- In 10 years since its launch, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders has provided care to an estimated 31,000 patients across 35 centers in four continents
- The world-renowned program has made significant contributions in enhancing access to high-quality patient care and leading scientific advancements toward better understanding and treatment of movement disorders
- Now, with increased support from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders program is expanding its global roster of clinician-scientists and is on track to graduate 103 movement disorder specialists by 2031 — an urgent need as the number of people with Parkinson’s increases around the world
NEW YORK (May 6, 2025) —The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), announces the expansion of its Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders — a training program focused growing the global base of clinician-researchers who provide expert care and lead scientific advances to support the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community. With thanks to the visionary philanthropy of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, the Fellowship, now expanding into 2031, is also recognizing a decade of impact on the field. Since its launch in 2014, the Fellowship annually funds distinguished medical centers around the world to train the next generation of Parkinson’s specialists. These specialized clinician-scientists are known as movement disorder specialists — neurologists with additional training who can recognize distinct nuances of PD and tailor high-quality care to each patient and advance research. Fueled by today’s latest research breakthroughs, the expansion of the Fellowship program uniquely allows the next generation of clinician-scientists to usher in the next chapter of research and care.
“Our longstanding partnership with the Edmond J. Safra Foundation is a force multiplier. The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship and its network is advancing what’s possible in future drug development and enabling tens of thousands of patients to receive care who otherwise would not have access,” said MJFF CEO and Co-Founder Deborah W. Brooks. “With this strategic philanthropy and current research momentum being felt, this program is on track to usher in even more immense contributions that benefit people living with the disease today and those who may be diagnosed tomorrow.”
Expanding Parkinson’s Care: A Decade of Innovation and Growth
The partnership between MJFF and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation is focused on shaping Parkinson’s care as a complement to research for the estimated 6 million people around the world living with PD. The need is never more urgent — Parkinson’s is the second most common and fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world with the number of people with PD expected to double by 2040.
For people and families with PD, seeing a movement disorder specialist is one of the keys to living life with the disease as well as possible. What’s more, people with PD can feel the difference when getting expert care, often reporting they feel more empowered, informed and better able to manage life with the disease. Yet, a shortage of specialists can bring challenges including long appointment wait times and unreasonable travel distances, which are increasingly difficult for those living with PD.
According to a recent survey of our Fellowship alumni, one Parkinson’s specialist may see an average of 780 patients every year. The Edmond J. Safra Fellows not only grow their expertise and gain skills in evaluating and caring for patients with PD and other movement disorders, but they additionally lead clinical trials and contribute to significant scientific research.
With the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship’s 40 graduates, to date, the program is reaching an estimated over 31,000 patients — many of whom would have limited or no access to specialist care or understanding of the latest treatment advances and abilities to participate in propelling research forward otherwise. With the expansion funding, the Fellowship is now set to graduate 103 total new movement disorder specialists by 2031, which would provide further access to research and care for over 80,000 patients.
“I’m proud and humbled to see the seeds of our partnership with the Edmond J. Safra Foundation flourish in the most incredible way,” said Michael J. Fox. “And, I’m tremendously grateful to our fellows and fellowship directors. Their commitment to this program will help bring us to our collective goal — a day when Parkinson’s is curable, and even preventable.”
A Global Network of Leaders in the Transformative New Era of Parkinson’s Research
The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship and the advancements of much of today’s momentum in Parkinson’s research have been made possible through partners like the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and its leadership and transformative generosity of the late Mrs. Lily Safra, former chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and MJFF Board member. Expanding the Fellowship comes at a time of extraordinary breakthroughs in Parkinson’s science. MJFF’s aggressively funded strategic research agenda has supported and enabled the field’s most recent innovative breakthroughs, including the discovery and validation of a Parkinson’s biomarker in the Foundation’s longitudinal flagship study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). With this critical tool in hand, which allows researchers to detect the biology of PD years before symptoms begin, and 20 new PD treatments approved over the last decade and with more therapies coming to market, the field is at inflection point both for research and the future of clinical care. Today, these next-generation clinician researchers are uniquely positioned to bring these advances to the public and forge research momentum and care forward.
“The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship uniquely positions its graduates as emerging leaders, experts who care for people and families living with disease today while working toward a future in which Parkinson’s, as we know it, no longer exists,” said Rachel Dolhun, MD, DipABLM, MJFF’s Principal Medical Advisor, a fellowship-trained movement disorder specialist, lifestyle medicine physician and Edmond J. Safra Fellowship program lead.
A decade since its launch, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders has evolved into a world-renowned network of more than 100 experts around the globe with directors, alumni and those in training. The collaboration amongst the network has created a ripple effect of new drug development and additional training opportunities, with more than a third of graduates working on research projects with their peers and more than half training the next generation of specialists.
The Edmond J. Safra Foundation Board of Directors note: “Along with our partner The Michael J. Fox Foundation, we are proud to see the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders program continue to flourish and support the critical need of delivering compassionate care and research for the millions of patients and families living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide.”
The growing distinction and value of the Fellowship continues to draw an increasing number of program applicants. Today, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship has extended funding to 35 world-renowned academic institutions in 11 countries across four continents and 12 U.S. states.
Beginning training at eight top-tier medical centers in 2025 — four of which are new to the fellowship network — the Class of 2027 medical center awardees have each selected the following candidates to begin training:
- Dublin Neurological Institute at the Mater and St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland; Christian Alejandro Espinoza Vinces, MD, PhD
- Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio; Christine E. Ashton, MD
- Fleni Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Daniel S. Marín Medina, MD
- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre in Porto Alegre, Brazil; Ingrid Lorena da Silva Gomes, MD and Juan Sebastián Sánchez León, MD
- Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, New York; Bianca M. López Ortiz, MD
- University of California San Francisco in San Francisco, California; Zainab Zullali, MD
- University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida; Jennifer Purks, MD
- University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia; Paloma Becker, MD
Coming this summer, an external review committee of movement disorder specialists, assembled by MJFF, will select the next eight top-tier medical centers to train the class of 2028. A review committee will evaluate applicants on their history of training movement disorder clinician-researchers; the breadth and depth of clinical care and research education; and training opportunities that equip fellows with the skills and knowledge to advance equitable access and diversity across clinical care services, research, education and community outreach.
Learn more about this global network and the program’s impact here. And listen to MJFF’s podcast episode for an inside look into the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders.
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About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF)
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 $2 billion 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; creates a robust open- access data set and biosample library to speed scientific breakthroughs and treatment with its landmark clinical study, PPMI; 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 at www.michaeljfox.org, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
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 charitable foundation to ensure that individuals and organizations would continue to receive his assistance and encouragement for many years to come. Led for more than twenty years by his beloved wife Lily, the Edmond J. Safra Foundation draws continuing inspiration from Mr. and Mrs. Safra’s values and priorities, supporting hundreds of organizations and programs in more than forty 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.
Media Contact:
Kristina Rodriguez
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
krodriguez@michaeljfox.org
212-509-0995