b'While he primarily sees himself as a clinician, Joseph M. Savitt, MD, PhD,I M NOT GOING TO LET THIS BEAT MEAssociate Professor in Neurology, isOver the past 45 years, Len Patras engaged in several research efforts.has built a successful career as a He is the UMSOM site investigatorpharmacist in Baltimore County. in a multicenter trial looking intoBut for even longer, 61 years to be improving the efficacy of levodopaprecise, hes been a diehard fan of the (the most potent medication for PD)Baltimore Orioles. Ive been following by administering the drug with athe team since I was seven years needle inserted just under the skinold, he smiles. But then in 2004, the and delivered by an external portableunexpected struck. I was beating pump, rather than oral administration.eggs one morning, and my hand In another Center-wide effort, Dr. Savittwouldnt go any faster, he recalls.is working with Dr. Shulman on anThe next day, I couldnt write my ongoing genetic study of Parkinsonsname while paying bills. I knew disease funded by a $1 million grant insomething was wrong.2013 from Eugenia and Michael Brin, the parents of Google co-founderAfter an initial consultation with hisBeckie and Len Patras at homeSergey Brin. The gift has enabledfamily doctor and a neurologist who researchers to perform genetic testingconfirmed that he had Parkinsonsvery little dyskinesia (involuntary and enter that data in the CentersDisease, Patras was referred bymovement), he says. It helps me very burgeoning Parkinsons diseasea friend to Stephen Reich, MD,much with daily living. As importantly, database , which currently containsFrederick Henry Prince Distinguishedthe procedure has allowed Patras to data on over 3,000 PD patients andProfessor in UMSOMs Departmentpursue his passion for following his 25,000 office visits, with informationof Neurology and a specialist inhometown Oriolesand to attend on gait, balance, dexterity, tremor,movement disorders. A close doctor- Orioles Fantasy Camp in Sarasota, FL depression, anxiety, sleep and fatigue.patient relationship grew betweenin 2017 and 2018 with his son Nick. It By mining this data, we have gatheredthe two men over the subsequentwas on my bucket list, Patras smiles.over the last 20 years, we hope todecade, culminating in a decisionHis future plans include attending better understand the mechanismto undergo a deep brain stimulationSpring Training games and being and treatment of Parkinsons disease(DBS) procedure in 2014 to treata proud grandfather to his seven and other and related movementcertain symptoms of Parkinsonsgranddaughters. Im not going to let disorders, says Dr. Shulman. disease, including tremor and slowedthis beat me, says Patras. I want to movements. see my granddaughters grow up, get Patras considers the DBS proceduremarried, and have kids.a success. I can work, and I have MOVEMENT DISORDERS DIVISION RECENT PUBLICATIONS2019Fishman PS, Frenkel V. Focused Ultrasound: An Emerging TherapeuticReich SG, Savitt JM, Parkinsons Disease. Med Clin North Am.Modality for Neurologic Disease. Neurotherapeutics, 2017 Feb 27.2019 Mar;103(2):337-350. Moosa S, Martnez-Fernndez R, Elias WJ, Del Alamo M, Shulman LM, Before and After Loss: A Neurologists PerspectiveEisenberg HM, Fishman PS. The role of high-intensity focused ultrasoundon Loss, Grief and Our Brain, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018. as a symptomatic treatment for Parkinsons disease. MovementVon Coelln R, Dawe RJ, Leurgans SE, Curran TA, Truty T, Yu L,Disorders, 2019 Jul 10.Barnes LL, Shulman JM, Shulman LM, Bennett DA, Hausdorff JM, Reich SG, Factor S (eds). Therapy of Movement Disorders, A Case-BasedBuchman AS, Quantitative mobility metrics from a wearable sensor Approach. Springer, 2019. predict incident parkinsonism in older adults. Park Rel Disord, 2019; 65:190-96.CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES UPDATEFALL 2019 5'