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Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre
Clinical Activities
The Movement Disorders Clinic provided more than 3,400 outpatient visits each year. The majority of these were for patients with Parkinson’s disease or focal dystonia. The program continues to be heavily supported by nurse coordinators who provide education and counseling to patients, families and other health care professionals. A Centre of Excellence award from the National Parkinson Foundation (Miami, Inc.) with additional support from the Parkinson Society British Columbia supported part-time physiotherapist and social worker.
Research Activities
In 2008, Centre investigators continued to receive support through a CIHR Team grant in Parkinson’s Disease ($4.45M over 5 years, beginning 2006) and a Research Unit award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research ($800K over 4 years, starting 2006). Additionally, working together with other UBC investigators in the dementia program (Drs. Feldman and Mackenzie) and collaborators at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, PPRC investigators hold a Centre grant from the Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation on Overlap Syndromes resulting in Dementia, valued at more than $7M over 5 years (PI Stoessl). Dr. Sossi obtained a new CIHR grant on Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease ($291,000 over 3 years) and Centre investigators continue to work on a number of other CIHR funded projects, including the Natural History & Progression of Parkinson’s Disease, Occupational Risk Factors in PD, Depression in PD and the regulation of placebo-induced dopamine release in PD. Dr. Ruth and his collaborators continue to work on labeling of large molecules for positron emission tomography. Dr. McKeown holds a multidisciplinary MSFHR Team award on Monitoring and Control of Abnormal Brain Dynamics. Centre investigators had 27 PubMed listings during 2008, including papers in Annals of Neurology, BMC Neurology, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Lancet Neurology, Neuroimage, Neurology and Neuroscience.
In 2008, Dr. Raul de la Fuente-Fernández rejoined the Centre as the James A. Moore Chair in Parkinson’s Research, following an international search. Dr. de la Fuente-Fernández had worked at PPRC in the past as a visiting scientist and was extremely productive, including first authorship on the seminal paper in Science (2001) in which he demonstrated that the placebo effect in Parkinson’s disease is mediated by release of endogenous dopamine. In addition to heading up new research activities, he is seeing patients in the Movement Disorders Clinic.
Teaching Activities
The Movement Disorders Clinic continues to provide ambulatory teaching to medical students and to residents in neurology, geriatrics, psychiatry and family medicine. During 2008, 3 clinical fellows completed their training in the Centre and we were joined by another 3 fellows. Faculty members of the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre participate in the Brain & Behaviour course and provide training to multiple trainees at the MSc. and PhD levels in the Graduate Neuroscience program. 2 students obtained PhDs and another 3 obtained their MSc in 2008. Dr. McKeown continues to run the Motor Systems module of the Systems Neuroscience (Neuroscience 501) core course in the Graduate Neuroscience program. Faculty members within the Centre serve as mentors in the CIHR-funded Neuroscience Training Initiative and serve on numerous supervisory, comprehensive and examination committees.
Participating Divisional Members
Dr. Katz
Dr. Sossi
Affiliated Non-Divisional Members
Dr. Woodhurst