Meet the Doctor
Yessar Hussain, MD
Dr. Hussain earned his medical degree at the University of Baghdad College of Medicine in Baghdad, Iraq. He completed his neurology residency at the State University of New York. He finished his fellowship in neuromuscular medicine, electromyography (EMG), and pathology at Washington University School of Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, one of the leading academic centers in the nation for neuromuscular medicine training.
Dr. Hussain is board certified in neurology, neuromuscular medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, and clinical neuromuscular pathology.
Dr. Hussain is a board member of the Texas Neurological Society, as well as a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.
He believes that the most effective approach to neuromuscular disorders is through comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and treatment. This vision is what led Dr. Hussain to establish Austin Neuromuscular Center in 2015, one of the premier comprehensive neuromuscular centers in the nation. Most recently the National Neuromuscular Research Institute to the center as part of his continued commitment to research.
Dr. Hussain is committed to the neurology community. He has dedicated countless clinical hours to the teaching of medical students and residents from both the neurology and the physical rehabilitation and medicine departments at UT Dell Medical School. He also helped to establish “The Business of Neurology” rotation with the Texas Neurological Society to help rising physicians understand the multidimensional aspects of medical practice.
- Other Myopathies.
Hussain Y, Miller S.
Neurol Clin. 2020 Aug;38(3):619-635. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2020.04.002.
PMID: 32703473 Review. - Patient Assisted Intervention for Neuropathy: Comparison of Treatment in Real Life Situations (PAIN-CONTRoLS): Bayesian Adaptive Comparative Effectiveness Randomized Trial.
Barohn RJ, Gajewski B, Pasnoor M, Brown A, Herbelin LL, Kimminau KS, Mudaranthakam DP, Jawdat O, Dimachkie MM; Patient Assisted Intervention for Neuropathy: Comparison of Treatment in Real Life Situations (PAIN-CONTRoLS) Study Team, Iyadurai S, Stino A, Kissel J, Pascuzzi R, Brannagan T, Wicklund M, Ahmed A, Walk D, Smith G, Quan D, Heitzman D, Tobon A, Ladha S, Wolfe G, Pulley M, Hayat G, Li Y, Thaisetthawatkul P, Lewis R, Biliciler S, Sharma K, Salajegheh K, Trivedi J, Mallonee W, Burns T, Jacoby M, Bril V, Vu T, Ramchandren S, Bazant M, Austin S, Karam C, Hussain Y, Kutz C, Twydell P, Scelsa S, Kushlaf H, Wymer J, Hehir M, Kolb N, Ralph J, Barboi A, Verma N, Ahmed M, Memon A, Saperstein D, Lou JS, Swenson A, Cash T.
JAMA Neurol. 2021 Jan 1;78(1):68-76. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.2590.
PMID: 32809014 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. - Variable Presentation of Hereditary Transthyretin-Mediated Amyloidosis at a Single Center.
Hussain Y.
J Clin Neuromuscul Dis. 2021 Sep 1;23(1):7-17. doi: 10.1097/CND.0000000000000356.
PMID: 34431796 - Clinical utility of anti-cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase 1A antibody in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.
Ikenaga C, Findlay AR, Goyal NA, Robinson S, Cauchi J, Hussain Y, Wang LH, Kershen JC, Beson BA, Wallendorf M, Bucelli RC, Mozaffar T, Pestronk A, Weihl CC.
Clin Transl Neurol. 2021 Mar;8(3):571-578. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51294. Epub 2021 Feb 8.
PMID: 33556224 Free PMC article. - Safety and efficacy of zilucoplan in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis (RAISE): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study.
Howard JF Jr, Bresch S, Genge A, Hewamadduma C, Hinton J, Hussain Y, Juntas-Morales R, Kaminski HJ, Maniaol A, Mantegazza R, Masuda M, Sivakumar K, Śmiłowski M, Utsugisawa K, Vu T, Weiss MD, Zajda M, Boroojerdi B, Brock M, de la Borderie G, Duda PW, Lowcock R, Vanderkelen M, Leite MI; RAISE Study Team. Lancet Neurol. 2023 May;22(5):395-406. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00080-7. PMID: 37059508 Clinical Trial. - Zilucoplan in immune-mediated necrotising myopathy: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial.
Mammen AL, Amato AA, Dimachkie MM, Chinoy H, Hussain Y, Lilleker JB, Pinal-Fernandez I, Allenbach Y, Boroojerdi B, Vanderkelen M, Delicha EM, Koendgen H, Farzaneh-Far R, Duda PW, Sayegh C, Benveniste O. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023 Feb;5(2):e67-e76. doi: 10.1016/s2665-9913(23)00003-6. Epub 2023 Jan 24. PMID: 36923454 Free PMC article. - Trial of Intravenous Immune Globulin in Dermatomyositis.
Aggarwal R, Charles-Schoeman C, Schessl J, Bata-Csörgő Z, Dimachkie MM, Griger Z, Moiseev S, Oddis C, Schiopu E, Vencovský J, Beckmann I, Clodi E, Bugrova O, Dankó K, Ernste F, Goyal NA, Heuer M, Hudson M, Hussain YM, Karam C, Magnolo N, Nelson R, Pozur N, Prystupa L, Sárdy M, Valenzuela G, van der Kooi AJ, Vu T, Worm M, Levine T; ProDERM Trial Group. N Engl J Med. 2022 Oct 6;387(14):1264-1278. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2117912. PMID: 36198179 Clinical Trial. - Patient preference for virtual versus in-person visits in neuromuscular clinical practice.
Hafeez K, Kushlaf H, Al-Sultani H, Joseph AC, Zaeem Z, Siddiqi Z, Laboy S, Pulley M, Habib AA, Robbins NM, Zadeh S, Hafeez MU, Hussain Y, Melendez-Zaidi A, Kassardjian C, Johnson K, Leonhard H, Biliciler S, Patino Murillas JE, Shaibani AI. Muscle Nerve. 2022 Aug;66(2):142-147. doi: 10.1002/mus.27641. Epub 2022 Jun 3. PMID: 35596667 Free PMC article.
Meet the Nurse Practitioner
Casey Kafena, MSN, AGACNP-BC
Casey Kafena is a nurse practitioner at Austin Neuromuscular Center in Austin, TX. She originally attended the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She worked for a few years in a Neuro ICU in Ft. Worth and then moved to Austin and worked for 10 more years in the general ICU. In both ICU environments, she specialized in neurologic care and took part in the acute stroke team. In 2019, she graduated from Texas Tech University with her Master of Science in Nursing and became board certified as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.
Casey has been working very closely with Dr. Hussain and the rest of the team in treating patients and providing compassionate care. She created and manages the ALS clinic and is involved in clinical trials, performing skin biopsies, administering botulinum toxin therapy, creating educational materials for patients and staff, and soon to be involved in pathology and autonomic test interpretation.
In her free time, she spends time with her husband, son, 2 dogs, and 1 fish! She has a love of music and comedy and may or may not be the office “prankster”. Every year there is a themed holiday card that is always a surprise.
Meet the Nurse Practitioner
Nisha Meknojiya
Nisha Meknojiya is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner born and raised in Austin, TX. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014 and Master of Science in Nursing in 2016 from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Prior to joining Austin Neuromuscular Center, she has worked both in inpatient and outpatient setting. Her background ranges from primary care, pain management, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Nisha strives to provide compassionate care by actively listening to her patients and understanding their symptoms and diseases and teach them about their diagnosis and treatment plan. She values being part of this practice that also participates in clinical research to further investigate treatments for neurologic conditions.
She has experience performing skin biopsies and administering botulism toxin.