James B. Meiling, DO, Receives 2026 AANEM Scientific Impact Award

For one of this year's AANEM Scientific Impact Award recipients, the path to NM medicine began with an uncommon fascination: a deep love of anatomy. As an undergraduate teaching assistant in a MSK anatomy course, Dr. James B. Meiling became captivated by structures many students find intimidating. "Unlike many undergraduate students, I became fascinated by the complex highway of neural architecture that makes up the brachial plexus while a teaching assistant for a musculoskeletal anatomy course," he said. That early curiosity laid the foundation for a career focused on how nerves and muscles function, and how to diagnose when they do not.

In medical school, that interest gained direction when a mentor introduced him to EDX medicine. "I quickly realized during this time that an electrodiagnostic examination was just applied neuromuscular anatomy and a way for me to marry my love of anatomy and a clinically-useful diagnostic hands-on skill," he said. During residency, one question guided his path. "While I explored other potential subspecialty routes within PM&R during residency, I always came back to the main question, 'Can I keep performing electromyographies if I pursue this route,'" he said. That question ultimately led him to commit fully to the field.

By fellowship, NM medicine already had a solid foundation for the evidence-based combined use of EDX medicine and NMUS to diagnose NM disorders in clinical practice. His work has focused on expanding US's role in real-time nerve and muscle assessment and standardizing its use alongside electromyography (EMG). Fellowship broadened his understanding of US applications across nerve and muscle disease. "While it is well-established to evaluate entrapment mononeuropathies with neuromuscular ultrasound, my fellowship taught me potential applications to traumatic mononeuropathies, brachial plexopathies, demyelinating polyneuropathies, motor neuron diseases, and muscle diseases," he said. "My research seeks to explore neuromuscular ultrasound in all aspects of neuromuscular diagnosis."

Dr. Meiling is also advancing the ability to visualize fine nerve structure. "With constant improvement in neuromuscular ultrasound technology, peripheral nerve intraneural groups of nerve fibers, also called peripheral nerve fascicles, are becoming more visible with sonographic assessment. My research explores neuromuscular ultrasound for early detection of pathologic fasciculopathies…in peripheral nerve conditions such as neuralgic amyotrophy (Parsonage-Turner syndrome)."

Beyond research, his work has shaped training and practice. "Within our institution, we have been able to develop several courses to train our neuromuscular medicine and certified nurse practitioner (CNP) fellows, PM&R residents, and our certified nerve conduction technologists the foundational premises of neuromuscular ultrasound to be practiced within the EMG lab," he said.

At the center of his approach is collaboration. "I am a neuromuscular physiatrist who works hand-in-hand with other physiatrists and neurologists within our EMG lab, with other hand-focused physiatrists and hand surgeons in our multidisciplinary hand clinic, and am fortunate and grateful to be a diagnostically focused member of our surgically led Brachial Plexus, Complex Nerve Injury / Tetraplegia, and Upper Limb Treatment and Rehabilitation for Amputees (ULTRA) Clinics," he said. This team-based model improves both efficiency and patient care.

Receiving the Scientific Impact Award is deeply meaningful. "I am beyond excited and incredibly honored to be selected for this award," he said. "It also is a reflection and testament of the impact that multidisciplinary teamwork can truly make in the lives of those we are seeking to improve."

Dr. Meiling encourages trainees interested in the field to explore its breadth and creativity. "The field itself is quite vast with many avenues to explore and delve into," he said, describing NM medicine as "the perfect intersection of neuroanatomy and clinical care," driven by curiosity and the drive to understand "why."