Objective: To train more movement disorder clinician-researchers around the world to meet growing care and research needs in Parkinson’s and related disorders.

Background: Care from a trained neurologist improves quality of life and outcomes for people with Parkinson’s.^1,2 Yet there aren’t enough PD specialists. One reason: a lack of funding for training, especially including dedicated research time.
Up to 40% of PD patients in the U.S. do not see a neurologist.³ Or they see one infrequently because of long appointment wait times or long distances to travel. Access may be even more limited globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries where they may be few or no experts.⁵
This discrepancy will grow as the Parkinson’s population grows. Estimates suggest that at least 6 million people around the world live with PD and that this number will double by 2040.⁶

Method: With partner the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) annually offers funding to eight medical centers to each train a new movement disorder clinician-researcher. A committee evaluates applicants on history of training productive specialists, clinical care and research environments, departmental support, and opportunities to advance diversity, equity and inclusion across care and research. Awarded centers select and train a qualified candidate over two years.
Uniquely, this program fosters collaboration across its global network to advance care, research and career development. Through online webinars and in-person networking events, fellows learn from and build relationships with peers and mentors far beyond their own center. Fellows also contribute to MJFF’s educational resources, grant reviews and other initiatives. Recently, the fellowship also launched a competitive research funding opportunity to support recent graduates’ trajectory to independent investigators.

Results: The fellowship has funded 28 medical centers in eight countries and 12 of the United States. And it has graduated 21 new movement disorder specialists around the world, five of whom practice in areas that previously had few or no specialists. The program is on track to train 72 new movement disorder specialists across the globe by the year 2028.

Conclusion: The need for Parkinson’s experts has never been greater. This program addresses funding gaps to train new specialists while supporting worldwide collaboration.

References: 1. Cheng EM, Swarztrauber K, Siderowf AD et al. Association of specialist involvement and quality of care for Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2007. Mar 15; 22(4): 515-22.
2. Nijkrake MJ, Keus SHJ, Oostendorp RAB et al. Allied health care in Parkinson’s disease: Referral, consultation, and professional expertise. Mov Disord. 2009. 24(2): 282-6.
3. Chou KL, Martello J, Atem J et al. Quality Improvement in Neurology 2020 Parkinson Disease Quality Measurement Set Update. Neurology. 2021. Aug 03; 97(5).
4. Rosqvist K, Odin P, Lorenzi S et al. Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Late-Stage Parkinson’s Disease. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2021. Mar 11; 8(11): 563-70.
5. World Health Organization (WHO). Atlas: Country Resources for Neurological Disorders — 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2017.
6. Dorsey ER, Sherer T, Okun MS, Bloem BR. The Emerging Evidence of the Parkinson Pandemic. J Parkinsons Dis. 2018. 8(s1): S3-S8.

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