Professor
Department of Neurosurgery and Neurological Sciences, Rush Medical College
Role: Clinician, Researcher, Faculty
Joined Rush in 1980
I am a Professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. I graduated from Smith College and the University of Cincinnati Medical College. I completed my training in Neurology, Movement Disorders and Sleep Disorders at Rush University Medical Center. I am an active member of the Movement Disorders Society, for which I serve on the Executive Committee, the Congress Scientific Programming Committee and the Continuing Medical Education Committee. I am also Chair of the Education Committee, Secretary of the Society, Chair of the Publications Oversight Committee and Chair of the Leadership Task force. I am an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, for which I serve on the Science Committee, the Annual Meeting Subcommittee, the editorial board of Continuum and the Board of Directors of the AAN institute. I am also Chair of the Education Committee.
My research on Parkinson’s Disease includes evaluating new therapies and examining the effects of exercise. I have been active in Dystonia research, working to develop new rating scales for Dystonia and new applications for botulinum toxins. I chair the Dystonia Study Group and serve on the Steering Committee of the Dystonia Coalition. I am the author or co-author of more than 165 articles, reviews, research papers, books, and book chapters about various topics, including Parkinson’s Disease, Dystonia, Sleep-Related Movement Disorders, Restless Leg Syndrome, and botulinum toxin. I recently completed leadership training provided by the Sonoma Systems Leadership Challenge and Leadership Challenge facilitator training.
During my senior residency year in Internal Medicine, I did a Neurology rotation with Dr. Christopher Goetz, a Movement Disorders specialist, who reminded me of my love of Neurology and Neuroanatomy. This led to my second residency in Neurology and subsequent training in Movement Disorders. I have loved this field ever since.
I have greatly enjoyed the experience of being a clinician caring for patients, a researcher answering relevant clinical questions, an educator with the privilege of teaching younger physicians, medical students and the community, and a mentor to those who are interested in becoming Movement