivative combined with a light-emitting diode array for photodynamic therapy of brain tumors Pediatric Neurosurgery. 1999;30(5):225-231.
  5. Whelan HT, Houle BS, Donohoe DL, Whelan NT, Cwiklinski J, Schmidt MH, Larson DL, Meyer GA, Cevenini V, Stinson H: The NASA light-emitting diode medical program – progress in space flight and terrestrial applications Space Technology Applications 2000;504:37-43.
  6. Sommer AP, Pinheiro ALB, Mester AR, Franke RP, Whelan HT: Biostimulatory Windows in Low Intensity Laser Activation: Lasers, Scanners and NASA's Light-Emitting Diode Array System J. Clin. Laser Med. Surg. 2001;19 (1):29-33.
  7. Whelan HT, Smits RL, Buchmann EV, Whelan NT, Turner SG, Margolis DA, Crevenini V, Stinson H, Ignatius R, Martin T, Cwiklinski J, Philippi AF, Graf WR, Hodgson B, Gould L, Kane M, Chen G, Caviness J: Effect of NASA Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) Irradiation on Wound Healing J. Clin. Laser Med. Surg 2001;1:16-19.
  8. Wong-Riley, MTT, Bai, X, Buchmann, E, Whelan HT: Light-emitting diode treatment reverses the effect of TTX on cytochrom oxidase in neurons NeuroReport 2001;12(14B):1-5.
  9. Whelan, H.T., Wong-Riley, M.T.T. and Eells, J.T.: Protection against methanol-induced retinal toxicity by LED photostimulation. In "Photonics West 2002: Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS): vol. 4611, Ophthalmic Technologies XII". F. Manns, P.G. Soederberg, and A. Ho (eds.) Bellingham, Washington, SPIE/Kluwer Academic Publisher, 2002. Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, 2002;4611:239-246.
  10. Whelan, H.T.; Connelly, J.F.; Hodgson, B.D.; Barbeau, L.; Post, A.C.; Bullard, G.; Buchmann, E.V.; Kane, M.; Whelan, N.T.; Warwick, A.; Margolis, D.:  NASA Light-Emitting Diodes for the Prevention of Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Patients J. Clin. Laser Med. Surg. 2002. 20;319-324
  11. Eells, J.T., Henry, M.M., Summerfelt, P, Wong-Riley, M.T.T., Buchman, E.V., Kane, M. and Whelan, H.T.: Therapeutic photobiomodulation for methanol-induced retinal toxicity. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.100:3439-3444 2003.
  12. Whelan, H.T., Buchman E. V., Dhokalia, A., Kane, M.P., Whelan, N.T., Wong-Riley, M.T.T., Eells, J.T., Gould L.J., Hammamieh, R., Das, R. and Jett, M.: Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on molecular changes for wound healing in diabetic mice. J. Clin. Laser Med. Surg. 21: 67-74,  2003.
  13. Schmidt, M.H; Meyer, G.A.; Reichert, K.W.; Cheng, J.; Krouwer, H.G.; Ozker, K.; and Whelan, H.T. Evaluation of photodynamic therapy near functional brain tissue in patients with recurrent brain tumors. Journal of NeuroOncology, 2004; 67:201-204.
  14. Whelan, H.T.; Hale-Richlen, B.L.; Pharaon, M.R.; Henry, K.A Soldier Self Care. Military Medical Technology, 2004; 8:4-9.
  15. Eells, J.T.; Wong-Riley, M.T.T.; VeerHoeve, J.; Henry, M.; Buchmann, E. V.; Kane, M.P.; Gould, L. J.; Das, R.; Jett, M.; Hodgson, B.; Margolis, D.; Whelan, H.T. Mitochondrial signal transduction in accelerated wound and retinal healing by near-infrared light therapy. Mitochondrion, 2004; 4:559-568.
  16. Wong-Riley, M.M.T.; Eells, J.T; Whelan, H.T. Photobiomodulation directly benefits primary neurons functionally inactivated by toxins: Role of cytochrome c oxidase. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2005; 280:4761 – 4771.
  17. Whelan, H.T.; Niezgoda, J.A.; Kindwall, E.P.; Cabigas, B.; Lewis, M.C. Hyperbaric oxygen: A systematic review. Wiley Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instumentation, Second Edition. In press.
  18. Amlie-Lefond, C.; Paz, D.A.; Connelly, M.P.; Huffnagle, G.B.; Dunn, K.S.; Whelan, N.T.; Whelan, H.T. "Innate immunity for biodefense: A strategy whose time has come." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2005; 116:1334-42.
  19. Helms, A.K.; Whelan, H.T.; Torbey, M.T. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy of cerebral ischemia. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 2005;20:417-426.
  20. Sommer, A.P.; Gheorghiu, E.; Cehreli, M.; Whelan, H.T. Biosensor for detection of nanobacteria in water. Crystal Growth & Design, 2006;6:492-497.

Textbooks:

  1. Kindwall, E.P.; Whelan, H.T. (Eds.) Hyperbaric Medicine Practice, Second Edition. Best Publ., 2002. ISBN 0-941332-78-0

CURRENT FUNDING:

NIH    Whelan (PI)   2006-2008
Grant #: 1R21AT003002-01A1
Title: NIR-LED Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

NASA
Project NASA/Quantum Devices
 $244,500  2002-2004    
Title: NASA Light-Emitting Diodes as countermeasure for pituitary/neuroendocrine effects of space flight
This study focuses on LED photobiomodulation of mitochondrial processes as a countermeasure for the harmful effects of long-term exposure to microgravity during space flight


DARPA
Project  #N66001-01-1-8969 #N66001-03-1-8906  2001-2006   
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
$383,900=Budget for first year(w/renewals)
$600,000=Budget for second year(w/renewals)
Title: LED Treatment,Healing, Post Retinal Laser Injury
This study focuses on elucidating basic molecular mechanisms of near-IR LED treatment for mitochondrial photobiomodulation

DARPA $367,524  2002-2004
Title: LED Treatment, Healing, Post Corneal Laser Injury
This study focuses on field testing of LED equipment for Combat Casualty Care
$874,997  2004-2006
Photobiomodulation for Traetment of Acute Traumatic Neurological Injury with LED

Chad Baumann Research Fund – Research Endowment
  $1,000,000 as eternal endowed trust for Dr. Whelan
  to provide ~$100,000/yr (indexed for inflation)

Bleser Foundation – Endowed Professorship
  $1,000,000 as eternal endowed trust for Dr. Whelan
  to provide ~$100,000/yr (indexed for inflation)

 

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