Paola Pergami, MD| Pediatric Neurology | MedStar Health
About me
Paola Pergami, MD, PhD, is a Pediatric Neurologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She also serves as an Associate Professor within the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Pergami has a background in neuroscience, specific training in pediatric neurology, and an interest and expertise in pediatric stroke and rehabilitation. She obtained her MD form the University of Pavia, Italy, and her PhD from the University of Milan, Italy. She completed her Pediatric Neurology Fellowship at UPMC, in Pittsburgh. Complementing her clinical work in pediatric stroke, Dr. Pergami has extensively collaborated with the International Pediatric Stroke Study (IPSS). Within that group, she has contributed to the development of many important studies including studies on seizures in pediatric stroke (SIPS, SIPSII) the role of inflammation in pediatric stroke (VIPS, VIPSII), and investigating potential use of mechanical clot removal in children with stroke. Her clinical expertise and interests focus on acute stroke intervention, neuroimaging, and mechanism of brain plasticity in stroke recovery. Dr. Pergami is the author of over 150 original, peer-reviewed research articles and presentations.
Clinical areas of focus
- Epilepsy
- Headache
- Hemiparesis
- Ischemic Stroke
- Spasticity
Conditions and procedures
Procedures I perform
- Botox For Dystonia
- Botox For Spasticity
- Botox Injection
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation
- Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Evaluation (EMU)
- Headache Therapy
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Beech Street PPO
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- I-SNP
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
- Cigna EPO
- CareFirst NASCO
- Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Medicaid - Maryland
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Innovation Health: POS
- Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
- Aetna HMO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Tricare East Prime
- CareFirst Administrators
- United Golden Rule
- Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
- United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
- United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
- Cigna Network Open Access
- Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
- United Student Resources
- Medicaid - District of Columbia
- HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- United Select Plus (POS)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
- United Core Essential (HMO)
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- United MD IPA (HMO)
- Kaiser Flexible Choice
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Kaiser Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
- United Navigate
- Innovation Health: Open POS II
- United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Tricare for Life East
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Cigna POS/Network POS
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Kaiser Medicare Plus
- Tricare East Select
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Cigna HMO Open Access
- United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
- United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- United Optimum Choice
- Cigna Choice Fund PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
- D-SNP)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- United Choice Plus
- United Erickson Advantage Plans
- Carefirst EPO
- United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
- United Choice
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
- HumanaChoice PPO
- United Mamsi Life & Health
- Cigna Indemnity
- Kaiser Select-Added Choice
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Medicaid - Virginia
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- WellPoint Maryland
- United AARP Medicare Complete
- CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
- Kaiser Select
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
- Virginia Premier
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology
Fellowship: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (2008)
Residency: West Virginia University School of Medicine (2007)
Residency: West Virginia University Hospitals (2004)
Graduate: Universita di Pisa (1993)
Graduate: Universita di Pisa (1989)
Medical School: Universita Degli Studi di Pavia (1989)
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
Selected publications (after 2013):
- Jordan LC, Hills NK, Fox CK, Ichord RN, Pergami P, deVeber GA, Fullerton HJ, Lo W. Socioeconomic determinants of outcome after childhood arterial ischemic stroke. Neurology. 2018 Aug 7;91(6):e509-e516. Epub 2018 Jul 6.
- J. L Wilson, P. Pergami. Practice and Preparedness for Endovascular Therapy in Acute Pediatric Stroke. Stroke. 2018;49:A197
- P. R. Tabrizi, M. Peries, R. Monfaredi, H.F. Talari, T. Salvador, K. Cleary, P. Pergami. Use of PedBot Robotic Rehabilitation: Neurophysiologic Measures of Motor Training in a Pediatric Population. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Vol. 32(3), pp. 258-9, 2018
- Wintermark M, Hills NK, DeVeber GA, Barkovich AJ, Bernard TJ, Friedman NR, Mackay MT, Kirton A, Zhu G, Leiva-Salinas C, Hou Q, Fullerton HJ; VIPS Investigators. Clinical and Imaging Characteristics of Arteriopathy Subtypes in Children with Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Results of the VIPS Study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2017 Nov;38(11):2172-2179.
- Kesar TM, Belagaje SR, Pergami P, Haut MW, Hobbs G, Buetefisch CM. Effects of monoaminergic drugs on training-induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults. Brain Res. 2017 Sep 1.
- Fox CK, Mackay MT, Dowling MM, Pergami P, Titomanlio L, Deveber G; SIPS Investigators. Prolonged or recurrent acute seizures after pediatric arterial ischemic stroke are associated with increasing epilepsy risk. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2017 Jan;59(1):38-44.
- P. Pergami, W. Chen, K. Guffey, G. Guo. Classification of Normal and Abnormal Gait in Young Children Based on Foot Pressure Data: Towards Remote Monitoring of Medical Interventions. Neuroinformatics, 2017; Jan;15(1):13-24.
- Fullerton HJ, deVeber GA, Hills NK, Dowling MM, Fox CK, Mackay MT, Kirton A, Yager JY, Bernard TJ, Hod EA, Wintermark M, Elkind MS; VIPS Investigators. Inflammatory Biomarkers in Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Correlates of Stroke Cause and Recurrence. Stroke. 2016 Sep;47(9):2221Stroke. 2016 May;47(5):1265-70. PMID: 27491741
- Fullerton HJ, Wintermark M, Hills NK, Dowling MM, Tan M, Rafay MF, Elkind MS, Barkovich AJ, deVeber GA; VIPS Investigators. Risk of Recurrent Arterial Ischemic Stroke in Childhood: A Prospective International Study. Stroke. 2016 Jan;47(1):53-9.
- Wintermark M, Hills NK, deVeber GA, Barkovich AJ, Elkind MS, Sear K, Zhu G, Leiva-Salinas C, Hou Q, Dowling MM, Bernard TJ, Friedman NR, Ichord RN, Fullerton HJ; VIPS Investigators. Arteriopathy diagnosis in childhood arterial ischemic stroke: results of the vascular effects of infection in pediatric stroke study. Stroke. 2014 Dec;45(12):3597-605. PMID: 25388419.
- Motiian S, Pergami P, Guffey K, Mancinelli CA, Doretto G. Automated extraction and validation of children's gait parameters with the Kinect. Biomed Eng Online. 2015 Dec 2;14(1):112. PMID: 26626555.
- Guffey K, Regier M, Mancinelli C, Pergami P(*). Gait parameters associated with balance in healthy 2- to 4-year-old children. Gait Posture. 2016 Jan;43:165-9. PMID: 26439183.
- M. Ly, T. Nanavati, Frum, P. Pergami(*). Comparing tract-based spatial statistics and manual region-of-interest labeling as diffusion analysis methods to detect white matter abnormalities in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2015 Apr 24. doi: 10.1002/jmri.24930. PMID: 25914196.
- P. Pergami(*), N Seemaladinne, A.B. Billing. Validating the Use of a Computer Application as Test of Motor Function in Children and Adults. NeuroRehabilitation, 2013 (1-9).