Where Are You, Dr. Friedman?
Hi! I am no longer at UT Southwestern and currently not practicing medicine. I have not yet made a decision regarding my next practice location but will be in the Dallas area. The process is taking a little longer than I anticipated but I hope to have an update in the first quarter of 2023. (Updated December 19, 2022)
Deborah I. Friedman, MD, MPH
Neuro-Ophthalmologist and Headache Medicine Specialist Dallas, Texas
About Dr. Friedman
Dr. Friedman, a board certified Neurologist, Neuro-Ophthalmologist and Headache Medicine specialist, is a national leader in her fields of interest and one of only a few physicians in the country with expertise in both subspecialties.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering Science Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
Doctor of Medicine Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
Intern in Medicine Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
Resident in Neurology Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellow Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California
Master of Public Health University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
Board Certification
Neurology American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Headache Medicine United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties
Dr. Friedman joined the faculty at University of Texas Southwestern in 2011 and served as the Founding Director Headache and Facial Pain Program until 2022. She also started and directed UT Southwestern’s Disorders of Intracranial Pressure Program.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Headache Society, the American Neurological Association, and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), and is a past President of NANOS. She is the Program Co-Chair for the American Headache Society's Annual Scottsdale Headache Symposium and the Treasurer of the Southern Headache Society.
Her clinical and research interests include disorders of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics (pseudotumor cerebri syndrome/idiopathic intracranial hypertension, spontaneous intracranial hypotension), migraine therapeutics and cluster headache therapeutics. She published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, authored or co-authored more than 27 book chapters, and delivered more than 300 lectures and presentations. She is active in many national and international organizations related to her subspecialties. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology and Neurology Reviews and as a reviewer for a number of professional journals.
Her clinical and research interests include disorders of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics (pseudotumor cerebri syndrome/idiopathic intracranial hypertension, spontaneous intracranial hypotension), migraine therapeutics and cluster headache therapeutics. She published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, authored or co-authored more than 27 book chapters, and delivered more than 300 lectures and presentations. She is active in many national and international organizations related to her subspecialties. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology and Neurology Reviews and as a reviewer for a number of professional journals.
Meet Dr. Friedman
I first became interested in neuro-ophthalmology during medical school after deciding to become a neurologist. Neuro-ophthalmology is a fascinating field involving disorders of vision that arise from the optic nerves, brain, eyelids and eye muscles...combining the tools of ophthalmology with the investigative thought processes of neurology. It overlaps every aspect of medicine.
After finishing my fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology, I joined the Neurology faculty at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York, which is where I became interested in Headache Medicine. Patients with headache disorders and visual symptoms, such as transient visual loss, double vision and visual aura found their way into my practice and many turned out to have migraine. As a neurologist, I had some experience treating headaches during my residency training and started treating their migraines. When they returned for follow up and told me that the treatment had given them their lives back, I was astounded -- this wasn't something that neurologists were used to hearing at the time!
Another condition that neuro-ophthalmologists frequently see that combines neuro-ophthalmology and headache medicine is idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), also known as pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. For unknown reasons, the cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the brain is high in IIH. It most often affects obese women of childbearing age and can lead to permanent visual loss and debilitating headaches if not diagnosed early and treated effectively. As the only neuro-ophthalmologist in Syracuse, I saw patients with IIH from all over Central New York and started doing research in the condition. My experience caring for these patients made me realize that most of them continued to experience severe headaches even after their cerebrospinal fluid pressure was controlled and their optic nerve swelling resolved. They also needed someone with expertise in headache treatment.
Realizing the need to provide headache care and motivated to learn more, I attended national meetings of the American Headache Society to learn from experts in headache medicine -- and the rest is history. I was hooked!
After 12 years in Syracuse, I moved slightly farther west and joined the faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester. There was, and still is, a strong Neurotherapeutics program there, and I went back to school part-time to get a Masters in Public Health degree with a focus on experimental therapeutics and clinical trials. I directed the fledgling clinical trials unit in Ophthalmology and was on the steering committee for the Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial, the second multi-center clinical trial in Neuro-Ophthalmology funded by the National Institutes of Health (the first was for optic neuritis when I was still a resident). As a member of the university's institutional review board, I learned a lot about the ethics and conduct of human research. My leadership roles in the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society occurred during these years.
My dream was to start a multi-disciplinary, world-class headache center and I was recruited by the University of Texas Southwestern in 2011 to do that. I am proud of what we built there and the quality of care that my team provided. My experience treating patients at UT Southwestern led to my most recent interest in another cerebrospinal fluid pressure condition in which the spinal fluid leaks out of the spinal column. Called 'Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension', it causes many different symptoms, including headache (typically worse when upright), imbalance, hearing loss, memory problems and abnormal movements. The symptoms are so varied that it can be very difficult to diagnose and treat; many people suffer for years before being correctly diagnosed. This condition also requires a specialized treatment team and we established a nationally recognized program for "leaks" at UT Southwestern.
There are currently fewer than 500 neuro-ophthalmologists and fewer than 600 headache specialists in the country, so people with the most challenging and complex disorders migrate to us. There are only a handful of physicians in the country that specialize in both neuro-ophthalmology and headache medicine. As one of them, I provide insight and expertise to help patients who need this unique perspective for their diagnosis and treatment. I enjoy seeing patients with neuro-ophthalmic problems and headache disorders, love a challenge and find it very rewarding to help people get better, which I am grateful to experience every day in my practice. I am also passionate about teaching, doing clinical research and writing. I am excited to participate in advances in Neuro-Ophthalmology and Headache Medicine, improving diagnostics and testing new treatments that offer hope and optimism for patients.
Selected Professional Associations and AffiliationsAmerican Headache Society (1998-present), Consortium of Fellowship Program Directors (2012–2022), Ethics Committee (2002–2011; Chair 2016–2020), Board of Directors (2004–2010, 2014–2020), Chair, Task Force on Application Standards (2014), Legislative Affairs Liaison (2006–2014), Scottsdale Headache Symposium Program Co-Chair (2020 - present)
North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (1988), Board Chair (2008–2010), President (2006–2008), President Elect (2004–2006), Secretary (2000–2002), Treasurer (1996–1998), Bylaws Committee (2012-present), Education Committee (1995-2006), NOVEL Steering Committee (2007-2014)American Academy of Neurology (1985), Chair, Headache and Facial Pain Section (2011-2013) , Executive Committee for Sections and Subspecialties (2013-2020)
Southern Headache Society (2012), Board of Directors (non-voting member) 2020–present
Spinal Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Foundation (2018-present), Medical Advisory BoardHeadache Organization of Texas (2012-present), Founder and DirectorWomen in Neuro-Ophthalmology (1992), Co-founder and President (1992–1994)National Headache Foundation (1999-present)American Neurological Association (2004-present)International Headache Society (2003-present)Healthy Women Women's Advisory Council (2019- present)
Honors and Awards
Regional and National Recognition
Best Doctors in America (1998-present)
American Registry America’s Most Honored Doctors (2020-present)US News and World Report Top Doctors (2011-present)Castle Connolly Top Doctors (2011-present)Castle Connolly Exceptional Women in Medicine (2018-present)Who’s Who in America (2011-present)Patients’ Choice Award (2016-present)Top Doctors in North Texas (2015-present)America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America (2006)
Professional Society Awards
Thomas Carlow Distinguished Service Award 2012, North American Neuro-Ophthalmology SocietyAthena Award Finalist 2011, Rochester Business Alliance Women's CouncilJohn Graham Award 2021, American Headache Society
Seymour Solomon Award 2018, American Headache SocietyReaders’ Choice Award 2018, HeadacheAbove and Beyond Award 2017, American Headache Society
Fellow of American Headache Society (2005)Fellow of American Academy of Neurology (1998)Fellow of North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (1991)Fellow of American Neurological Association (2004)