A Worldwide Network, Reimagining Parkinson’ s Care and Research
For more than a decade, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders has helped transform the Parkinson’ s landscape beyond the lab and exam room. Established to address the critical shortage of expert Parkinson’ s clinicians, the program’ s impact is made possible through the generosity of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation and its longstanding partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation( MJFF).
Today, a global network of Fellowship-trained leaders serves tens of thousands through innovative, patientcentered care. This work reflects the Fellowship’ s defining mission: to increase access to Parkinson’ s disease( PD) specialists and empower the next generation of clinicianscientists to reimagine what care and research can— and should— look like for people and families with PD.
The program’ s first class of Fellows graduated in 2018, and rising demand soon led to an expansion from five to eight medical centers per class. With the support of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, the Fellowship is expanding again. Beginning with the Class of 2029, the Fellowship will support training at 10 leading medical centers worldwide each year. By 2031, the Fellowship will have trained a total of 105 movement disorder specialists, significantly expanding access to expert care for more than 80,000 people annually.
One of those Fellows is Christine Kim, MD( Class of 2018), a member of the Fellowship’ s inaugural class. An accomplished violinist, Dr. Kim paired her musical training with a commitment to compassionate care, founding the Music and Movement Disorders Initiative at Columbia University in New York City. Grounded in the belief that music is medicine, the program offers interactive musical experiences led by world-class performers to enhance quality of life for people with movement disorders.
For Sanne Meles, MD, PhD( Class of 2026), the Fellowship sparked a dedication to global outreach, particularly in underserved communities. Every year, she participates in a two-week visit to Suriname, where access to specialized Parkinson’ s care is limited. Working with local doctors, Dr. Meles helps conduct DNA analyses and provides diagnostic and clinical support to people with Parkinson’ s and rare movement disorders— an advanced level of care that many would not otherwise receive.
“ The Edmond J. Safra Fellows bridge two critical worlds: scientific discovery in the lab and compassionate care in the clinic,” said Rachel Dolhun, MD, DipABLM, a movement disorder specialist and MJFF’ s principal medical advisor, as well as leader of the Fellowship program.“ Their dedication to advancing research and delivering patient-centered care represents the very best of our field, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment to people and families living with Parkinson’ s around the world.”
4 The Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders