The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders

Juliana completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia and neurology residency at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. As a medical student, Juliana learned about the personal relationship between patients with neurologic diseases and their physicians. She says, “Patient experiences are imbued with mystery and our ability to improve their lives depends on our ability to listen to their stories and interpret their exams.” She plans to hone her listening and interpreting skills to help people with movement disorders.

Grace completed medical school at University College Cork in Ireland and neurology residency through the Harvard Neurology Residency Program at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. She plans to not only become well-versed in recognizing and treating her patients’ conditions, but also to explore environmental factors that influence the development of Parkinson’s and potential biomarkers for those not yet diagnosed.

Eric completed medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana and neurology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eric’s exposure to a movement disorders clinic in medical school led him to a career in neurology. He plans to pursue the clinical care of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders and conduct clinical research that furthers field-wide knowledge and improves patient care.

Greg completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio and neurology residency at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. He hopes to gain expertise in diagnosing and treating various movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. Ultimately, he plans to pursue a career as a clinician-educator and is enhancing his teaching skills by educating Parkinson’s patients, care partners and care providers.

Kimberly completed medical school and neurology residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, New York. Her positive experiences with older patients in medical school fueled her interest in the neural basis of aging and cognition. She plans to pursue research that expands available therapies for patients with movement disorders and understanding of the basic physiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Whitley completed medical school at the University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio, Texas and neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her research interests include neuroepidemiology, healthcare disparities and the development of community health initiatives for patients with movement disorders. She plans to explore barriers to health care access in underserved populations and to develop interventions to improve care for patients with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.

Amir completed medical school at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri and neurology residency at the Harvard Medical School Neurology Residency Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Within movement disorders, his research interests lie in atypical parkinsonisms, the neurocognitive effects of parkinsonism and brain mapping. 

Christopher completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia and neurology residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is eager to expand his knowledge and clinical practice in movement disorders and to contribute to new research opportunities in the field.

Neil completed medical school at the University of Illinois in Peoria, Illinois and neurology residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Neil hopes to gain a deeper insight into the experiences of people with Parkinson’s disease, acquire the knowledge and skills to optimally treat patients, and to support participation in clinical trials on disease modifying therapies.

Judith completed medical school at Utrecht University in Utrecht, the Netherlands and neurology residency at Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She hopes to gain the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-level care to patients with movement disorders and is concurrently pursuing a PhD in cerebellar ataxia, which she will complete in 2020.

Anne completed medical school at the University of Lübeck in Lübeck, Germany and neurology residency at the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck, Germany. She has researched Parkinson’s and dystonia using non-invasive brain stimulation and is interested in expanding this work and her clinical expertise to help patients with movement disorders.  

Aditya completed medical school at Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad, India and neurology residency at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. As a resident, his interactions with Parkinson’s patients offered profound insights into the human condition and showed him the impact that a well-trained and compassionate physician can have on the lives of patients and their families. As a fellow, he intends to build his clinical acumen as a neurologist and engage in research to further understanding of complex movement disorders.

Conor completed medical school at University College Dublin and neurology residency at Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. His PhD focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease. He enjoys the diagnostic challenge of movement disorders, as well as the close relationship one develops with patients. Coming from a technical background, Conor is particularly interested in how technology can be used to better understand Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He looks forward to becoming part of the growing global network of movement disorder specialists and advance critical research in this area.

Eoin completed medical school at University College Dublin and neurology residency at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since 2018, he has worked as a movement disorder clinical and research fellow at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, England. He is passionate about movement disorder neurology and actively involved in clinical research and has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Chintan completed medical school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas and neurology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Chintan hopes to continue his growth as a neurologist and focus on building lasting relationships with patients living with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. The fellowship will facilitate his commitment to bridging the gap between basic and clinical research and its clinical application to patients.

Juan completed medical school at University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain and neurology residency at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. During fellowship, Juan hopes to achieve clinical expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders and to start building his career as a movement disorder physician-scientist. He hopes to characterize pre-symptomatic diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and design strategies for the characterization of disease subtypes that could lead to personalized treatments and prognosis.