Le Hua always wanted to be a doctor.
“I had accompanied my grandparents to their doctor’s appointments and helped translate, which allowed me to see how physicians can heal and provide comfort, and I knew this was the career for me,” said Hua, who holds a degree in biochemistry from the University of Arizona, attended medical school at USC, completed a residency in neurology at Stanford University and completed a fellowship in neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis at Barrow Neurological Institute.
“I became interested in neurology after learning how the brain works, and eventually specialized in neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis because it was a merge of all my interests.”
Hua joined Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in August 2013 and became director of the multiple sclerosis program in September 2014. In addition to seeing patients, she also works on research, clinical trials and education.
“We’ve been able to bring to Las Vegas drug trials looking at repair and restoration function in patients with MS,” said Hua, who was awarded the Eric and Sheila Samson Chair for MS research in 2016. “While there are current MS medications that can help delay progression of the disease, there are none that can actually restore and repair function that is lost during disease progression, so to have a drug that could do this would be monumental for the MS community, so I am particularly excited about this research.”
Hua — who supports Three Square, KNPR and Planned Parenthood, and serves on the education task force of the American Academy of Neurology’s MS section — will also be starting an MS fellowship training program in addition to continuing to grow the program at the center.