about the doctor
Boca Raton Neurologist Renata Chalfin, M.D.
Dr. Renata Chalfin is a board-certified neurologist practicing in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Chalfin was raised here in Boca, then received her education and training at Cornell University, Johns Hopkins, UCF, and the University of Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
A young child when her family immigrated here from the former Soviet Union, Dr. Chalfin feels a personal connection to the Boca Raton community. She was the Salutatorian at Olympic Heights High School. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Education. It was when she was immersed in medicine while studying for a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins that she discovered that treating patients was her passion. She was accepted on a full-tuition scholarship to medical school at the University of Central Florida, then she moved back down to south Florida to complete her internship and neurology residency at the University of Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Throughout her training, Dr. Chalfin has been passionate about treating patients, improving the quality of care, educating others, and conducting research. Now, back in her hometown, she is ready to give back to the community that raised her.
Dr. Chalfin resides in Boca Raton with her husband and two sons. She enjoys baking, dancing, reading, and the great outdoors.
See her C.V. here.
Why neurology
Ever since her high school biology class, when her teacher introduced the idea that Alzheimer's could be caused by an infectious particle (a scientific hypothesis that is still tested to this day), Dr. Chalfin has been fascinated with the brain. She started reading neurology case series by Oliver Sacks and VS Ramachandran in her free time. She shadowed a local neurologist while on her spring break from college, just to gain the patient perspective of the diseases she was planning to research. While studying for a Ph.D. at Hopkins, she found herself shadowing her research preceptors, who were medical doctors, as they saw their own patients. She saw patients with HIV neurocognitive disorder and multiple sclerosis, migraines and neuropathy. Ultimately, she decided that she wanted to have a direct impact on patients, so she switched tracks from research to clinical medicine. Still, throughout her medical education, she kept coming back to the brain and the nervous system.
After all, the brain and nervous system control all the functions that make us human. Talking, laughing, remembering. Walking, feeling, tasting. All through the nervous system. Patients know how much their quality of life can be diminished when these functions are affected. Dr. Chalfin wants to help.
publications
Dr. Chalfin's articles have been published in numerous journals. She is available for speaking engagements, educational seminars, radio, and television appearances, as well as as a guest columnist. She also performs independent medical examinations and medical reviews. For more information, please contact her.
Saini V, Chalfin R, et al (2019). Pearls & Oy-sters: Bismuth neurotoxicity from use of topical bismuth dressing for burns. Neurology, 92 (14), 680-681.
Regan AD, Shraybman R, et al (2008). Differential role for low pH and cathepsin-mediated cleavage of the viral spike protein during entry of serotype II feline coronaviruses. Veterinary Microbiology, 132(3-4), 235-48.
Shraybman R, et al. Effect of an 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Working Memory in Medical Students. Poster Presentation, UCF COM FIRE Mini-Conference, March 2012.
Shraybman R, et al. Developing SARS-Permissive Cells to Determine the Fusion Domains on the SARS Spike Protein. Oral presentation at Cornell Hughes Scholar Program, 2006.
Sun Q, Shraybman R, et al (2012). Pre-transplant myeloid dendritic cell deficiency associated with cytomegalovirus infection and death after kidney transplantation. Transpl Infect Dis., 14(6), 618-625.
Womer K, Shraybman R, et al (2010). Dendritic Cell Deficiency Associated With Development of BK Viremia and Nephropathy in Renal Transplant Recipients. Transplantation, 89(1), 115-123.
Comi A, Shraybman R, et al. Low-Dose Aspirin Use Survey in Sturge-Weber Syndrome. Poster at the 2008 Child Neurology Society meeting, Santa Clara, CA, November 2008.
Shraybman R, et al. In Vivo DC Transduction with Adv/hIL-10 Improves Disease in EAE. Winner of the 2nd Place Award at Florida Symposium. Represented FL at the NJSHS, Baltimore, MD, April 2004.
other services
In addition to her care of patients in/from the office (outpatient care), Dr. Chalfin also serves several other roles.
Tele-Specialist. As part of TeleSpecialists, Dr. Chalfin serves as a Tele-Stroke Neurologist for numerous hospitals across the country providing care to patients having acute stroke or other neurologic emergencies.
Medical Expert. She reviews other doctors' records and examinations to make determinations on disability claims for people claiming disability.
Medical Reviewer. She reviews articles for lay publications to ensure accuracy and relevancy.
Independent Medical Evaluations. In addition to reviewing other records, she also performs objective examinations for people claiming disability or early retirement.
Research examinations. She performs the neurologic examinations as part of the screening and monitoring process for drug trials and other research projects.