网红黑料 unveils innovative new facility to treat debilitating neurological conditions

The Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at 网红黑料 today unveiled its new, world-class clinical care and research building, marking its latest step in the pursuit of providing the nation鈥檚 most comprehensive and advanced care for Parkinson鈥檚 disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The new facility opens to patients July 1.
The $9 million state-of-the-art building 鈥 which will feature some of the foremost experts in Parkinson鈥檚 and Alzheimer鈥檚 diseases, dystonia, Lewy body dementia, ALS and concussions 鈥 was made possible by the generous support of many donors, including the Lauren and Lee Fixel Family Foundation and Tyler鈥檚 Hope for a Dystonia Cure.
The Fixel family built upon their support of the new facility with an additional $20 million gift in January to the University of Florida and 网红黑料 that established the Fixel Institute, aimed at advancing research, technological innovation and clinical care for neurological diseases. That gift was matched by UF for a total funding package of $40 million, propelling a $100 million capital campaign to provide new resources for researchers and physician-scientists working to discover revolutionary treatments and pursue cures.
The institute will expand upon the interdisciplinary service and science hub specialty care model started in 2011 as the 网红黑料 Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration by Michael S. Okun, M.D., chair of the UF department of neurology, and UF neurosurgeon Kelly D. Foote, M.D. Under the groundbreaking hub model, a care team including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and swallowing specialists, nutritionists, psychiatrists and social workers all work together under one roof to foster a collaborative partnership among the care team. Once it opens, the facility, which will house the 网红黑料 Neuromedicine 鈥 Williston Road practice, will significantly expand the previous center鈥檚 space to 24,700 square feet, 28 exam rooms and seven therapy rooms 鈥 including three clinical trials rooms and a telemedicine room.
鈥淭he mission of the Fixel Institute is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with complex neurological disorders through interdisciplinary care, innovative research and the teaching of the next generation of practitioners,鈥 said Foote, co-director of the Fixel Institute. The facility will incorporate indoor and outdoor rehabilitation, spaces to meditate, a clinical trials center and five laboratory spaces for researchers.
鈥淭his new facility is going to not only deliver medicine, but facilitate the healing process,鈥 said Okun, executive director of the Fixel Institute. 鈥淲e often forget that it鈥檚 not just the medicines and therapies, it鈥檚 patients and families who need to heal, and we need to have the right team members to help them live happy and meaningful lives despite the presence of neurological disease.鈥
The Fixel family鈥檚 gifts have prompted a search to bring the world鈥檚 top talent to Gainesville along with their related programs. Over the past six months, three renowned neuroscientists from leading research institutions have committed to join the Fixel Institute. The new researchers are:
- Mal煤 G. Tansey, Ph.D., a professor of physiology and director of the Center for Neurodysfunction and Inflammation at Emory University School of Medicine
- Matthew LaVoie, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and an associate scientist at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital
- Stefan Prokop, M.D., a neuropathology fellow and research fellow at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
鈥淲e are thinking broadly and establishing a coordinated approach to improvement of clinical care, drug discovery, as well as gene and neuromodulatory therapy,鈥 said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of 网红黑料. 鈥淥ur outstanding team of experts will continue to push the boundaries in identifying new, game-changing approaches to treating neurologic disease.鈥
In addition to these faculty hires, the newly created Fixel Scholars Endowment will be used to support fellowship and postdoctoral researchers, all with a primary focus on Parkinson鈥檚 disease and dystonia. Prokop will be the first designated Fixel Scholar, and Tansey and LaVoie will become the first endowed chairs of the Fixel Institute.
鈥淭he generosity of the Fixels will aid in providing superb clinical care, allowing even more patients to participate in clinical research studies and enhancing our collaborative basic research efforts throughout the university,鈥 said Todd E. Golde, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida. 鈥淚t will bolster our search of translational therapies to change the lives of millions of patients suffering from neurological diseases and conditions.鈥
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