UF HEALTH UNVEILS INNOVATIVE NEW FACILITY TO TREAT DEBILITATING NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Four renowned neuroscientists have committed to join the Fixel Institute
UF Health leadership and the Fixel family cut the ribbon on the new Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health.
The Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health opened its new, world-class clinical care and research building, marking its latest step in the pursuit of providing the nation’s most comprehensive and advanced care for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
The $9 million state-of-the-art building — which features some of the foremost experts in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, dystonia, Lewy body dementia, ALS and concussions — was made possible by the generous support of many donors, including the Lauren and Lee Fixel Family Foundation and Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure.
The Fixel family built upon their support of the new facility with an additional $20 million gift in January to UF and UF Health that established the Fixel Institute, aimed at advancing research, technological innovation and clinical care for neurological diseases. That gift was matched by UF for a total funding package of $40 million, propelling a $100 million capital campaign to provide new resources for researchers and physician-scientists working to discover revolutionary treatments and pursue cures.
The institute will expand upon the interdisciplinary service and science hub specialty care model started in 2011 as the UF Health Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration by Michael S. Okun, M.D., chair of the UF College of Medicine department of neurology, and Kelly D. Foote, M.D.,UF College of Medicine neurosurgeon Under the groundbreaking hub model, a care team including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and swallowing specialists, nutritionists, psychiatrists and social workers all work together under one roof to foster a collaborative partnership among the care team.
The new, world-class clinical and research building opened to patients on July 1.
The facility, which houses the UF Health Neuromedicine – Williston Road practice, significantly expands the previous center’s space to 24,700 square feet, 28 exam rooms and seven therapy rooms — including three clinical trials rooms and a telemedicine room.
“The mission of the Fixel Institute is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with complex neurological disorders through interdisciplinary care, innovative research and the teaching of the next generation of practitioners,” said Foote, co-director of the Fixel Institute.The facility incorporates indoor and outdoor rehabilitation, spaces to meditate, a clinical trials center and five laboratory spaces for researchers.
“This new facility is going to not only deliver medicine, but facilitate the healing process,” said Okun, executive director of the Fixel Institute. “We often forget that it’s not just the medicines and therapies, it’s patients and families who need to heal, and we need to have the right team members to help them live happy and meaningful lives despite the presence of neurological disease.”
The Fixel family’s gifts have prompted a search to bring the world’s top talent to Gainesville along with their related programs. Over the past six months, four renowned neuroscientists from leading research institutions have committed to join the Fixel Institute. The new researchers are: Matthew Farrer, Ph.D., from the University of British Columbia, who directs UF’s Clinical Genomics Program; Malú G. Tansey, Ph.D., from Emory University School of Medicine, who directs UF’s Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, or CTRND; Matthew LaVoie, Ph.D., from Harvard Medical School, who will co-direct the CTRND upon his arrival in 2020; and Stefan Prokop, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania, who directs UF’s Neuromedicine Brain Bank.
“We are thinking broadly and establishing a coordinated approach to improvement of clinical care, drug discovery, as well as gene and neuromodulatory therapy,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health. “Our outstanding team of experts will continue to push the boundaries in identifying new, game-changing approaches to treating neurologic disease.”
In addition to these faculty hires, the newly created Fixel Scholars Endowment will be used to support fellowship and postdoctoral researchers, all with a primary focus on Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Prokop is the first designated Fixel Scholar, and Farrer, Tansey and LaVoie are the first endowed chairs of the Fixel Institute.
“The generosity of the Fixels will aid in providing superb clinical care, allowing even more patients to participate in clinical research studies and enhancing our collaborative basic research efforts throughout the university,” said Todd E. Golde, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of UF. “It will bolster our search of translational therapies to change the lives of millions of patients suffering from neurological diseases and conditions.”
Michael S. Okun, M.D., executive director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, addresses attendees during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
