Salman Bhai, M.D.

Dr. Salman Bhai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Director of the Neuromuscular Center at the Institute of Exercise and Environmental Medicine (IEEM) at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. He earned his B.S. in mathematics at Duke University and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, where he earned multiple research grants including the Bertarelli Fellowship and a Wilderness Medicine Society grant. He completed his internship, neurology residency, and neuromuscular fellowship at Harvard: internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and residency and fellowship in a joint program between Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Bhai specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of neuromuscular disorders. He specifically focuses on patients with inflammatory and metabolic myopathies as well as those with immune checkpoint inhibitor complications.

His research focuses on understanding how muscles communicate with other organ systems, particularly when muscle is inflamed, like in myositis. The goal of his research is to better understand, diagnose, and treat patients with myositis. This will be achieved through exercise and muscle physiology studies of myositis patients by analyzing biospecimens for molecular perturbations. He also works to offer clinical trials for myositis patients.

Clinical Trials: site PI on two metabolic myopathy trials sponsored by Reneo Pharmaceuticals

Research PI: muscle signaling in inflammatory conditions, physiological and immune perturbations in inflammatory myopathies

Research collaborations: immune molecular phenotyping in checkpoint inhibitor complications (David Gerber – UTSW lab), biomarkers of muscle damage (Ning Liu, Lin Xu – UTSW)

Dr. Bhai is dedicated to neurologic medical education. During his neurology residency, he worked to create a multi-modal curriculum for internal medicine residents and lead the implementation of the program. He also dedicated his time to teach parts of the curriculum. He continues to work with medical students, neurology residents, and neuromuscular fellows to further neurology education.

Dr. Bhai is dedicated to helping patients and their families understand and navigate difficult conditions by providing exceptional clinical care.

Medical School

Harvard Medical School (2015)

Internship

Brigham and Women's Hospital (2016), Internal Medicine

Residency

Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's Hospital (2019), Neurology

Fellowship

Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's Hospital (2020), Neuromuscular Disease

• Autoimmune neuromuscular diseases
• Dermatomyositis
• Exercise physiology
• Healthcare disparities
• Hereditary myopathies
• Immune mediated necrotizing myopathy
• Inclusion body myositis
• Inflammatory myopathies
• Metabolic myopathies
• Mitochondrial myopathies
• Myositis
• Polymyositis
• Sarcopenia

Exercise recommendations for patients with myositis: a narrative review of safety and efficacy

Varone N, Hinojosa J, Nandakumar D, Modi N, Bhashyam AR, Bhai SF Clinical and experimental rheumatology 2024 Feb 42 436-444

Toward an Understanding of GSD5 (McArdle disease): How Do Individuals Learn to Live with the Metabolic Defect in Daily Life

Karazi W, Coppers J, Maas D, Cup E, Bloemen B, Voet N, Groothuis JT, Pinós T, Marti Seves R, Quinlivan R, Løkken N, Vissing J, Bhai S, Wakelin A, Reason S, Voermans NC Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases 2024 Jan 11 103-116

Attenuated peripheral oxygen extraction and greater cardiac output in women with posttraumatic stress disorder during exercise

D’Souza AW, Yoo JK, Bhai S, Sarma S, Anderson EH, Levine BD, Fu Q Journal of applied physiology 2024 136 141-150

The personal financial burden associated with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Hua C, Bhashyam AR, Lubinus M, Wilson L, Bhai S Neuromuscular Disorders 2023 Dec 33 945-950

Tendon Transfers to Improve Grip and Pinch in Patients with Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis

Hua C, Bhai S, Cheng J, Hinojosa J, Wilson L, Lubinus M, Bhashyam AR Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open 2023 Nov 11

Peripheral neuropathies after shoulder arthroscopy: a systematic review

Smith RD, Wright CL, Shaw B, Bhai S, Bhashyam AR, O'Donnell EA JSES Reviews, Reports, and Techniques 2023 Nov 3 454-460

Diagnosis and management of metabolic myopathies

Bhai SF, Vissing J Muscle and Nerve 2023 Sep 68 250-256

Development of Continuum of Care for McArdle disease: A practical tool for clinicians and patients

Reason SL, Voermans N, Lucia A, Vissing J, Quinlivan R, Bhai S, Wakelin A Neuromuscular Disorders 2023 Jul 33 575-579

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-related myositis: From pathophysiology to treatment

Sundarrajan C, Bhai S, Dimachkie MM Clinical and experimental rheumatology 2023 Feb 41 379-385

Pain profile and opioid medication use in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Bhashyam A, Lubinus M, Filmore E, Wilson L, Williams J, Gonzalez Ramos O, Bhai S Rheumatology (United Kingdom) 2023 Jan 62 264-269

• Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (2020)