Clinical Activities
The Movement Disorders clinic continues to be the largest dedicated Parkinson’s and Related Disorders in the province with patients travelling from across BC to attend. which resulted in greater than 4100 patients visits in 2017 alone. We provide a multi-disciplinary approach that involves extended nursing, a nurse clinician, physiotherapy and social work care. As people are living longer with the disease, comprehensive care is becoming more challenging, with non-motor features like dementia requiring special care.
We have implemented an extensive Parkinson’s specific EMR template to assist in education, streamline patient processing, and provide comprehensive care. We have integrated Neuropsychiatry into the clinic with expertise in Mood Disorders and Functional Movement Disorders.
We have piloted some telehealth consultations with patients in remote communities.
In 2020, we had a total of 11,000 patient visits at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. These included visits to social work, nursing, affiliated physicians in Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry and well as our own physicians: Drs. Cresswell, MacKenzie, McKeown, Rastin, Squires, Stoessl, Tsui and Valerio.
We were again successful in our designation of an International Centre of Excellence (IOE) by the US-based Parkinson’s Foundation.
We have expanded our Allied Health program to include Occupational therapy. With Parkinson’s BC, we are exploring expanding our Allied Health involvement to include Speech Language Pathology as well as PT, OT, and Social Work.
The BC Brain Wellness Program, while for brain diseases as a whole, is being led by Dr. Cresswell, and thus Movement Disorders is well represented in this endeavor.
Education
We continue to train fellows and residents in the Movement Disorder clinic, as well as undergraduate medical students. In addition, MSc and PhD in Physics, Engineering and Neuroscience students receive training through the Program. In 2017, over 37 trainees (graduate students, post-docs, clinical fellows, residents), received training in the Movement Disorder clinic.
Research Activities
Through a combination of peer-reviewed and donor funding, the Movement Disorders program maintains an active research program in PET, MRI, EEG and behavioural research related to Parkinson’s disease. The centre as a whole published over 30 papers in high-impact journals related to PD.
In 2020, The Movement Disorders Group continues to have an active research program, with grants related to LRRK2 mutation carrier imaging, effects of exercise, Tau imaging, Longitudinal monitoring, non-invasive electrical stimulation, and the microbiome.
Physicians from the Movement Disorder group participated in public lectures to the community via Parkinson’s BC, and are members of Parkinson’s Canada, both on the Scientific Review Board as well as Research Policy Committee.
Participating Divisional Members
- Dr. Cresswell
- Dr. Doudet
- Dr. Farrer
- Dr. Javidan
- Dr. Jones
- Dr. Katz
- Dr. McKeown
- Dr. Ruth
- Dr. Sossi
- Dr. Stoessl
- Dr. Tsui