Inaugural Class of The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders Graduates

NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), in collaboration with longtime partner the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, is building a global base of movement disorder specialists to provide expert patient care and lead complementary research and drug development. Launched in 2014, The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders annually awards funding to five academic centers worldwide to each train a new movement disorder specialist over two years. Recently, the five fellows in the inaugural Class of 2018 completed training and began prestigious movement disorders careers around the world. 

"The first graduating class exemplifies the aims of The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders," says Todd Sherer, PhD, CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. "These talented and passionate professionals are committed to delivering high-quality and personalized care to their patients while standing at the forefront of Parkinson's research. We anticipate expanding this impressive network with each graduating class."

Answering Patient and Research Needs Worldwide                           

Each Edmond J. Safra Fellow is using the knowledge and skills gained in fellowship to embark on a unique career path that combines patient care and research investigation, allowing them to serve as direct links between their patients and research toward improved disease understanding and therapies. 

David Breen, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MRCP (Neurol), PhD
Fellowship Site: Toronto Western Hospital; Ontario, Canada

David is a senior research fellow and honorary consultant neurologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. There, he is developing a new program at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic to care for people with movement disorders and connect them to research studies. He also is leading epidemiological studies to understand risk factors for Parkinson's (both genetic and environmental) and studying the influence of sleep on brain health, including the risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's.

Marissa Dean, MD
Fellowship Site: UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham); Birmingham, Alabama 

Marissa has remained at UAB, accepting a position as assistant professor of neurology. In this role, she evaluates and treats people with all types of movement disorders, including Parkinson's, Huntington's, ataxia and others. She also leads several clinical trials; her main interests are the genetics of movement disorders and underrepresented populations in Parkinson's research (such as African-Americans).  

Lenora Higginbotham, MD 
Fellowship Site: Emory University; Atlanta, Georgia

Lenora is a senior associate of movement disorders at Emory University. She divides her time between seeing people with movement disorders in the clinic and looking for biomarkers (objective measures to diagnose and track Parkinson's and other diseases that don't yet have a diagnostic test) in the research lab.

Christine Kim, MD
Fellowship Site: Columbia University; New York, New York

Christine joined Yale University as an instructor of neurology to treat movement disorders patients and conduct research. She leads studies to understand the mechanisms of focal task-specific dystonia (such as writer's cramp and musician's dystonia) with the goal of developing novel treatment strategies. Christine says, "Through The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship, I learned to see the whole picture and put everything together. I don't look at a patient or research in isolation; my eye always goes to how current treatments may be falling short and how my research can help the patients I see."

Gerrit Machetanz, MD
Fellowship Site: University of Tübingen; Tübingen, Germany

Gerrit is a clinician-researcher at the University of Tübingen, treating patients in the Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders Outpatient Ward (a clinic he established) and serving as an investigator on Parkinson's and other movement disorder trials. He's working to separate the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson's to advance personalized treatment approaches. Because German neurology and movement disorder training is structured differently than in the United States, Gerrit still has a few neurology requirements to complete. When he is finished, he plans to pursue a career at an academic university seeing patients with parkinsonian disorders and connecting this clinical work closely with research.

Read more about these movement disorder specialists.

Movement Disorder Fellowship Meets a Growing Need
Movement disorder specialists — neurologists with additional training in Parkinson's and other movement disorders — can balance complicated medication regimens, integrate the latest therapies and round out a person's care team with other experts. When also skilled as researchers, movement disorder specialists use insights from their patients to inform studies toward improved understanding of disease and treatments. People with Parkinson's who see specialists typically report feeling more informed and better equipped to manage their disease.

But not everyone sees a movement disorder specialist, often because there aren't enough of them, and this disparity is growing. Estimates hold that 6 million people across the world are living with Parkinson's and this number will double by 2040.

The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders is bridging the gap in funding to train movement disorder specialists and build the global base of clinician-researchers. By the year 2021, the program is on track to graduate 20 new movement disorder specialists around the world.

"The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders allows young physicians to train with renowned movement disorder specialists and researchers at distinguished institutions across the world," says Lily Safra, chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and member of the MJFF Board of Directors. "We are proud of the inaugural graduating class as well as the other fellows currently in training, and look forward to celebrating their achievements in Parkinson's care and research for many years to come."

Watch a video about the fellowship program.

A Devotion to Advancing Parkinson's Research and Care
Late banker and philanthropist Edmond J. Safra's namesake foundation has long made Parkinson's disease care and research top priorities. Mrs. Safra, chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, has been an MJFF Board member since 2001.

In addition to generous gifts to centers and programs providing direct care to people with Parkinson's disease, Mrs. Safra and her foundation have driven vital scientific investigation into new treatments. The fellowship is the latest among many partnerships between the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and MJFF, including the Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, which supports MJFF's central grantmaking initiatives. 

Applications for the Class of 2022 Now Open
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is accepting applications from academic centers worldwide to train the Class of 2022 Edmond J. Safra Fellows. Deadline is December 19, 2018. Learn more and apply.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $800 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit us on the Web, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About the Edmond J. Safra Foundation
Edmond J. Safra, one of the 20th century's most accomplished bankers and a devoted philanthropist, established a major philanthropic foundation to ensure that individuals and organizations would continue to receive his assistance and encouragement for many years to come. Under the chairmanship of his beloved wife Lily, the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation draws continuing inspiration from its founder's life and values, and supports hundreds of organizations in more than 40 countries around the world. Its work encompasses four areas: Education; Science and Medicine; Religion; and Humanitarian Assistance, Culture and Social Welfare. The Foundation has provided significant funding for Parkinson's disease research and patient care at dozens of hospitals and institutes in places as varied as Natal (Brazil), Toronto, New York, Grenoble, Paris, London and Jerusalem.

For more information, visit www.edmondjsafra.org.

SOURCE The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

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