Research Center Profile:
Struthers Parkinson's Center
Struthers Parkinson's
Center
A National Parkinson Foundation Center of
Excellence
Struthers Parkinson's Center is a freestanding facility that
offers an integrated approach to diagnosis, treatment, management
and research of Parkinson's disease. For more than 20 years,
this nationally known center has improved the health and quality of
life for people with Parkinson's by helping them achieve their
fullest potential.
In addition to the most comprehensive clinical, therapeutic and
support services available in the Upper Midwest, the center has an
active Parkinson's disease research program offering:
- One of the largest Parkinson's populations in the Upper
Midwest covering all stages of the disease
- Experience in conducting phase II, III and IV clinical
trials
- A computerized patient database
- Multidisciplinary services
- Complete rehab facilities
- Clinic and hospital facilities
- Budget and contract negotiations
- Regulatory support
- Quality of life studies
- Complementary therapies
For more information about the Struthers Parkinson's Center
and various research opportunities, please visit our homepage at:
www.methodisthospital.com/struthersparkinsons/.
The center offers an experienced team, including physician
researchers and research coordinators, who understand the needs of
research sponsors and work to provide timely and accurate studies.
Most recently, the Struthers Parkinson's Center has conducted
pharmaceutical and device research with Novartis, Roche, Somerset,
Medtronic, Pharmacia, and CroMedica. In addition to sponsored
research, the center conducts investigator-initiated studies on
traditional and holistic therapies in treating Parkinson's
disease. Areas included are:
- Speech therapy
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- T’ai Chi Chih
- Spiritual care
- Caregiver services
- Music therapy
- Support services
- Animal-assisted therapy
Researchers also benefit from the close working relationship the
center has with the Park Nicollet Institute. The Institute is one
of America's leading research organizations and provides
centralized clinical support in such areas as budget, contract
negotiations and regulatory support.
The center conducts outpatient studies at its conveniently
located site in Golden Valley, Minnesota, just west of Minneapolis.
The center is 10 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and 30 minutes
from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport.
This unique freestanding center specializes exclusively in
caring for Parkinson's-related illnesses. The center provides a
caring, compassionate setting where people with Parkinson's,
their carepartners, families and friends can receive care and
support from a team of professionals who are experts in the
difficulties Parkinson's presents.
The center is part of Park Nicollet Health Services, an
integrated care system that includes Methodist Hospital, Park
Nicollet Clinic, Primary Physician Network, The Foundation and The
Institute. Park Nicollet Health Services has 6,500 employees
including more than 500 physicians and is based in St. Louis Park,
MN, a suburb of Minneapolis.
Paul M. Silverstein, MD
- MD: University of Minnesota Medical School
- Board-certified in neurology
- Specialty: Parkinson's disease
- Fellowship: neuropathology, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New
York, NY
Sotirios Parashos, MD, PhD
- MD: Aristotles University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki,
Greece
- PhD: neurophysiology, Aristotles University of Thessaloniki,
Thessaloniki, Greece
- Board-certified in neurology
- Specialties: Parkinson's diseases and related
disorders
- Fellowships: Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; Division of Movement Disorders,
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Martha Nance, MD
- MD: Medical College of Virginia
- Board-certified in neurology and medical genetics
- Specialties: Parkinson's disease, Ataxia and
Huntington's disease
- Advanced training in neurology, University of Minnesota
- Advanced training in medical genetics, University of
Minnesota
Felix Zwiebel, MD
- MD: Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL
- Board-certified in neurology
- Specialty: Parkinson’s disease
- Advanced training in internal medicine, neurology and
neuropathology, Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland,
OH
Steven D. Stein, MD
- MD: University of Minnesota Medical School
- Board-certified in neurology
- Specialties: Parkinson's disease and movement
disorders
John Worley, DO
- DO: University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, Des
Moines, IA
- Board-certified in neurology
- Specialties: Parkinson’s disease and HIV-related neurologic
disorders
- Fellowship: neurologic infectious disease, University of
Minnesota
Catherine Wielinski, MPH, research director, 15
years experience with clinical and administrative claims research
including clinical trials, survey, and quality of life studies; 15
years experience with regulatory and administrative oversight of
research .
Susan Peterson, RN, BSN, research coordinator,
2 years experience with pharmaceutical sponsored research.
Elizabeth Krech, research assistant, 5 years
experience on the genetics of Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s
disease.
The center offers one of the largest Parkinson's patient
populations in the Upper Midwest with a current patient base of
over 1,500 patients seen in multi-disciplinary clinic visits. Of
patients new to the Struthers Center approximately 90% are
Hoehn-Yahr stage 1-3. The computerized database has been written to
be available via the Internet to provide rapid participant
selection for studies. In addition to the database, the center
attracts study participants through a 70+-member support group
network.
The Struthers Parkinson's Center has gained national
recognition for bringing together an innovative mix of traditional
and complementary services to enhance a person's overall
wellness and quality of life. Other benefits the center offers
researchers:
- Dedicated Parkinson's facility
- Five board-certified neurologists
- Health professionals with more than 20 years of Parkinson's
experience
- Sponsor of a 70+-member, Upper Midwest support group
network
The center uses the Institutional Review Board of Park Nicollet
Institute.
The Struthers Parkinson's Center is one of only 52 National
Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence worldwide.
If you are interested in contacting this center to discuss placing a clinical
trial there, please complete and send the email form below. A representative from
the research center will then follow up with you.
