Program Overview

There is a long tradition of clinical excellence in the treatment of movement disorders at Mount Sinai. Melvyn D. Yahr, who was Chairman of Neurology from 1974 to 1991, performed the pivotal study that proved the clinical efficacy of levodopa as a treatment for Parkinson's Disease (PD). C. Warren Olanow, MD, Chairman of Neurology, has a longstanding interest in movement disorders, and performed the first deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure on a PD patient in the United States. He is also deeply involved in testing gene therapies as treatments for PD and other neurological disorders. With the recruitment of Michele Tagliati, MD and Ron Alterman, MD, one of the most respected DBS teams in the United States, Mount Sinai has further solidified its position as a leading institution for the study and treatment of movement disorders. The staff at the Movement Disorders Program is dedicated to providing state of the art, compassionate and comprehensive specialty care. We are a part of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Our facilities are located within The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The Movement Disorders Program has three interrelated components: patient care, teaching, and research. Therefore, in addition to caring directly for patients, our responsibilities include developing new research therapies, evaluating the collected results, and sharing those results with students, colleagues, and other researchers through meetings, publications and lectures. These efforts are aimed at advancing the scientific understanding of the condition under study. Because of this multifaceted commitment, interactions with many different professionals, including neurologists, clinical fellows, nurses, medical students and various other clinical and research investigators enriches our program.

Description of Fellowship Training Program:

The Mount Sinai Medical Center Department of Neurology offers a two-year non-ACGME Movement Disorders Fellowship Program. The program provides comprehensive clinical training in a broad range of movement disorders including:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Other parkinsonian syndromes such as:
  -Multiple Systems Atrophy
  -Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
  -Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration
  -Vascular parkinsonism
  
• Dystonia
• Tremor disorders
  -Essential tremor
  -Midbrain and cerebellar tremors
  
• Other hyperkinetic movement disorders such as: -Tics
  -Huntington’s disease and other choreic disorders
  -Myoclonic disorders
  -Drug-induced movement disorders
  
• Spasticity and other conditions characterized by muscle stiffness, slowness, or rigidity

During the first year, fellows actively participate in clinical evaluations, ongoing clinical care and clinical and genetic research programs. Fellows are encourage to take an active role in structuring patient management and learning interventional therapies, including pharmacotherapy, local injections of Botulinum toxin, treatment with intrathecal Baclofen, and management of Deep brain stimulation.

During the second year, fellows have an opportunity to focus on specific clinical studies, or participate in laboratory studies in collaboration with members of the Fishberg Department of Neuroscience.

Research Opportunities:

At the Mount Sinai Movement Disorders Program, we are committed to exploring new therapeutic options for patients with Parkinson's disease, dystonia and essential tremor. We are currently developing several research projects, including investigator-initiated studies and new drug and surgical clinical trials. Clinical fellows are an integral part of all aspects and phases of these trials.

Faculty:

• Department Chair: C. Warren Olanow, MD
• Fellowship Director: Michele Tagliati, MD
• Associated Faculty:
  -Ronald Alterman, MD
  -Catherine Cho, MD
  -Martin Goldstein, MD
  -Winona Tse, MD
  -Miodrag Velickovic, MD
  -Ruth Walker, MD, PhD
  

Fellows:

Current:

• Joseph Rudolph, MD – 2010
• Tina Bowman, MD - 2009

Previous (by year):

• Fiona Gupta, MD – 2008
• Norika Malhado, MD – 2007
• Cathy Cho, MD - 2006

Application Information:

There is one fellowship position in movement disorders available each year. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

• Duration: Two-year fellowship
• Start Date: July 1
• Training Prerequisites: Applicants to the fellowship program must have completed a three-year Neurology residency at an approved training program. Visitors from other countries must possess adequate immigration status, usually a J-1 Exchange Visitor pass. Clinical fellows are required to be licensed to practice medicine in New York State prior to beginning the fellowship.
• Application Requirements: Applications should include an introductory letter from the candidate, curriculum vitae and three letters of recommendation, including one from the candidate’s Neurology Chair.
• Application Deadline: October 1