National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Ruey-Meei Wu, MD, PhD
Director, Centre of Parkinson and Movement Disorder
Professor, Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital
College of Medicine, National Taiwan University
No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road
TAIPEI, 100 TAIWAN
The centre for Parkinson and Movement disorders at NTUH was inaugurated on 15th December 2007. The mission of the center is to provide the finest quality of care for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and Movement disorders in Taiwan by a team work of experts who integrate a comprehensive program for disease management, and a myriad of ancillary services.
Services include initial diagnosis, comprehensive evaluation and ongoing treatment management as well as evaluation of complex cases as a second opinion. The patients undergo a complete medical history, physical examination and functional nuclear medicine examination (SPECT and PET study for evaluation of the dopaminergic system), and receive an individualized treatment plan.
Depending on the need, patients also have easy access to a special trained PD nurse, a variety of additional services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, swallowing and speech evaluations, surgical treatments(deep brain stimulation) and intraduodenal infusion therapy of levodopa in advanced stage. In 2010, the center had 18,196 outpatient visits with the diagnosis of parkinsonism and other movement disorders.
In addition to clinical service, the members of the center also conduct outstanding clinical and basic science research, including genetics, deep brain stimulation, and molecular biology in PD to understand disease mechanisms and translate research to advances in treatment. Studies on gait disturbance and non-motor symptoms such as cognition, sleep and pain are also investigated to improve the quality of life in patients with PD.
Given the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic PD and related parkinsonian syndrome remains a challenging for general clinicians and neurologists, the Center offers a clinical movement disorders fellowship program that train exceptionally qualified individuals in preparation for either an academic career or private practice in movement disorders with a concentration on Parkinsonism. The fellowship, a one year program will focus on clinical evaluations, on-going clinical care, structuring patient management and learning intervention therapies including pharmacotherapy, a special emphasis on neurotoxin injections with/without EMG guidance, and management of patients undergoing DBS.
"Centre for Parkinson and Movement Disorders" was certified by National Parkinson Foundation NPF in USA as a "Center of Excellence" in 2008 and awarded as "Symbol of National Quality" by Taiwanese government in 2009. To promote the education and awareness of Parkinson's disease in Taiwan, the Center cooperated with National Taiwan University Hospital and Taiwan Movement Disorders Society to successfully organize the 3rd Asian and Oceanian Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Congress/8th Asia and Pacific Parkinson Association in Taiwan in 2011.
Recently, a national-wide patient supporting group named as "Parkinson Alliance of Taiwan" was organized by the Center in Dec 2011. The goals of this alliance are to provide consulting services pipeline, promotion of mass education and furthering Parkinson of Parkinson disease with the welfare policy and support of Parkinson's-related academic research. It is hope that through the collaboration of Parkinson center and patients' alliance, we can improve the health and well-being of patients with Parkinson's disease in Taiwan.
E-mail: robinwu@ntu.edu.tw
Fax: +886-2-2341-8395
Website: www.pdcenterntuh.org.tw/