Fellowship

Program Director: Corneliu Luca, M.D., Ph.D.
Program Co-director: Danielle Shpiner
Program Manager: Andrea Ruiz, BGS, C-TAGME 305-243-2742

The University of Miami Movement Disorders Fellowship is a 2-year fellowship program that aims to provide fellows a broad exposure to various movement disorders to become proficient in managing complex movement disorders. The program aims to train fellows in the medical treatment of common movement disorders, botulinum toxin injections, deep brain stimulation programming and patient selection, and interdisciplinary management of complex neurological disorders.

Our center is a tertiary referral center with a large variety of common and rare movement disorders referrals. The University of Miami is recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Parkinson’s Foundation, American Parkinson's Disease Association Information and Referral Center, HDSA Huntington Disease Center of Excellence, Tourette Association of America's Center of Excellence, and WDA Wilson’s Disease Center of Excellence.

The fellows will have the opportunity to rotate in various clinics and participate in clinical research. The first year is dedicated primarily to clinical training (80%) and 20% research, while the second year is  focused on clinical research and can be tailored based on the fellow’s interest (50% clinical -50% research)

• General Movement Disorders clinics with our board-certified neurologists Dr. Ihtsham Haq, Dr. Carlos Singer, Dr. Henry Moore, Dr. Corneliu Luca, Dr. Jason Margolesky, and Dr. Danielle Shpiner
• Botulinum toxin clinics Dr. Carlos Singer, Dr. Henry Moore, Dr. Corneliu Luca, Dr. Jason Margolesky, and Dr. Danielle Shpiner
• Huntington’s Disease Interdisciplinary Clinic – Dr. Carlos Singer and Dr. Henry Moore
• Deep Brain Stimulation clinics – Dr. Corneliu Luca
• Residents’ clinic at Jackson Memorial Ambulatory Care Center (General Movement Disorders and Botulinum toxin injections)—Drs Singer and Luca.
• Lewy body dementia clinic with dr James Galvin
• Tourrettes clinic under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Coffey
• Functional movement disorders clinic – dr Margolesky
• Movement Disorders Fast Track clinic- fellow will run clinic with attending supervision
• DBS Operating Room electrophysiological recordings- weekly

Besides general clinics, academic activities are scheduled on a regular basis:

• Video sessions- biweekly
• US/Canada movement fellow lecture series – weekly
• Journal Club – monthly
• Interdisciplinary DBS Conference- biweekly
• Neurology Grand Rounds -weekly
• Movement disorders Research meeting weekly

Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clinical trials and serve as sub investigators for current clinical trials. During the 1st year they will be encouraged to develop their own clinical research project. They will have the opportunity to participate in our faculty investigator-initiated studies with one-on-one mentorship.

• Deep Brain Stimulation effects on gait in Parkinson’s disease – PI Dr. Corneliu Luca
• Neurochemical and Neurophysiological Assessment during surgery: Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and essential tremor patients PI Dr Haq
• PDGENERATION- PI dr Singer: provides genetic testing and genetic counseling for people with PD
• NLY01 PD - phase 3 study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of NLY01(exenatide) in subjects with early untreated Parkinson's disease (PD)- PI Dr. Corneliu Luca and Dr Shpiner
• A Dose Selection Trial of Light Therapy for Impaired Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease –PI Dr. Jason Margolesky
• Blepharoclonus in Parkinson’s Disease: prevalence and meaning— Drs. Jason Margolesky and Henry Moore
• The impact of neck and back pain in Parkinson’s disease: The PD-Pain Study – Dr. Danielle Shpiner
• Enroll HD- largest database of clinical data for Huntington’s disease (HD)- aims to accelerate the development of therapeutics for HD- PI Henry Moore
• Continuing Review for Study Cognition, Mood, and Motor Functioning in Movement Disorders PI Dr Marina Sarno
• Identifying Factors Predicting Accurately End-of-Life in Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Promoting Quality End-of-Life Experiences: the PACE-DLB Study- Dr James Galvin

The fellows are supported with an academic stipend which can be used for conference travel. They are expected to present their research at AAN and MDs conferences. Fellows are encouraged to participate in community educational activities for patients with movement disorders.

We are conveniently located for the MDS-PAS semi-annual conference in Miami. The Division also supports fellow participation in the Aspen Movement Disorder Course and the annual Neurology Update and Stroke Intensive Review course in Miami.

Application Process

Please send the completed application along with your CV, letter of intent, and three letters of recommendation to the Program Director Dr. Corneliu Luca. The University of Miami participates in the Movement Disorders Fellowship (MODIF) Match Network conducted by SFMatch. To register, visit SFMatch. SFMatch registration for applicants opens in April and match deadline for programs is held in September Please see the SF Match website for the most up-to-date details:

SFMatch Link

MDS-PAS Visiting Trainee Grant Program

Our program also participates in the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society-Pan American Section (MDS-PAS) Visiting Trainee Grant which offers a six-week, six-month or one-year program grant which promotes education, training and experience in movement disorders for young neurologists. The program focuses particularly on MDS-PAS members who do not have many opportunities for Visiting Trainee Grant training in their area and serves to establish clinical and research links between institutions and members throughout the PAS region. For more information, please visit their website at www.movementdisorders.org/MDS/Regional-Sections/Pan-American-Section/PAS-Fellowships.htm