The Charleston Vandalia Rotary Club always welcomes guests, but Wednesday morning's guest will arrive by unconventional means.
The club is bringing in its first guest by videoconference.
"The idea is to make nationally recognized guests with ties or interest in West Virginia available to speak to our members," said George Manahan, spokesman for the club.
The guest speaker for the 7:30 a.m. event is Dr. Ali R. Rezai, co-chairman of the Center for Neurological Restoration at Cleveland Clinic.
He is a leading expert in deep brain stimulation and was featured in local news coverage for helping Hunter Smith, a Charleston stockbroker, overcome Parkinson's disease.
If the video session with Rezai goes well, the Rotary will plan other video guests, Manahan said.
The Vandalia Rotary Club will move from its usual location at Christ United Methodist Church to the Summit Conference Center to accommodate the need for the technology necessary to beam in Rezai's presentation.
The conference will be linked by both video and Internet, allowing club members to see not only Rezai, but also any photos or demonstrations he chooses to view as well.
The Charleston Vandalia Rotary Club always welcomes guests, but Wednesday morning's guest will arrive by unconventional means.
The club is bringing in its first guest by videoconference.
"The idea is to make nationally recognized guests with ties or interest in West Virginia available to speak to our members," said George Manahan, spokesman for the club.
The guest speaker for the 7:30 a.m. event is Dr. Ali R. Rezai, co-chairman of the Center for Neurological Restoration at Cleveland Clinic.
He is a leading expert in deep brain stimulation and was featured in local news coverage for helping Hunter Smith, a Charleston stockbroker, overcome Parkinson's disease.
If the video session with Rezai goes well, the Rotary will plan other video guests, Manahan said.
The Vandalia Rotary Club will move from its usual location at Christ United Methodist Church to the Summit Conference Center to accommodate the need for the technology necessary to beam in Rezai's presentation.
The conference will be linked by both video and Internet, allowing club members to see not only Rezai, but also any photos or demonstrations he chooses to view as well.
Smith, the beneficiary of Rezai's treatment, will provide his introduction.
"How do you get someone of this caliber to travel to Charleston and speak?" Smith asked. "You can't. Getting him to take 30 minutes out of his day is much more feasible."
Smith experienced Rezai's expertise first-hand when he underwent brain surgery performed by a team of surgeons led by Rezai. The surgery cured the Parkinson's disease Smith had suffered for seven years, Smith said.
Smith will provide Rezai's introduction and serve as a moderator during the question-and- answer session that will follow his talk, Manahan said.
Others treated by Rezai include Nolan Parsons, a dermatologist at St. Francis Hospital, and Ken Shaw, a former member of the West Virginia National Guard. More Charleston natives are scheduled to have the procedure performed in the near future, Smith said.
Rezai is a board certified neurosurgeon and one of the world's leading experts in deep brain stimulation. The electronic stimulation takes place through an implanted nervous system pacemaker to treat neurological disorders.
The procedure is used to treat Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, and it is being studied as a treatment for other disorders, such as intractable epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant depression and traumatic brain injury.
Contact writer Cory Jackson at c...@dailymail.com or 348-4872.
