Central MDS Leadership Nominees

Stewardship of the MDS for the next generation. Being part of the MDS has been the highlight of my academic career. The experiences and opportunities the MDS provide have enabled me to succeed as an academic clinician. My hope in the role of MDS president would be to continue this tradition for the next generation to succeed in all aspects of their professional lives, and for the MDS to nurture and support everyone who is part of the Society.

I have been fortunate to have a broad range of experiences in many aspects of the MDS, including education, EBM, Women’s SIG, the website, chair of the PAS and being an officer, which has given me an opportunity to interact with health care professionals from all over the world. To see how there is never one way of doing something and that background, culture and experience influence how decisions are made, which is critical to being a leader in the MDS. Building on the successes of the MDS, with guidance from the membership as to what the next generation sees as the needs of a changing world would be key to guiding the MDS through the next few years. 

Inclusivity of all members of the MDS. I would build on what has been achieved successfully to date, to ensure openness, transparency and that all voices are heard and as a Society we are succeeding in making all members feel the MDS is working for them. I hope to be a role model for young physicians and other HCPs to be part of the MDS and make them feel welcome and valued. Increasing and targeting under-represented groups would be part of my vision – such as young basic scientists and any health care professionals who care for people with movement disorders. The MDS has to offer something for such individuals to feel they would want to join, and enabling and encouraging these groups would strengthen and grow the MDS. 

Advocacy for underserved areas of the world to improve patient care. This is part of our role as MDS members, and I would see this as an important role for the MDS president to continue this in collaboration with affiliate societies and the WHO. 

Continuing to build the MDS brand. This is critical to the success of the Society by increasing awareness and knowledge of movement disorders. There have been many excellent initiatives to date with social media and using World Parkinson Day and Movement Disorder Day. Linking these to more local societies could increase spread of information, and working with affiliate societies will enable this to improve.

I qualified in medicine BSc, MBChB 1990; MRCP 1993; PhD 1998, University of Manchester, UK and completed UK Higher Specialist training in Neurology, 2001. After 2 years as consultant neurologist in Liverpool UK, I moved to Toronto, Canada in 2003. I am currently Professor Neurology, University of Toronto, and Staff Neurologist, University Health Network (UHN), Toronto. I have been co-director of the TWH Movement disorder clinic and fellowship director for the clinic since 2004. I was Head of Neurology, 2019 – 2025. I am also co-chair of the UHN Clinical Research Collaborative Centre, 2022 - present. I have 30 years’ experience in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease and translational studies of novel pharmacological therapies for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders such as dystonia. I have published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters in the field and am a regular speaker at national and international conferences.  I have served on many international advisory boards and grant review and other committees, including for the AAN, Cure Parkinson Trust (UK), MJFF, NIH, DMRF, World Parkinson Congress. I am now Chair, Parkinson Canada Research and Clinical Advisory Committee (2024 – 2026)  

I have been a member of the MDS since 1996.

My MDS accomplishments include:-

Officers – Secretary 2017 – 2019; Secretary Elect, 2015 – 2017 and Member of the IEC 2011 – 2015. 

Pan American Section – Chair 2021- 2023; Past chair 2023 – 2025. Member, PAS Congress oversight committee 2021 – present. 

Evidence Based Medicine – Chair EBM Committee 2013 – 2017; Lead EBM treatments for PD motor symptoms 2009 – 2017. Member EBM committee 2009 – 2023; Member EBM Advisory Committee 2023 – present. 

Website – Co-Editor MDS Website 2013 – 2019 (received Standard of Excellence for Medical and non-profit, WebAward. (2015 Web Award for outstanding achievement). Member, Website editorial committee 2008 – 2012; Member Publications Oversight Committee 2013 – 2019

Journals - Member, Editorial Board Movement Disorders Clinical Practice Journal 2013 – 2019; Member, Editorial Board Movement Disorder Journal 2012 - present

Congress Scientific Programming Committee , Co-Chair, 2010 – 2011. Chair, Local organizing committee for MDS meeting in Toronto, 2011

Education Committee Member, 2007 - 2012

Women in MDS SIG steering committee member 2021-2023

I cannot begin without acknowledging my personal feelings. The IP-MDS has been a constant presence throughout my movement disorders career from the very beginning, and I cannot imagine my life without actively participating in the IP-MDS.

Over the last ten years, I have reorganized all my professional and personal activities to dedicate a significant amount of time to the Movement Disorders Clinical Practice (MDCP). Therefore, should I be elected Officer at this pivotal moment after stepping down from the MDCP office, I am confident that my time— which amounts to several complete days each week—will easily accommodate my MDS Officer activities.

I consider myself an intermediary between the founding pioneers of the Society and the younger, emerging generation. I believe I can listen to both voices, allowing me to navigate the future steps of the Society with an open mind to the changes ahead, all while maintaining the principles, style, and objectives of the founders. This balance may seem contrasting at first glance, but it is essential. A Officer should not merely witness generational changes; rather, they must be an active participant in driving a smooth evolution of the Society in response to global changes.

I was born in Argentina in 1961 and graduated from the School of Medicine at Buenos Aires University in 1987, where I later earned my Ph.D. I completed my residency in internal medicine at CEMIC and specialized in neurology at one of the very few Latin American hospitals dedicated to neurology, FLENI (Raul Carrea Institute for Neurological Research), both in Buenos Aires. My commitment to advancing the field of movement disorders led me to London, where I served as a Research Fellow at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases Queen Square and as a Research Registrar in Neurology at the Middlesex Hospital. After my time at  the Middlesex, I made the decision to return to my home country  to develop the field of movement disorders further and to establish a comprehensive movement disorders program from scratch and  then joined MDS. I recognized the growing need for specialized care in this area and was determined to make a significant impact in Argentina by creating a resource for patients suffering from movement disorders and ounting the first structured program of functional surgery for movement disorders inn latin America  Currently, I am the head of the Movement Disorders Section and the Director of Neuroscience at the Raul Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI) in Buenos Aires. In where I served as  member of the Board of Directors for 10 years. In addition to my leadership role, I actively engage in academia as a faculty member at the University of Buenos Aires and as a Professor of Neurology at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina (UCA). I m also Principal  Clinical Researcher at  CONICET Argentina. I have co-authored over 225 papers in leading peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, I have written more than 20 book chapters and have written or co-edited six books, showcasing my commitment to knowledge dissemination. I have received the Michael Fox Clinical Scientific Award.The education of young fellows has also been one of my priorities, with around 30 fellows trained from all around Latin America in my department. The Safra Foundation has granted funding twice, and so far, 10 Ph.D. students have graduated or are currently ongoing under my direction. I have served on the editorial board of the Movement Disorders Journal and currently hold the position of co-editor in chief of Movement Disorders Clinical Practice journal, which reflects my dedication to advancing the field of movement disorders.

As an officer for the MDS, I aim to help strengthen the Society and expand its educational activities to train and cultivate its members, to attain excellence in their knowledge, skills and understanding of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. This will ultimately lead to improved care and understanding of affected patients as well as amplify the Society’s role as the leading global authority in the field. 

Whilst serving in a wide range of roles for the Society, I have developed effective leadership skills and a well-regarded reputation for championing the career development of young members. Moreover, I have fostered collaboration between emerging clinicians and scientists to further translational research in our field. I feel that my own career has benefited greatly from my interactions with the Society and that I am now in a position to give back.

As an MDS officer, I would like to:

a)    Encourage career development of younger members to attract the best and brightest minds to our subspecialty area. Whilst experience and guidance from senior members is vital, it is the action of      younger members to bring about meaningful change that can transform the impact of the Society and grow its strength to educate and improve the care of our patients.

b)    Foster collaboration between clinicians and scientists to discover more effective ways to improve health outcomes for individuals living with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. I believe that this can be achieved both within and across different: geographical regions; career stages and/or; health/scientific disciplines. 

c)    Enhance our reputation as the global authority in movement disorders by deepening engagement with neuroscientists and other healthcare professionals worldwide.  

I am a clinician scientist, internationally recognized for my expertise in mitochondrial function and movement disorders genetics. I have more than 200 original publications and am currently appointed as the inaugural Kinghorn Chair of Neurodegeneration at Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, Sydney. 

I was trained in the field of movement disorders by Professor John Morris at Westmead, Sydney and undertook postdoctoral training with Billi DiMauro and Stan Fahn at Columbia University. I returned to Sydney in 2000 to establish both my own laboratory and the Movement Disorder Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital.

I was the first female neurologist to be promoted to Professor in Australia (2009), the first female appointed as Executive Director to the Kolling Institute for Medical Research, Sydney Australia (2017-22) and the first female president of the Movement Disorders Society of Australia and New Zealand (2023-5). 

In my past leadership roles, I have consistently prioritized the needs of the organization over individual goals. For example, during my time as Executive Director of the Kolling Institute (between 2017-22), I led initiatives that benefited the entire medical research Institute, not just my own program. Using my strong track record in strategic planning, I designed a multidisciplinary research strategy that positioned the Kolling Institute as a world-leading authority for translational medical research in the country, securing major funding across multiple disciplines, including but not limited to neurology.

The Society aims to improve the education and training of clinicians and scientists, and advance scientific research in PD and related disorders. I believe the Society and its leaders have been very sincere in carrying out this vision (e.g., by providing strong support for various initiatives including a multitude of outreach courses and training grants for underserved areas).

Thus, I am very willing to continue dedicating my time and efforts in advancing the vision and aims of the Society. I believe that my background, and the experience and friendships/connections I have gained over the past 15+ years within (and beyond) the MDS will enable me to perform my role well, if elected as an Executive Committee Member. I will strive to support the Officers as best as I can, in further advancing education/training and research in our field. Of course, the ultimate aim, which one should never lose sight of, is the improvement of the care and quality of life of patients and families living with these (often very debilitating) conditions.

I am a Senior Consultant Neurologist and Professor at the University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I have had the incredible good fortune to train with mentors like Drs. Tony Lang and Susan Fox in Toronto, and before that my internal medicine, general neurology, and initial movement disorders training in Melbourne, Australia.

I have been a very active member of the MDS, being closely involved in multiple task forces and committees. I am currently Chair of the MDS Asian-Oceanian Section (AOS), and previously Chair of the AOS Education Committee. I have trained multiple neurologists from underserved areas, including Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines, often under the auspices of the MDS (Visiting Trainee Grants or Centre-to-Centre Programs). I have visited many of these countries to teach, often as MDS Visiting Professor or MDS Ambassador. I have been invited to give numerous Plenary Lectures, including at the flagship MDS Congresses (Toronto 2011, Dublin 2012, Nice 2019, Philadelphia (Virtual) 2020, Copenhagen 2023, Honolulu 2025) and at the World Parkinson's Congress (Kyoto 2019).

Together with Assoc. Prof. Ai Huey Tan, we have built a strong team at UM, serving a very large volume of patients with PD and related disorders. The service includes advanced therapies such as deep brain stimulation, where we are the largest centre preforming these surgeries in Southeast Asia. I was a founding member (and Immediate-Past Chair) of the Malaysian Movement Disorder Council. 

My research interests in movement disorders are broad, and include the following areas: (i) PD (particularly genetics and genotype-phenotype correlations; evidence-based medicine/clinical trials; non-motor features including gastrointestinal aspects; comorbidities; patient-centred care; and rating scales/disease staging); (ii) Parkinson-plus syndromes and other miscellaneous/"orphan" movement disorders, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). I have published extensively in major scientific journals, including first-author papers in Lancet Neurology, Movement Disorders, JAMA Neurology, etc., and co-authorship in Nature Genetics, Nature Reviews Neurology, Annals of Neurology, etc. 

Weblink: https://umexpert.um.edu.my/limshenyang.html

I have been very privileged to serve on multiple MDS committees in the last two decades. I hope to give back to the MDS for everything it has done for me. 

I am a clinical academic movement disorders neurologist, practicing in Manhattan for the last three decades. After completing residency training at Cornell, I trained with Stan Fahn at Columbia, joining the faculty where I rose to Professor of Neurology. I moved to Mount Sinai to direct their movement disorders division in 2011 and then to NYU Grossman School of Medicine in 2017 to play a similar role. My areas of interest include movement disorders emergencies, focal task specific dystonia including musciains' dystonia, myoclonus therapeutics, alcohol-responsive hyperkinetic movement disorders and movement disorders phenomenology. I have published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, with current h value of 65, and written three books. I am most proud of training 27 clinical movement disorders fellows over the last fourteen years, two thirds of whom are working in academic movement disorders. As described above, I have been very involved in the MDS for the last 25 years.

The Society is my global home as a neurologist, academic, educator and researcher in the field of Movement Disorders. My application to serve as International Executive Committee member is a natural step in my enduring will to contribute to the Society. 

I have developed and seasoned skills of leadership, teamwork, strategic thinking in both the Society, but also in academia and life, which make me confident of a solid positive contribution in this key leadership role. 

My personal life trajectory of having lived and worked in different parts of the globe (Europe, Africa and North America) and speaking fluently three world languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish) provides me with a wider vision that matters locally, a quality to be considered in an oversight body as the International Executive Committee that thinks about the Society in the different world regions now and in the future. My experiences within the Society in different groups, committees and programs provide a solid knowledge about the organizational aspects of the Society.

As member of the International Executive Committee, I will champion the ongoing implementation and development of the Society’s Strategic Priorities (Strengthening the MDS brand, Enhancing the MDS’s Scientific Profile, continue to develop MDS as the Premier Educational Source on Movement Disorders, and promote a strong, supportive, inclusive, and diverse governance structure). I also look forward to providing a critical and innovative contribution to further development of these and other priorities for the next term 2025-2029 in a spirit of collegiality and respect for a living legacy of the Society.

I am an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa and Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada. I hold a Clinical Research Chair in Parkinson disease focused on care integration and technology-enabled care, therapeutic development for unmet care needs, and clinical trial methodology, namely placebos and development of clinical outcome measures. As part of my research activities, I was the scientific director of the European-Canadian iCARE-PD consortium to evaluate the implementation of an integrated care model for PD. Ihave a total of 182 peer-reviewed publication and a H index of 50. I am the current President of the Canadian Movement Disorders Society, an affiliate member of the MDS.

In the Society, I was the founding director of the School on Neuromodulation for Movement Disorders (PAS) and successfully led the conversion and deployment of the comprehensive educational program of the MDS-PAS in a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic as chair of the MDS-PAS Education Commmittee. I have led various committees as outlined in prior section. Of note, I would like to highlight some of the outcomes for its potential impact in our field: the development of methodology for data-driven development of diagnostic criteria in Movement Disorders that was offered to other groups in the MDS, the EBM appraisal of treatment for Essential Tremor key to any movement disorder specialist, and the first-ever appraisal of rating scales used in Huntington disease. In the last two years, I have been the director of MDS-Clinical Outcome Assessment program together with Dr. Álvaro Sanchez-Ferro.

It has been my resolve that, when given the opportunity, I would like to contribute to the MDS advancement, especially in new endeavors that allude to the very existence of our society.

Among others, we develop a 'palpable' reaching out to the underserved areas to share education and develop engagements of local 'champions.' At same time, the endeavors to increase MDS-Affiliate Societies will be the impetus upon which we are able to reach unmet needs both in their individual countries and nose nearby areas.

-Full Professor V, Academic Researcher and Editor
Faculty of Medicine & Surgery - Neurosciences and Research Center for Health Sciences, The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila (Philippines)

-Chairman, Dept. of Neuroscience and Brain Health  and Head, Center for Neurodiagnostic & Therapeutic Services of Metropolitan Medical Center, Manila (Philippines)

-Active Staff, Clinical Neurophysiology & Movement Disorders, Institute for Neurosciences, St. Luke's Medical Center, Quezon City (Philippines)

-As AOS Chair, initiated the AOS Adhoc Committee for the Underserved areas as well the AOS Journal club

-Services through several years with MDS include, participation in more than 10-Committees, and more than 5-Study Groups and Special Interest Groups.

During the time as Editor of Moving Along while I came to appreciate the variety of outstanding research and exceptional clinical activities conducted worldwide by our MDS members (through Study Groups, Task Forces, etc.), I realized also their great enthusiasm and willingness to share their experience with others.

This influenced significantly my personal vision, because it was during this time that I appreciated even more the importance of Inclusivity and Diversity to give a voice and try to engage researchers and health professionals in underserved regions not only to increase interest in Movement Disorders but also to promote their work and initiatives. 

Dr. Strafella is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology and the Krembil-Rossy Chair in Molecular Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases at University Health Network (UHN).  He is the Director of Clinical & Translational Research, Office of the Vice-Dean Research & Health Science Education at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He is serving as well as the Interim Program Medical Director of the Krembil Brain Institute (KBI) at UHN. He is a Senior Scientist at the KBI, UHN and the Brain Health Imaging Centre at CAMH. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Medical Science. Dr. Strafella is a Movement Disorder Neurologist in the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease and Morton & Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic at the KBI, Toronto Western Hospital.

Dr. Strafella is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). He served on its Board of Directors, and recently elected Executive Officer with the role of Secretary.  He serves as well on the Board of Directors of Parkinson Canada.   

Over the years, he contributed to MDS in different roles, as Editor of Moving Along, Chair of the Neuroimaging Study Group, Associate Editor of the Movement Disorder Journal, Member in several Committees (CSPC, COC and others).

The MDS meetings are exceptional both in term of content and of perfect organization.  

We stand on the achievement of the "fathers of the MDS" and of all the Presidents, Secretary etc and Staff and the IOG, Head and members of the program committee and more and I am really grateful for their energy, creativity and intense work.

In addition, this may be also the opportunity to experience initiatives (may work or will be changes) embedded in the meetings such as translational research and clinical developments on a specific topic  in a model of the  Gordon conferences, mixing neuroscience and clinical research on the same topic more of less, in a more 'open and accessible format' develop "focus meetings" in the MDS international conference (parallel sessions for specific subgroups (eg equivalent of the task forces) develop the individual encounters (mentor/mentee) under the umbrella of the MDS etc.

Marie Vidailhet is Professor of Neurology, in Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. She has a long-standing interest in movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. She is very much involved in the field of movement disorders, both in clinic (National Reference center for Dystonia in France (coordination), and in Europe : ERN network) and in research from pathophysiology to experimental therapeutics, within her research group (Mov’it), 3 terms (5 years duration) as a group leader at the ICM Research Institute and contributed to the field of pathophysiology of dystonia and other rare movement disorders, and to development of therapeutic approaches (deep brain stimulation in dystonia), non-invasive stimulation in tremor.

She has always been actively involved in movement disorders at the national and international level as illustrated by her commitment to the Movement Disorders Society : Past member of MDS International Executive Committee, of the Bylaw committee, Program Committee (organisation of the 2009 international MDS conference in Paris, past Secretary MDS-ES (European section), Faculty at the International MDS conferences (Grand rounds (2 times), plenary lectures) and at the Winter and Summer MDS-ES courses, organisation of the upcoming MDS-ES summer course in Paris, July 2025.

She was awarded the Presidential lecture (Stanley Fahn Lecture) at the Hong-Kong international conference and the Brown Sequard Lecture (Presidential lecture) at the 2024 EAN conference.

She is also involved at the European Level (Fellow of the European Neurogical Society Member of the EAN board, 2 terms). She is Member of Dystonia Coalition.

Marie Vidailhet was previously appointed to the MDS Mentorship program.

Sis very invested in the mentorship and training of young neurologists and her group is happy to host since many years, fellows from all over Europe and beyond.

Over the years, she co-authored over 400 publications (total H index 91) with focus on the pathophysiology of dystonia, tremors and Tourette syndrome, deep brain stimulation in dystonia, development of non-invasive stimulation for dystonia and tremor, both for research and experimental therapeutics. Together with Stephane Lehericy (co-leader of the research team), she worked on clinical and neuroimaging characterization of Parkinson’s disease.