Divisions and Programs
Movement Disorders
Division Chief: Andrew Siderowf, MD
Link to Penn Medicine Website - Movement Disorders Center
Our Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, with its comprehensive medical and surgical therapies and experimental therapeutics arsenal, is unrivaled in the region and is internationally recognized for both its clinical and diverse research programs. With the National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence at Pennsylvania Hospital and one of only six national Centers of Excellence at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital, The Penn program continues to lead the way in reducing the impact of these disorders. In addition, we have recently re-established a Huntington’s Disease Program at PAH, with cutting edge therapeutic trials and genetic counseling.
Centers and Programs
- Penn Huntington's Disease Center
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR)
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center (PD&MDC)
- Precision Neuroscience Clinic – MIND Initiative
Labs
- Chen-Plotkin Lab - The over-arching goal of this research is to better understand the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease to intervene in these disease processes. Our general approach is to use unbiased genomic- or proteomic-scale screens in human-derived materials to generate leads, which are then followed mechanistically in relevant systems including neuronal culture and in vivo animal models. The pace of technology development is allowing us to acquire more data, faster than ever before, but this does not always translate into biological understanding. We believe that to unlock the true potential of leads generated in this way, computational methods must work together with bench-based manipulative experiments.
- Kannarkat - The Kannarkat lab is interested in mechanisms outside the brain (inflammation, protein misfolding, and environmental toxicants) that contribute to neurodegeneration.
- Aamodt - Whitley Aamodt’s research interests relate to palliative care and end-of-life care for people with neurodegenerative diseases. Her current work is focused on improving end-of-life care quality for hospitalized patients with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. Her prior work has also examined health care disparities at the end of life using administrative claims data.
Clinical Trials
As part of one of the largest movement disorders centers, this division has a large study portfolio of active clinical trials for the following indications: Isolated Dystonia, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Huntington’s Disease. The Division currently has 21 active clinical trials supported by several faculty, including Andres Deik, Aaron Lasker, Andrew Siderowf, Meredith Spindler and Rebecca Williamson.