Movement Disorders Fellowship

Overview of WSU Dept of Neurology Movement Disorders fellowship

Our program is focused on educating by didactic teaching, supervised experience, and independent learning within a broad range of movement disorders subspecialties:

• Teaching will be coordinated by Professor Peter LeWitt MD
• The goal is to provide a thorough grounding in the clinical skills and knowledge needed to serve a patient and academic community with expertise in patient diagnosis and medical management
• Locations for patient care will be the Detroit Medical Center (including Children's Hospital of Michigan, for pediatric movement disorders), Henry Ford Hospital – West Bloomfield (for experience in deep brain stimulation programming and botulinum toxin administration), and Quest Research in West Bloomfield (for experience in out-patient clinical trials for movement disorders
• While the goals of the fellowship can be met in 12 months of participation, there is an option for a second year of training as well as independent study and research projects through WSU facilities
• Attendance at the annual summer course on movement disorders (offered by the International Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Society)
• Educational topics of special interest to be addressed in the fellowship will be: 
  • developing experience and expertise in the referral process and management of deep brain stimulation therapeutics
  • intrathecal baclofen pump use
  • botulinum toxin selective denervation with electromyographic guidance
  • cognitive testing
  • use of genetic testing for movement disorders
  • medication therapeutics of Parkinson disease

Other activities to be included in the fellowship program will be:

• exposure to out-patient pediatric movement disorders
• participation in a Huntington disease Center of Excellence
• speaking to support groups and other similar outreach activities
• journal club of current neurological literature

The range of movement disorders that will be topics of study includes:

• • • Parkinson disease and other Parkinsonian disorders
    • Dystonia (focal, segmental, hemi-symptomatic, and generalized)
    • Chorea and athetosis
    • Cerebellar ataxia
    • Essential tremor and other tremor disorders
    • Myoclonus and startle disorders
    • Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders
    • Restless limb syndrome and akathisia
    • Gait and balance disorders
    • Drug-induced movement disorders
    • Psychogenic (functional) movement disorders
    • Spasticity
    • Hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm
    • Sleep-related movement disorders

Program Contact: