Over Seventy Years of Excellence

Mass General has a long history of taking care of patients and conducting research into Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The groundwork for the Movement Disorders Division was laid in the 1940s, when Robert Schwab, MD, published his first research paper on Parkinson's disease.

John Growdon, MD formalized Dr. Schwab's vision by founding the Movement Disorders Unit in 1982. Twenty years later, the unit combined with the Brigham and Women's Hospital Movement Disorders Clinic to form the Mass General Brigham Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorders Center. Since 2020, Craig Blackstone, MD, PhD has served as Chief of the Movement Disorders Division.

Our physicians are highly trained in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders and are leaders of research in their chosen subspecialty. Many serve on advisory committees for private organizations such as the Parkinson's Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation and Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.