UT Southwestern Brain Institute Hires Noted Parkinson's Disease Researcher

A neurologist known for his research into Parkinson's disease will become the inaugural director of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.Dr. William T. Dauer, who joins UTSW on July 1, now heads the Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Michigan. He also directs the college's Movement Disorders Group and is a professor of neurology and cell and developmental biology.UTSW's brain institute was established in 2015 with a $36 million donation from the O'Donnell Foundation. Dallas businessman and investor Peter O'Donnell Jr. created the foundation in 1957 with his wife Edith. The couple has given gifts totaling several hundred million dollars to the University of Texas and related institutions.W. P. Andrew Lee, dean of the UT Southwestern Medical School and executive vice president for academic affairs, praised Dauer's experience as a neurologist and scientist and said he'll be able to accelerate "fundamental discoveries into cutting-edge treatments for a broad spectrum of brain disorders."For nearly two decades, Dauer's research has focused on dystonia, a movement disorder marked by disabling and involuntary muscle contractions, and Parkinson's disease. Studies taking place under his direction at the Udall Center are being used to pioneer novel therapies.  Continue reading...