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| From left, Juan Ochoa, M.D., Yulong Huang Stokes, and Bassam Bassam, M.D. |
Fourth-year medical student Yulong Huang Stokes recently received the Eran and N.Q. Adams Endowed Scholarship in Autonomic Disorder from the USA Department of Neurology.
The scholarship was created to support young physicians engaged in neurology who wish to gain a better understanding of dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is an autonomic disorder that affects the involuntary functions of the nervous system such as heart rate. Third- and fourth-year medical students at the Whiddon College of Medicine can apply for this unique research and learning opportunity.
“On a professional and personal level, Yulong is a very talented and achieved medical student,” said Bassam Bassam, M.D., a professor of neurology at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “She has significant professional and scholastic achievements at an early stage of her medical career. Those achievements, qualifications, and motivation to better understand autonomic disorders clearly qualifies her for receiving the scholarship.”
Stokes received an undergraduate degree from the University of South Alabama in 2021 and will graduate from the Whiddon College of Medicine in May 2025. With a special interest in epilepsy, Stokes plans to pursue a fellowship after completing her residency in neurology at USA Health.
“I became interested in neurology after my third-year clerkship,” she said. “I originally thought I should pursue a primary care specialty since I liked everything I did, but I didn’t love anything as much as neurology.”
Stokes’ skills include differential diagnosis formulation, interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific manuscript writing, patient communication and counseling and navigation of electronic medical records. She has also made writing contributions to five peer-reviewed journal articles.
After receiving the neurology scholarship, Stokes began research of literature and medical records at USA Health’s Strada Patient Care Center to address the prevalence of symptoms and diagnostic trends in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). She detailed changes in the definition of the syndrome, which helped increase awareness. This highlights the importance of specifying the differences between POTS and other medical conditions, Stokes said.
Juan Ochoa, M.D., a professor of neurology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, said he admires Stokes’ passion for the field.
“Ms. Stokes’ compassion, resilience, and determination distinguish her as an extraordinary individual who will undoubtedly become an exceptional physician,” Ochoa said. “She has not only shown a profound commitment to her patients but has also demonstrated impressive scholarly aptitude, evidenced by her publication of a peer-reviewed paper during her clerkship rotation. This achievement underscores her intellectual rigor and dedication to advancing the field of neurology.”
In addition to her academic career, Stokes worked as a clinical skills tutor, a group fitness instructor, and a research lab manager. She has also served as an English tutor, student peer mentor at the USA College of Education and has volunteered at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
