IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic Barcelona has been selected by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) as one of eight international academic medical centres to train a new clinical researcher in movement disorders with an Edmond J. Safra Fellowship. The programme is aimed at medical professionals specialised in neurology with additional experience in diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s and related diseases.
For people with Parkinson’s, seeing a specialist in movement disorders is key to learning to live with the disease and improving their quality of life. An estimated six million people worldwide are currently living with Parkinson’s. As the population ages, the number of people diagnosed is expected to double by 2040. This increase will give rise to an urgent and growing demand for more movement disorder specialists.
Since it was launched in 2014, the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship has trained 27 new specialists in movement disorders. By 2028, it will have trained 72 more. The programme has extended funding to 32 world-renowned academic institutions in nine countries and 12 states in the USA.
Recently, IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic Barcelona has been one of the eight institutions chosen to host one of the professionals who will complete their training in 2026. The selection process for the new institutions was conducted by an external review committee made up of specialists in movement disorders and gathered by the MJFF. The criteria for evaluating the highly competitive group of applicant institutions included clinical researchers’ training history in movement disorders, the breadth and depth of clinical care and research education and training opportunities that equip fellows with the skills and knowledge to move forward in equitable access and diversity in clinical care services, research, education and community outreach.
“We are very grateful to have been selected by the Michael J. Fox Foundation to train the next generation of clinical researchers in Parkinson’s through the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship”, says Francesc Valldoriola, the head of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Unit at Hospital Clínic Barcelona and a researcher in the IDIBAPS group Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative movement disorders: clinical and experimental research, led by M. Josep Martí. “These experts will be at the intersection of patient care and research and will be in a unique position to lead an academic and healthcare group that can develop specific lines of research based on the knowledge and experience acquired”.
The call is open so that people who meet the selection criteria can submit their candidacy. The fellowship will begin in 2024 and will last two years, until 2026. Valldeoriola will supervise the beneficiary, who will have to report periodically to the Edmond J. Safra Foundation on the progress of their training.
