Parkinson's Foundation Announces New Nurse Practitioner Fellowship in Movement Disorders

Year-long fellowship to take place at Emory University in Atlanta

NEW YORK and MIAMI, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation announced a new Parkinson's Nurse Practitioner Fellowship program at Emory University in 2026. Applications are now open for nurse practitioners (NP) who are interested in pursuing a career in Parkinson's disease (PD) care and research. The two NPs selected will complete the fellowship at Emory Healthcare's Movement Disorders Clinic within the Emory Brain Health Center, a Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence.

"People living with Parkinson's disease sometimes face barriers to access to PD-specialized care as it relates to receiving immediate, time-sensitive treatment," said John L. Lehr, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. "The outcomes of this fellowship will allow for care models that better integrate nurse practitioner expertise with a goal of decreasing wait times for those living with Parkinson's and – as in everything we aim for – improve overall care for people with PD."

The fellows selected for the program will train alongside physician fellows, modeling an interprofessional approach to Parkinson's care. Each accepted fellow will be offered a wide range of complimentary and accredited virtual learning opportunities prior to the program's start date, including an invitation to the Parkinson's Disease Clinical Conference, hosted by the Parkinson's Foundation.

"Since our first fellowship launched in 2022, prior fellows have all remained in the Parkinson's and movement disorder space as nurse practitioner leaders," said Eli Pollard, Vice President, Chief Training and Education Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. "We are proud to equip this new cohort of essential medical professionals with the advanced subspecialty education they require for future independent practice focused on improving care for people with PD."

The fellowship is open to nurse practitioners with three years or more of clinical experience and are graduates of an adult-gerontology (acute-care or primary-care) or family nurse practitioner program from an accredited school of nursing. A national board certification in a nurse practitioner specialty and a license as an Advanced Practice Nurse in the state of Georgia by September 1, 2025, is also required. Applications are being accepted through August 3, 2025, and may be submitted here.

The Emory University host site is part of the Parkinson's Foundation Centers of Excellence network, one of 54 medical centers around the world, including 40 in the U.S., that provide specialty PD care.

"We are honored to partner with the Parkinson's Foundation to help expand access to care for people living with Parkinson's disease," says Jaffar Khan, MD, chair of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine and assistant dean for medical education at Emory. "This fellowship aligns with Emory's mission to develop the next generation of leaders in neurology and movement disorders care while improving outcomes for patients across Georgia and beyond."

Learn more about the Parkinson's Foundation Nurse Fellowship program.

About the Parkinson's Foundation

The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $474 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, X, Instagram or call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636).

About Parkinson's Disease

Affecting an estimated one million Americans, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the U.S. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Melissa Nobles Gonzalez
Parkinson's Foundation
[email protected]
305.537.9134

SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation