Michael Okun
» HS MEDICINE (NEUROLOGY), '00
» MD MEDICINE, '96
Dr. Michael Okun is one of the world’s leading experts on Parkinson’s disease. The neurologist has been at the forefront of treatment and research for patients with movement and neurologic disorders such as tremor, Tourette syndrome and dystonia.
As the medical director for the National Parkinson Foundation, he has helped develop and administrate 43 international NPF Parkinson’s Centers of Excellence. Okun has garnered an international following as the moderator for NPF’s free online international “Ask the Doctor Forum,” where he has personally answered more than 20,000 questions from patients, families and physicians.
Okun is the chair of the UF Health Department of Neurology and co-founder and director of the Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, which brings together UF researchers and faculty from more than 14 specialized areas. Among the various treatments Okun offers is deep brain stimulation, a revolutionary procedure he has developed and refined to reduce and even eliminate movement disorder-related symptoms.
Providing a voice for Parkinson’s disease patients, Okun has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviewed more than 25 major medical journals and written multiple award-winning books, including his latest, “Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life.”