Parkinson's advanced clinical training fellowships: investing over £450000 in the next generation of Parkinson’s healthcare leaders
Through the Excellence Network Fellowship Scheme launched last year, Parkinson’s UK has awarded funding to 6 registrar trainees for advanced clinical training fellowships in Parkinson’s and movement disorders.
These fellowships are part of a number of awards that will be granted over the next few years to equip doctors with the knowledge and skills to become leaders to spearhead tomorrow’s local and national NHS Parkinson’s services. The initiative will support our strategic goal of 'Pushing for excellent health and care'. You can read about the strategy here.
Collaborating with the Association of British Neurologists’ Movement Disorders Special Interest Group (ABN MD-SIG), the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) and current leaders in the field of mental health, the fellowships have been awarded to support the most promising doctors in various clinical specialities including neurology, geriatrics, and mental health.
So, let's meet the first intake of fellows, and discover through words from their own applications, what aspirations they have for these advanced clinical training fellowships.
Advanced Clinical Training Fellows - Neurology
Awarded by Parkinson's UK in collaboration with the ABN MD-SIG
Dr Joel Handley
Host organisation: Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol
Joel was one of the first fellows to be awarded a fellowship in late 2023, shortly after the scheme launched, and took up the post in February 2024.
Joel aims to expand the access of device-assisted therapies, such as Apomorphine, Duodopa and DBS to people with Parkinson’s throughout Devon and Cornwall, through this fellowship. Joel shares that this fellowship will enable him to further develop, grow and improve services for those with Parkinson’s in the South West Peninsula by "...fostering a culture of collaboration and development throughout the region under the shared goal of providing the best possible care and broadest choice of treatments options."
Dr Sarah Healy
Host Organisation: The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Sarah shares that she aims to refine her diagnostic skills and competence in management and treatment of Parkinson’s through her fellowship at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, recognised as a leading tertiary Neurology centre for both the North West of England and the North of Wales. Her commitment during this fellowship is to "undertake service evaluation project(s) to establish any unmet needs in the current model of services within the region and thus allow improvement of the delivery of care".
Advanced Clinical Training Fellows - Geriatrics
Awarded by Parkinson's UK in collaboration with the British Geriatrics Society.
Speaking about the introduction of the fellowship scheme, Dr Victoria Haunton, Chair of the BGS Movement Disorders Special Interest Group said,
“The BGS Movement Disorders Special Interest Group was delighted to collaborate with Parkinson’s UK in the creation and awarding of these important fellowships. Geriatricians have an important and unique role in the specialist care of older people with Parkinson’s, and we are excited to see where these fellowships will take our outstanding awardees.”
Dr Eliana Shekarchi-Khanghahi
Host organisation: Homerton University Hospital
Eliana shares her dedication and aspiration to improve delivery of personalised and comprehensive care for people with Parkinson’s over time by advocating for their education and engagement, as well as for healthcare professionals involved in their care.
She believes that the specialist skills she develops through this fellowship will support her towards her pivotal goal of “empowering people with Parkinson’s… I hope that I will provide long-lasting change at my hospital to improve the lived experience for people with Parkinson’s both day-to-day and during hospital stays”. Eliana has proposed several ideas to put this in motion, including “creating a personalised Parkinson’s Passport for healthcare professionals to be aware of specifics around caring for a person with Parkinson’s during their hospital admission, and education and activity sessions for people with Parkinson’s in a variety of languages and accessible formats”.
Dr Catherine Pennman
Host organisation: University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Catherine expresses that her “passion for the management of older people with Parkinson’s whose co-existing medical conditions can make the management of their Parkinson's more challenging” is the driving force for her professional development through this fellowship. She further shares her plans to “work collaboratively with community services… to reach people with Parkinson's who are typically under-served by Parkinson's out-patient services such as those residing in care homes.” Catherine also plans to "...link in with local Parkinson's UK groups to tailor services so that the needs of people with Parkinson's are at the centre of service development."
Advanced Clinical Training Fellows - Mental health
Dr Ruth Agnew
Host organisation: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Committed to improving the quality of life and outcomes for people with Parkinson's and resultant mental health conditions in Northern Ireland, Ruth aims to build specialist knowledge in managing non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s and Dementia with Lewy bodies during her fellowship. Her focus will extend to addressing anxiety, mood fluctuations, psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment and impulse control disorders. In addition to her training she is determined to broaden her expertise by engaging with specialist centres in Middlesborough, England; her goal being to import this knowledge to facilitate a cohesive integration of neurology and psychiatry Parkinson’s services.
Dr Elizabeth Hudson
Host organisation: Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Elizabeth’s objectives for the specialised training involve a concentrated effort to identify and understand the mental health needs of people living with Parkinson’s in Greater Manchester to improve their wellbeing. This will inform her primary goal to enhance access to mental health care, by initiating new services, fostering improved integration among existing ones, or simply ensuring they are mutually aware of each other, streamlining the overall care experience for people with Parkinson’s. She hopes that she will emerge from her fellowship year as "...a caring, scientific and creative leader in the field of Parkinson’s disease and mental health".
Elizabeth’s motivation to undertake the specialist training in Parkinson’s comes from personal experience of Parkinson’s as a carer to a loved one.
Interested in other funding opportunities?
Find out more about different types of funding offered through the Excellence Network.