PRF Announces new Parkinson Center of Excellence at USF

Larry Hoffheimer, Chairman of the Parkinson Research Foundation has announced that PRF has agreed to fund a new Parkinson’s disease Center of Excellence on the main campus of the University of South Florida. The $50,000 grant will support programs and services offered by USF to Parkinson patients and their caregivers primarily in the Tampa Bay area.

The PRF Center of Excellence is to expand clinical services, conduct clinical trials and support basic research in Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the PRF grant will support the establishment of a PRF Chapter serving the Tampa Bay region. The primary goal of the PRF Chapter will be to deliver the best care and information about Parkinson’s disease. Anticipated services of the PRF Tampa Chapter will include the presentation of patient conferences focusing on medical management and therapeutic interventions that improve the daily lives of patients. These include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, exercise, nutrition, etc.

The PRF Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Sanchez-Ramos to serve as Medical Director of the PRF Center of Excellence and Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz to serve as Director of Clinical Research. Together they will co-direct a Tampa Bay PD Chapter.

The PRF will also establish a post-doctoral fellowship to train future generations of experts in Parkinson’s disease. Training will include the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of movement disorders, with emphasis on Parkinson’s disease. The candidate will have the chance to work with both Dr. Sanchez-Ramos and Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz and to collaborate with neurosurgery in treating patients who require deep brain stimulation. In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to work at least 2 days a week in basic research in the laboratory of Dr. Sanchez-Ramos, with a focus on stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. The training program will be tailored to the unique goals of the candidate; however, those individuals who want to publish both basic and clinical research papers are most likely to benefit from this program. The Parkinson Research Foundation Fellowship is geared for the individual who plans an academic career.

Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos, PhD, MD is Professor of Neurology at the University of South Florida in Tampa where he holds the Helen Ellis Endowed Chair for Parkinson’s disease Research. He earned a PhD degree in Pharmacology & Physiology from the University of Chicago and a medical degree from the University of Illinois. He is board certified in Neurology and fellowship-trained in Movement Disorders. In addition to attending patients with Parkinson’s Disease and related movement disorders, he directs a basic research laboratory with active projects in neurodegeneration, neurotoxicology and adult stem cell biology. Dr. Sanchez-Ramos also serves as Editor for PD Update and is Medical Director of the PRF.

Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz is a Professor of Neurology at USF and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. She is the Director of Clinical Research for the PRF COE, and has 15 years experience as a movement disorders specialist. She is a fellowship-trained expert in Movement Disorders. She has a busy clinical practice in PD and related movement disorders on the North Campus at USF. A native of the New York metropolitan area, Dr. Zesiewicz earned her medical degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She completed her residency and chief residency at State University of New York, in Brooklyn NY, followed by a 2-year fellowship in Parkinson's disease and movement disorders at USF in Tampa. Dr. Zesiewicz has written 6 books and numerous peer-reviewed articles in Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders. She is a member of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology, and a reviewer for the National Medical Board in Neurology. Her professional interests include therapeutics for movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, ataxia, and dystonia.

Lise' earned her Bachelors Degree in Nursing for University of Tampa, and her Masters in Nursing at the University of South Florida. She has spent her entire career in the care of patients with neurological injuries and illness. The majority of her career has been in the area of neurorehabilitation, caring for patients with a wide variety of neurologic disorders such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. She joined Department of Neurology at the University of South Florida in 2006 as nurse practitioner in the multiple sclerosis clinic. She has recently joined Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz and Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos in the Parkinson’s Research Foundation Center of Excellence at USF. Lise’ is board certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner, and is a multiple sclerosis certified nurse. She has lectured both locally and nationally and is active in her community. She has authored several publications and had been sub-investigator on several clinical trials. She has received several honors such as Nurse of the Year at Tampa General Hospital, Physician’s Medical Staff Award, Outstanding Contribution to Spinal Cord Injury Nursing, and the "Catch the Spirit" Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The Parkinson Research Foundation is a national organization with more than 60,000 contributors from nearly all fifty states. It was founded five years ago and has become a major contributor to providing greater understanding about Parkinson's disease by patients and physician alike.