Rohit Dhall, MD, MSPH
Director of Clinical Studies
Movement Disorders Specialist

We are pleased to share that Rohit Dhall, MD, MSPH will join your Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center later this month as a Movement Disorders Specialist and Director of Clinical Studies.

Dr. Rohit Dhall joins the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona where he was Associate Professor of Neurology, Medical Director of Neuromodulation, and Director of the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) Center of Excellence at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center.

Dr. Dhall trained in medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) the premier medical training institution in India. He went on to complete a 6 month post-doctoral training in psychiatry at AIIMS and then relocated to the United States where he completed his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Dhall also completed a fellowship in clinical movement disorders and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) while at UAB. Dr. Dhall has a Masters of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health and completed his internship in medicine at the University of Texas at Houston Department of Internal Medicine.

As Medical Director of Neuromodulation at the Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Dhall’s responsibilities included evaluating people living with Parkinson’s disease for appropriateness of DBS surgery, intraoperative neurophysiology support for 3 functional surgeons, and post-implantation care. Under Dr. Dhall’s leadership, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute ascended to one of the top three surgical DBS programs in the country (by volume of new implants) and established a robust pipeline of industry sponsored and investigator initiated trials. Trials included the evaluation of a new device for DBS which assesses the effects of target selection on cognition and gait in people living with Parkinson’s who have mild cognitive impairment, and the evaluation of safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of strictly stereotactically guided or non-microelectrode recording (MER) based lead delivery—also known as asleep DBS. Dr. Dhall has also been involved in several investigator initiated protocols for advancement of DBS applications including evaluation of the role of variability of internal capsule anatomy and effects of DBS, quantitative evaluation of gait and balance changes with reducing frequency of DBS stimulation, and exploration of effects of pharmacologic modulation of other subcortical/brainstem nuclei including the inferior olivary nucleus and the parvocellular red nucleus in an animal model. His other clinical research interests include therapeutic approaches to address DBS refractory motor and non-motor challenges in Parkinson’s disease.

As Director of the NPF Center of Excellence at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, Dr. Dhall along with several other NPF Centers of Excellence (including the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center) has been involved in the NPF Quality Improvement Initiative which assesses the underlying factors and treatment response in Parkinson’s disease through the spectrum of disease severity and with the goal of continually improving care for people living with Parkinson’s and their carepartners. Dr. Dhall also provided oversight and direction to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center’s outreach, education, and support program for over 1,000 people living with Parkinson’s and their families. Additionally, Dr. Dhall worked with the Arizona State University (ASU) Biomedical Informatics and Bio-Engineering Departments to develop feedback systems to improve gait and excursion amplitude, as well as a self evaluation tool using smartphones.

As an educator, Dr. Dhall shares the Parkinson’s Institute’s deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of Parkinson’s disease researchers and Movement Disorders Specialists. He has mentored 4 movement disorders fellows who are now in practice and 2 who are currently in training. Dr. Dhall has also mentored 11 neurology residents throughout their 6 month outpatient clinic blocks, a doctoral student at ASU who now is working for industry, and a University of Arizona medical student during his mentored clinical research project.

If you would like to speak to our Clinical Center or schedule a future appointment kindly contact Angie Valencia at (408) 542-5697.

You are also invited to join your Institute on Wednesday, March 11 to meet Dr. Rohit Dhall as well as Dr. Rita Gandhy who joined our Clinical Center last month.  RSVP now.

Please join the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center family in extending a very warm welcome to Dr. Rohit Dhall. Parkinson’s. We’re In This Together.

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