UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology Receives Prestigious Edmond J. Safra Fellowship

UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology has been selected by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) as one of eight international academic medical centers to train a new movement disorder clinician-researcher — a neurologist with additional training and expertise in diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s and related diseases — as part of the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders Class of 2026.

For people with Parkinson’s, seeing a movement disorder specialist is key to living with the disease as best as possible. Today, an estimated 6 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s. Due to an aging population, the number of people diagnosed is expected to double by the year 2040. With the number of people impacted by Parkinson’s increasing, there is an urgent demand and growing for more movement disorder specialists.

Since its launch in 2014, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders has trained 27 new movement disorder specialists and is on track to graduate 72 by the year 2028. The program has extended funding to 32 world-renowned academic institutions in nine countries and 12 U.S. states. To date, the Fellowship now in its ninth year, continues to make significant contributions in enhancing access to high-quality patient care, leading scientific advances toward better understanding and treatment of movement disorders, and engaging their local or underrepresented communities.

The Class of 2026 awardees are:

• Brigham and Women’s Hospital — Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts
• Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) in Barcelona, Spain
• Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois
• The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• University of California San Diego in San Diego, California
• University College London in London, England
• University Medical Center Groningen in Groningen, the Netherlands
• University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida

An external review committee of movement disorder specialists, assembled by MJFF, selected the eight centers from a highly competitive group of applicants. Selection of awardees was based on several criteria, including their history of training successful movement disorder clinician-researchers; the breadth and depth of clinical care and research education; and training opportunities that equip fellows with the skills and knowledge to advance equitable access and diversity across clinical care services, research, education and community outreach.

“We are grateful to be selected by The Michael J. Fox Foundation to train the next generation of Parkinson’s clinician-researchers through the distinguished Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders,” said Professor Kailash Bhatia “These rising Parkinson’s experts will stand at the intersection of patient care and research and be uniquely positioned to drive the field forward.”

UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology is now is recruiting a fellow for the Class of 2026 Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders. The candidate will begin their two-year training on or before July 2024. 

The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship is made possible through the transformative generosity and leadership of the late Mrs. Lily Safra, former chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and MJFF Board member. Mrs. Safra provided revolutionary support to hundreds of organizations around the world in the name of her late husband, Edmond J. Safra, who lived with Parkinson’s disease. Mrs. Safra was passionately invested in finding a cure.

“I’m deeply proud of the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship’s growing global network of expertly trained movement disorder specialists, who will help ensure that people and families living with Parkinson’s receive comprehensive and compassionate care and that critical research moves forward to meet their most pressing needs,” said Mrs. Safra.

Links

• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) 
• The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders
• Apply for the Edmond J Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders