Endowed Lectureship

Neurologist and Professor of Neurology at the Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

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Bastiaan Bloem, MD, received his medical degree, with honors, at Leiden University Medical Centre in 1994. He completed fellowships in movement disorders at the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, CA, and the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology.

In 2002, Professor Bloem founded the Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders and, together with Dr. Marten Munneke, developed ParkinsonNet International, an innovative care concept for patients with Parkinson’s disease consisting of 70 professional regional networks. Professor Bloem is on the editorial board of leading national and international scientific journals and has over 800 publications to his credit and has served as co-editor in chief of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease since 2020.

Neurologist, Neuroscientist, Author, Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Medical Advisor of the Parkinson’s Foundation

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Michael S. Okun obtained his M.D. with honors from the University of Florida. He was movement disorders fellowship trained by Drs. Mahlon DeLong, Jerrold Vitek and Ray Watts at Emory University in Atlanta, GA before moving to co-found the movement disorders program at the University of Florida. He is currently the Adelaide Lackner professor of neurology and executive director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida Health College of Medicine.

Dr. Okun has an active career in research and has been an integral part of some of the pioneering studies exploring the cognitive, behavioral and mood effects of brain stimulation. Since 2005, his laboratory has been working to uncover the electrical brain signals associated with human tic. He has partnered with Drs. Ayse Gunduz and Kelly Foote to develop a first generation of closed loop adaptive deep brain stimulation approaches. He and his group have contributed data to support the FDA approval of several device-related approaches that are now used to treat human disease.

Dr. Okun has served as the national medical director and, most recently, as the medical advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation since 2006. He has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Smallwood Foundation, the Tourette Association of America, the Parkinson Alliance, the Bachmann-Strauss Foundation, the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He was recognized in a 2015 White House ceremony by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for Parkinson’s Disease.

Dr. Okun holds the Adelaide Lackner Professorship in Neurology and has published over 500 peer reviewed articles. He is a poet (“Lessons From the Bedside,” 1995) and his book, “Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life” has been translated in over 20 languages. His most recent co-authored books include “Ending Parkinson’s Disease” and “Living with Parkinson’s Disease.”

The Zoota Family Leaders in Parkinson’s Disease Speaker Series brings national and international thought leaders to TCU to share the latest research, clinical advances and trends in the global fight against Parkinson’s disease. By engaging the TCU and Dallas-Fort Worth communities, these speakers will elevate our knowledge of Parkinson’s disease and extend our understanding of the global efforts in science and industry aimed to improve the lives of those fighting against it.

Our speaker series is made possible through support from the Zoota family of Fort Worth and hosted by the Endeavor Parkinsonology project of the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences at TCU.