Bridging academic borders: King’s International fellowships in movement disorders and neuro-rehabilitation

King’s Dubai’s Parkinson’s Centre of Excellence pioneers global clinical and research training

Published: Tue 4 Mar 2025, 1:51 PM

• Partner Content

King’s College Hospital London-Dubai is leading the way in international clinical and research training with its pioneering fellowships in Movement Disorders and Neuro-Rehabilitation. Notably, the programme has launched the first-ever Indonesian Visiting Fellowship in Dubai, fostering cross-border academic exchange and medical expertise.

Dr Merrie, a consultant in neuro-rehabilitation at EMC Hospitals in Jakarta, recently completed her fellowship in Movement Disorders and Parkinson’s under the mentorship of Dr Vinod Metta, program director at King’s College Hospital Dubai. Reflecting on her experience, she highlighted the invaluable opportunity to manage complex Parkinson’s cases and advanced movement disorders. She also had the rare chance to witness and study conditions such as corticobasal degeneration, ocular apraxia, and alien limb syndrome – diseases she had previously only encountered in textbooks. Additionally, her hands-on training included administering EMG-guided botulinum injections for dystonia and spasticity, as well as managing elevated intracranial pressure, under the guidance of Dr Metta and professor Ray Chaudhuri.

Similarly, Mohammed, a neuro-physiotherapist, undertook a specialised Parkinson’s neuro-rehabilitation training programme under Dr Metta’s supervision. He was particularly impressed by the comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach at the Parkinson’s Centre of Excellence, which seamlessly integrates neurophysiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy to manage patients across different races, ages, and stages of Parkinson’s. He emphasised how the fellowship provided him with invaluable expertise in handling complex movement disorder cases, which will significantly benefit his work in Jakarta.

Both Dr Merrie and Mohammed extended their heartfelt gratitude to EMC Hospitals’ management – Pak Jusup, Dr Juni, Dr Metta, and Dr Sedjaya – for nominating them for this prestigious overseas training. They also expressed appreciation to King’s Dubai’s management team, including Kimberley Pierce and Norafiz Gee, for their support. A special mention was given to the programme directors, Dr Vinod Metta and professor Ray Chaudhuri, along with esteemed mentors Dr Guy Chung-Faye, Dr George Kapsas, Dr Nicandro, and Dr John, for their invaluable guidance.

Dr Metta emphasised that King’s Dubai’s Parkinson’s Centre of Excellence is committed to delivering world-class visiting fellowships. These programmes offer neurology residents, junior neurologists, neuro-rehabilitation consultants, and neuro-physiotherapists in-depth, hands-on training in managing a wide spectrum of movement disorders and Parkinson’s disease. Fellows also gain expertise in neurophysiology, neuroradiology, and neuro-spine. He expressed his satisfaction with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the first cohort of visiting fellows and looks forward to expanding the initiative further.

This groundbreaking fellowship initiative reinforces King’s Dubai’s commitment to advancing global medical training and fostering cross-border knowledge exchange in movement disorders and neuro-rehabilitation.

For more information about King’s movement disorders, Parkinson’s and neuro-rehabilitation training, as well as short-term visiting fellowships and PhD/doctoral programmes, please contact: ehabadly.awad@kch.a