The Virginia Commonwealth University Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center strives to be a premier model for improving the lives of individuals with movement disorders, their families, and the community through its commitment to excellence in comprehensive interdisciplinary clinical care, translational research, education and outreach. 

Vision 

The Vision of the VCU PMDC is to be a premier movement disorders center for state-of-the-art compassionate and interdisciplinary care, innovative and impactful research, and exceptional training of the next generation of movement disorder providers and researchers.


Mission

Our Mission is to provide the highest quality of care that enables individuals affected by Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders to live their best lives and to make scientific advances that will result in lasting benefits for patients, their families, and our community.


Letter from the Director

 

Dear Patients, Families, Friends and Colleagues,

The vision of the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders (PMDC) was born from the Movers and Shakers, a Richmond patient community group co-founded by Charles F. Bryan Jr., David C. Reynolds and the late Margaret Bemiss. With the goal of establishing a multidisciplinary center for the care and research of movement disorders in Richmond, the motivated group helped raise $5 million dollars and successfully advocated for matching funds from the VCU School of Medicine. Since its grand opening in 2011, a diverse group of smart, competent, and passionate providers and researchers has been doing just that.

The overarching goal of the PMDC is to positively impact the lives of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders while simultaneously supporting their families. To accomplish this goal, we focus on three main objectives: 1) providing advanced, comprehensive and compassionate clinical care to all our patients, 2) conducting cutting-edge and impactful research, and 3) providing exceptional education and training to the next generation of movement disorders specialists. Through dedication and determination in these pursuits, we aspire to help all those affected by movement disorders live their best lives possible.

In September of 2020, I joined VCU to serve as the Director of VCU’s PMDC. I’m honored to fulfill this role and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such a high-caliber team of medical professionals including neurologists, mid-level practitioners, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, social workers, genetic counselors and physical, occupational and speech-language therapists. My vision for the PMDC is to build on its legacy in many ways over the coming years including:

Enhancing and expanding our multidisciplinary care models for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders such as Huntington’s disease, and ataxia.

Partnering with patient-focused organizations and support groups to increase accessibility to educational resources and comprehensive exercise therapy programs in the region.

Continuing to provide opportunities to participate in the latest clinical trials and expand on our current clinical research programs in the areas of cognitive decline and sleep.

Developing a Pilot Research Grant Program to help fuel more independent and interdisciplinary research in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Increasing our genetic research and counseling program in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Growing our Movement Disorders fellowship training program.

Increasing partnership and collaboration with care providers and researchers across VCU and at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center’s Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC).

Broadening community engagement of the PMDC in patient education symposia and training seminars for other care providers.

Together with my colleagues, I extend a heartfelt appreciation for the generous financial support we receive from donors and the Commonwealth of Virginia that enables us to better serve our community and accomplish our goals. Please peruse our website to learn more about who we are and what we are doing. I am confident that we will surpass your expectations and look forward to a brighter future ahead.

Sincerely,

Brian D. Berman, MD, MS, FAAN
Director, VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center