People

Richard Camicioli, MD, FRCPC (Neurology)
Co-Director, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Program - Research

Dr. Camicioli completed his undergraduate education at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and his medical education at McGill University in Montreal. After completing a neurology residency at McGill, he obtained postgraduate research training in geriatric neurology and in movement disorders at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. He then assumed a faculty position as Assistant Professor in the movement disorders group at Oregon Health Sciences University until 2000 when he moved to the University of Alberta, initially as an Associate Professor in the Division of Neurology.

He is currently a Professor and the director of the cognitive clinic, and the co-director of the Movement Disorders Program. His major research interests relate to neuroimaging and the brain changes associated with impaired cognition in patients with movement disorders, particularly neuroimaging and brain changes in relation to cognition and gait.

Dr. Camicioli's Research Team

Aakash Shetty, MBBS, MD, DM, DNB (Neurologist)
Co-Director, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Program - Education & Clinical

Dr. Shetty obtained his medical training and Neurology residency in India. He did further training in movement disorders at the University of Alberta, and extended his training in Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto. He is trained in advanced and device-aided treatment in Parkinson’s disease, such as deep brain stimulation, Duodopa treatment. He joined the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Program in 2020, and currently Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Neurology, University of Alberta.

Janis Miyasaki, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FAAN (Neurology)

Dr. Miyasaki completed her medical school, residency and fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of Toronto. She also completed a Masters in Education, Theory and Policy in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the University of Toronto. Her area of interests are clinical trials, evidence-based medicine and palliative care. She is a professor in Medicine.

She is currently on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), vice president of AAN and an officer of the Pan-American Section of the Movement Disorders Society. She joined the University of Alberta in 2014. She is currently also the Divisional Director of Neurology, Zone Section Chief, Neurology, Edmonton Zone, co-director of the complex neurological clinic.

Oksana Suchowersky, MD, FRCPC (Neurology), FCCMG, FAAN

Dr. Suchowersky received her undergraduate education at the University of Alberta, and graduate training at UBC, following which she trained in medicine at the University of Calgary. She completed a neurology residency and fellowships in movement disorders and neurogenetics at the University of British Columbia.

In 1984, she joined the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary where she developed their Movement Disorders Program and a Neurogenetics Clinic. She moved to the University of Alberta in 2010 as a Professor of Medicine & Medical Genetics, assuming the Toupin Research Chair in Neurology. She has many research interests, including the diagnosis and treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD) and genetic basis for movement disorders. She lectures regularly nationally and internationally on PD, HD, and ataxia.

Jennifer McCombe, MD, MPH, FRCPC (Neurology)

Dr. McCombe received her MD degree from Queen's University in 2004 and finished her Neurology training at the University of Alberta in 2009. She then obtained her Master's degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She had an additional fellowship training in Neuroinflammatory disorders at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. McCombe is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Neurology. She is also actively involved in the Neuroinflammatory clinic and in resident education.

Tom Nowacki, MD, FRCPC (Neurology)

Dr Nowacki completed his medical school and neurology residency at the University of Alberta. He has additional fellowship training in Epilepsy and EEG. He joined the Parkinson and Movement Disorder Program in 2015.

Kevin Yen, MD, FRCPC (Neurology)

Dr. Yen received his undergraduate education in NYU. He received his MD from UBC in 2016. He finished his Neurology training at the University of Alberta in 2021. He then obtained a prestigious Parkinson Canada Clinical Fellowship award to pursue his Movement disorders training at the University of Alberta. He joined the PMDP in 2023, with his clinical expertise in the diagnosis and treatment for PD, tremor, as well as botulinum injection for dystonia. He also has experience in DBS and Dupdopa.

Tejas Sankar, MD, PhD, FRCSC (Neurosurgery)

Dr. Sankar obtained his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, and completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Alberta in 2010. During his residency, he spent 2 years as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, developing research expertise in neuroimaging. Following residency, he completed a fellowship and PhD at the University of Toronto in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, before returning to the University of Alberta as a clinician-scientist in the Division of Neurosurgery. He is now Associate professor in Neurosurgery, and carries out surgery for patients with movement disorders as the Surgical Co-Lead for the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) program. He has a strong focus on research, and serves as Principal Investigator for the Functional Neurosurgery Research Laboratory which focuses on developing neurophyisological and neuroimaging biomarkers in Parkinson's Disease.

Joyce Lee ​​MD CCFP COE BScPharm                                                                                       
Co-Director, Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence; Lead, Geriatric Parkinson’s Assessment Program

Dr. Joyce Lee completed her degrees in Pharmacy and Doctor of Medicine at University of Toronto, and Care of the Elderly fellowship at McGill University. She trained in Parkinson care with Dr. Janis Miyasaki at the Movement Disorders Program at Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Lee founded and led the first Geriatric Clinic for Parkinson’s and Geriatric Parkinson’s Program in Canada at North York General Hospital in Toronto. She joined the Movement Disorders Program at University of Alberta to bring her expertise to the new Geriatric Parkinson's Assessment Program, where she hopes to expand the delivery of Geriatric Parkinson’s Care through Alberta. Her research interests include health outcomes, care delivery and medication management in older adults with Parkinson disease, and medical education.

Francis Cheung, BSc, CCRP 

Francis joined the Movement Disorders Program in March 2016 as a Research Coordinator. He completed his Bachelor of Science in microbiology at the University of Alberta and then obtained his CCRP in 2011. His clinical research background includes working for contract research organizations in fields such as cardiology, diabetes, and oncology.

Gail Dimapilis, MD

Gail is an International Medical Graduate. He joined the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Program as a research assistant/study coordinator in February 2023. Parkinson disease, tremors and dystonias are some of the focus of his research.

Vanessa Anne Larida, MD, BScN, MSc

Venessa joined the PMDP in 2017. Her clinical research involves a number of studies related to Huntington’s disease.

Lais machado de Oliveira, MD

Lais, a neurologist trained in Brazil, joined the program in 2022. Her research interest involves Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.