Parkinson's Disease Specialist

29/11/2025

World Movement Disorders Days is today on 29th November. I would like emphasize the importance of exercise for people with Movement disorders especially Parkinsons disease! "What Moves Me" is the smile on patients face! 😃

15/11/2025

Honoured to represent the Middle East at the MDS-AOS Meeting in Hangzhou, China. A well-run and inspiring conference led by Prof Wei Luo at the Second Affiliated Hospital.
Great catching up with colleagues Kailash Bhatia, Amit Batla, Elie Matar, and Taku Hatuno from the MDS-AOS Executive Committee.

I spoke on Treatment Approaches for Dystonia and Tremor — always a pleasure to share ideas, learn from peers, and strengthen regional collaborations.

Grateful for the exchange, the hospitality, and the momentum this meeting creates for our field.

02/11/2025

A rewarding weekend at the 12th International Neuroscience Updates Congress, 7th International Headache Symposium, and 6th International Eating Disorder Conference in Dubai 🇦🇪

🧠 Spoke on Dietary Management of Parkinson’s Disease — highlighting the role of the Mediterranean, Prudent, PRO-21, and Ketogenic diets in gut health, longevity, and lifestyle, moving toward holistic and personalized medicine in Parkinson’s care.

⚡ Also shared insights on Psychogenic Movement Disorders — where neurology, psychology, and rehabilitation come together to improve recovery and quality of life.

Grateful for the opportunity to connect with colleagues across neurology, nutrition, and rehab, all striving for better patient outcomes.

19/10/2025

🧠 Abu Dhabi Brain Conference 2025
Honored to serve as Speaker, Moderator, and Scientific Committee Member at this year’s meeting.

It was a privilege to host and share the stage with our special invited international faculty — Prof. Shilpa Chitnis and Dr. Duarte Machado from the USA — for insightful discussions on advanced therapies and emerging medications for Parkinson’s disease.

The exchange of ideas and clinical experience continues to drive innovation and better outcomes for patients worldwide.

05/10/2025

🧠 Happy to share some exciting news!
Our team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has published the first study from the Middle East on a condition called Hemifacial Spasm — a problem that causes one side of the face to twitch or spasm.
📊 We studied 174 patients over 10 years to understand how this condition affects people and how well treatments work.
💉 Botulinum toxin (Botox) helped 9 out of 10 patients feel better.
🧩 Surgery (Microvascular decompression) gave long-lasting relief to almost all who needed it.
This research helps doctors in our region treat facial spasms better and give patients more hope and comfort.

20/07/2025

🌍 Day 2 is LIVE – MDS-AOS Global Course
Join leading experts today for Day 2 of the MDS-AOS Online Course: Updates in Movement Disorders – From Regional Challenges to Global Standards 🎓

🕔 Starts at 5:00 PM Dubai | 6:30 PM India
📍 Didn’t register in time? You can still attend!
🔗 Join via Zoom:
👉 https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84625526711?pwd=Tpmpn598L9QtCoKCyzHM9p4hlonkRw.1
🔑 Passcode: MDSAOS

🔬 Today’s Highlights:
• 🌱 Gut-Brain Connection & Microbiome in Movement Disorders
• 🧠 Huntington’s Disease – New Treatment Pathways
• 🖐️ Untangling Essential vs Dystonic Tremor
• 🔭 What’s on the Horizon for Essential Tremor
• 🧬 Latest in Parkinson’s disease:
  — Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
  — Stem Cell Therapies
  — New Biological Classification Systems
• 🧩 Autoimmune Movement Disorders
• 💪 Neurorehabilitation – Redefining Recovery

👨‍⚕️ Featuring international faculty, including:
🔹 Dr. Benjamin Walter & Dr. Hubert Fernandez – Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA
🔹 World-renowned experts from Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Iran, India, UAE & Qatar

🎤 Live Q&A with faculty + final remarks from Course Directors
Dr. Mehri Salari (Iran) & Dr. Shivam Om Mittal ( , UAE)

📢 Let’s unite across borders to shape the future of movement disorders care.

08/07/2025

🎉 A Milestone Moment!

Humbled and proud to share that I’ve been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN) – one of the highest honors in the field of neurology 🧠

This recognition reflects a journey of dedication to advancing care for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders — and it’s just the beginning.

Deep gratitude to my mentors, colleagues, patients, and the for this honor.

Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of neurological care, research, and compassion.

📍 | 🌍 Global Neurology

02/04/2025

It was a privilege to address the bright and enthusiastic final-year medical students of .
Honored to be felicitated by Chancellor Shri Dattaji Meghe Sir, along with the Dean and esteemed dignitaries of the university.
I hope my words inspired the students to pursue excellence, remain compassionate, and dedicate their careers to serving the community as skilled and empathetic doctors.

30/03/2025

Proud to share that our Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi represented at the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Asian-Oceanian Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders Conference 2025 – Tokyo, Japan.

Our team from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi proudly represented the UAE at one of the most prestigious global gatherings in the field of Movement Disorders.

We presented new research data from the region and showcased regional firsts in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders care:
🎓 Research Posters by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (Total 7 research posters)
🔹 Dr Kiran Waqar
▪️ First study on Hemifacial Spasm in the Middle East (CCAD Experience)
▪️ POLG-related Levodopa responsive Parkinsonism with Gait Freezing (First cases in the UAE)

🔹 Yasmin Abdelmajid, MD, and outstanding student Khushal Girigosavi
▪️ Novel use of Zolpidem in Advanced Parkinson’s (First in Region)

🔹 Emma de Freitas, RN (Parkinson’s and Movement disorders Nurse)
▪️ Enhancing Patient Safety by Optimizing EMR for DBS Patients

🔹 Dr Tanmoy Maiti (Functional Neurosurgeon)
▪️ Severe Post-Traumatic Dystonia Tremor Treated with Dual-Target DBS (First in GCC)
▪️ Refractory Rubral Tremor Treated with Ablation

🔹 Student Amritha Omprakash and myself
▪️ Prolong Botulinum toxin effect after Deferiprone in PKAN

👨‍⚕️ Leadership Roles – Shivam Om Mittal, MD
▪️ Happy to share that I participated as the Chair for the  Plenary Session on “Holistic Management of Parkinson’s Disease” with Dr Cholpon Shambetova Prof Roongroj Bhidayasiri, Prof BJ and Dr C Padmakumar
▪️ Speaker: Botulinum Toxin in Complex Movement Disorders & Rehabilitation
▪️ Co-Chair: MDS-AOS Middle East Working Group
▪️ Member: MDS-AOS Education Committee

Proud of our team’s contribution in advancing movement disorders care and putting the UAE on the global stage in Parkinson’s research and innovation.

Thankful to Pramod Kr. Pal, Nobutaka Hattori, Dr Shen-Yang Lim and MDS team to organise this wonderful academic feast!

Department of Health Abu Dhabi

22/07/2024