Rate My Professor Maysaa Basha

Maysaa Basha, MD, serves as Chair of the Department of Neurology and Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. A metro-Detroit native, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Wayne State University in 2001 and her Doctor of Medicine from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2005. She completed a transitional year internship from 2005 to 2006 and neurology residency from 2006 to 2009 at Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Basha then pursued specialized epilepsy training as a clinical neurophysiology fellow on the epilepsy track at University Hospitals Case Western Reserve Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, from 2009 to 2010, under the direction of Hans Lüders, MD, PhD. Board certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and epilepsy, she joined the Wayne State University faculty in 2010 as part of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. She holds additional leadership roles as Chief of the Epilepsy Division, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Director of the Neurology Residency Program, member of the Faculty Senate, and member of the Detroit Medical Center/WSU Joint Committee. Appointed interim chair of the Department of Neurology in 2022, she assumed the permanent role effective August 22, 2024.

Dr. Basha's clinical and research interests center on the treatment of medically intractable epilepsy, status epilepticus management, EEG and seizure semiology analysis, and seizure safety. She leads the Epilepsy Division with a multidisciplinary approach to provide advanced diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to underserved populations in Detroit. Her innovations include a patented machine learning-based seizure detection system using non-invasive audio tools, which secured $75,000 in funding through a 'Shark Tank' competition, along with grant support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation for investigator-initiated trials. She serves on national committees for the American Epilepsy Society, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, and Neurocritical Care Society, contributing to guidelines and accreditation efforts. A dedicated educator, Dr. Basha has mentored medical students, residents, and fellows, earning the A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award from the American Academy of Neurology in 2024, the WSU College Teaching Award in 2014, the Department of Neurology’s Best Clinical Faculty award in 2020 and 2012 (Residents’ Choice), and listing in Best Doctors in America for 2012-13.