Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has the oldest Movement Disorders program in the Carolinas and the Deep Brain Simulator (DBS) program is among the nation’s busiest and offers close collaboration between neurology and neurosurgery.
Fellowship Goals and Objectives
- To be prepared to practice independently as a Movement Disorders neurologist.
- To gain clinical expertise in the pathophysiology, recognition, and treatment of adult and pediatric movement disorders including Parkinsonian disorders, Huntington disease, dystonia, tremor, tics and Tourette syndrome, choreoathetosis, ballism, drug-induced movement disorders, myoclonus, ataxia, spasticity, and others.
This includes: - Neuropharmacology.
- Appropriate patient selection and counseling for neurosurgical interventions for movement disorders, including deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound and gamma knife.
- Performance of intraoperative microelectrode recording as part of Phase 1 deep brain stimulation surgery (electrode placement).
- Performance of botulinum toxin injections for dystonia, tremor, spasticity, and sialorrhea.
- Performance of deep brain stimulator programming.
- Psychiatric aspects of movement disorders, including recognition and basic management of psychiatric symptoms associated with movement disorders, recognition and management of neuroleptic-induced movement disorders, and recognition and management of functional movement disorders.
- Appropriate utilization of neurorehabilitation – such as PT, OT, ST – in treatment of movement disorders.
- Appropriate utilization of neuroimaging such as MRI, SPECT and PET in the diagnosis and management of movement disorders, and the abnormal imaging findings seen in specific movement disorders.
- To become familiar with counseling patients and families with movement disorders.
- To acquire research skills including critical review of literature, study design, grant writing, manuscript writing, and involvement in clinical trials.
- To strengthen skills in medical education including teaching of medical students, residents, other health professionals, patients, and the public.
- To learn how to work within an interdisciplinary team.
Why Train at Wake Forest?
The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Movement Disorders Center is the largest program of its kind in the Carolinas and Wake Forest Baptist has been recognized as the top 10% in the country for Neurology & Neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report.
Our center has a robust DBS program with opportunities for training in intraoperative microelectrode recording as well as programming of Medtronic and Boston Scientific DBS systems. We also offer ample opportunity for training in botulinum toxin injection for sialorrhea, dystonia, and spasticity. Additional clinical learning opportunities include an interdisciplinary Parkinson's disease clinic and Huntington's clinic.
At Wake Forest, fellows will receive combination of training in our HD clinic, PD interdisciplinary clinic, and mixed Movement clinic as well as training in MER and DBS programming and training in EMG/stim-guided Botox.
