Location and Atmosphere

UAB is the only Movement Disorders program in the State of Alabama, which provides an overall catchment area that includes more than 7 million people. We serve patients within the state of Alabama, as well as patients from Mississippi and parts of Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana. Fellows will be exposed to a wide range of pathology and receive outstanding clinical training.

Movement disorders clinics are located at The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital. Several clinician workrooms, workstations, and mobile computers are available for fellows to use while seeing patients in clinic. The departmental support is extensive, which includes office space in a prime location in the Movement Disorders Division, administrative support for grants and clinical activities, and nursing support for patient follow-up.

Clinics

We have 13 fellowship-trained movement disorders physicians that care for patients in the clinical setting. The fellow will gain experience with our faculty in general movement disorders clinics and subspecialty clinics. UAB is an APDA Parkinson’s Disease Information and Referral Center, which provides educational and emotional support for PD patients and families. This designation also attracts patients and families to receive care at UAB. A brief description of each of our clinics is listed below.

• • General movement disorders clinic – Fellows will gain expertise in diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s disease, atypical Parkinsonian syndromes, dystonia, tremor, chorea, myoclonus, ballism, Tourette syndrome, tics, restless legs syndrome, functional disorders, gait disorders, and other involuntary movement disorders. All 13 Movement Disorders Faculty care for patients in this clinic.
  • Huntington’s Disease Multidisciplinary Clinic – UAB holds a high recognition as an HDSA Level One Center of Excellence. In this clinic, HD patients and families receive multidisciplinary care from a neurologist or nurse practitioner, as well as from a physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech and language pathologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, social worker, dietician, and pharmacist.
  • Botulinum toxin injection clinics – Fellows will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in botulinum toxin injections for treatment of dystonia, including cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, oromandibular dystonia, and hemifacial spasm, among others.
  • Ataxia clinic – UAB was recognized as a NAF Ataxia Center of Excellence in 2023. Many different etiologies for ataxia are seen in this clinic, including genetic cerebellar ataxias, autoimmune cerebellar ataxias, sensory ataxia, and neurodegenerative ataxias. Fellows will gain experience in the approach to ataxia, as well as selecting and ordering genetic testing.
  • DBS programming clinic – Our DBS programming clinics are run by our certified nurse practitioners, and the fellows will work together with our CRNPs in performing initial programming for recently implanted deep brain stimulator devices. Fellows will gain experience in adjusting DBS device settings at follow up visits and learn different techniques in programming a variety of different DBS devices.  
  • Pediatric movement disorders clinic – Fellows will have the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Leon Dure and Dr. Emily Gantz in this clinic at Children’s of Alabama. Fellows will gain experience in identifying and treating Tourette syndrome, tic disorders, and other less common hyperkinetic and hypokinetic movement disorders in the pediatric population.

Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery

UAB is a leading DBS center, with two functional neurosurgeons and four movement disorders neurologists that assist with DBS intraoperative placement. UAB performs more than 100 DBS surgeries each year, with the most common indications being Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Fellows will gain experience in identifying appropriate candidates for DBS in the clinic, attend monthly DBS Committee Meetings, and assist with DBS placement in the operating room.