Team

Founded in 1999, our Mission is to care for patients today and strive to find cures tomorrow

Our Center provides accurate diagnosis, expert care, and access to emerging therapies for Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders.

Scientific & Executive Leadership

Stuart H. Isaacson, MD, FAAN

Associate Professor of Neurology, FIU; Director, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton, FL; Investigator on >75 clinical trials and member of the Parkinson Study Group and the Movement Disorders section of the AAN. Dr. Isaacson was a key investigator and a lead recruiter for the recent study of oral venglustat in patients with a Glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) mutation, which influence the risk and prognosis of PD through accumulation of glycosphingolipids, including glucosylceramide.

Sagari Betté, MD

Dr. Sagari Bette trained in Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School and completed her Fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence. She completed her undergraduate training at Stanford University and obtained her M.D. degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Richard Dewey III, MD

Dr. Richard Dewey III trained in Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX and completed his Movement Disorders Fellowship at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX as well. He has recently joined the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

Richard B. Dewey Jr., MD, FAAN

Dr. Richard B. Dewey, Jr. recently retired from his position of Professor in the Department of Neurology and Director of the Clinical Center for Movement Disorders at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He has recently joined the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Boca Raton, Florida where he sees mainly new patients who are interested in receiving state of the art care for their movement disorder in a setting where they can participate in cutting-edge clinical trials.

Research and wellness

AnnMarie Diaz | ARNP

AnnMarie Diaz, ARNP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner at PDMDC. She earned her Master of Science degree from University of South University and holds a National Certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. AnnMarie has over 20 years of experience working with Parkinson‘s and movement disorders patients. Her passion and dedication to patients have made her essential to our team.

Fannie Levinson | MS

Fannie Levinson, MS, is the Regulatory Specialist for PDMDC. She earned her Master of Science degree at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fannie has over 30 years of experience in clinical research focused on numerous areas, especially Parkinson’s disease, related movement disorders, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. She has been a part of PDMDC for over 15 years.

Lisbeth Pennente | CCRC

Lisbeth Pennente is a Clinical Research Coordinator and Psychometrician at The Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton. She has over 20 years of experience in clinical research including a wide range of Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials in Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and other Movement Disorders.

Elyse Rallo | MSW

Elyse Rallo, MSW, studied Family Studies/Psychology at the University of Maryland and received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Adelphi University in New York. Elyse has been working with patients with Parkinson’s disease and their family members since 2008 as the Program Director/Social Worker for the Parkinson’s Research and Education Foundation (PaREF).

Randi Loomis | RN, BSN

Randi Loomis, RN, BSN, is a Registered Nurse working as a clinical research coordinator at PDMDC. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and received her BSN from New York University in NYC. She has a broad background in psychiatry, developmental disorders, and memory disorders. She is currently pursuing her DNP at Florida Atlantic University in order to continue her career in Parkinson’s research.

Jordan Brown | BSN, RN

Jordan Brown, BSN, RN, is a registered nurse currently working as a clinical research coordinator at PDMDC. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University and Bachelors of Science in Nursing at The College of Mount Saint Vincent. She is a member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and has a background in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jordan is originally from New Jersey and is excited to continue her nursing career in South Florida.

Clinical Research

Parkinson's Studies: Now Enrolling

Learn More about Clinical Trial Options Available

Background

Neurodegenerative diseases develop in the body and brain decades before the first symptoms begin. By the time a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is made, approximately half of the dopaminergic neurons have already been lost. As such, there is a critical window of opportunity for people at risk to receive proactive medical care and make brain-healthy choices. PD is a model candidate for a precision medicine approach as it is a heterogenous syndrome with multiple subtypes each defined by common etiology, pathophysiology or clinical features and each with diverse targets and markers. Using clinical, genetic, radiographic, and biochemical signatures of latent PD, people may also be risk stratified to improve prognostic counseling and provide an enriched cohort for trials of disease-modifying therapies. In related proof-of-principle work, the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine & NewYork-Presbyterian was started in 2013 and published key results showing it is possible to delay cognitive decline and reduce Alzheimer’s risk in people with a family history of the disease. We aim to apply a similar multi-modal personalized approach applying emerging principles of precision medicine targeting genetically predisposed individuals and those with a family history of PD prior to the onset of motor symptoms.

Our Mission

Treat people at risk for Parkinson’s disease via emerging principles of precision medicine

Strategic Priorities:

Clinic Overview:

Our Philosophy:

Personalized Medicine & Personalized Nutrition:

Prioritizing a Digital
Medicine Approach: