Jeff Bronstein, MD, PhD: UCLA receives $10 million to launch Howard and Irene Levine Family Center for Movement Disorders

"Donations totaling $10 million from longtime UCLA supporters Howard and Irene Levine and their family foundation will be used to establish the UCLA Howard and Irene Levine Family Center for Movement Disorders at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Movement disorders, a category of more than 30 neurological conditions causing abnormal body movements, affect approximately 40 million people each year. Perhaps best known is Parkinson’s disease, which affects 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide; the disease worsens over time, gradually robbing people of coordinated movement and impairing certain non-motor functions as well.

The Howard and Irene Levine Family Foundation will provide the resources for five new endowments in the department of neurology at the school of medicine: a permanent-appointment chair, three term-appointment chairs and a movement disorders research fund — all of which will support basic science research on Parkinson’s disease under the leadership of the director of the new Levine Center.

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“The visionary philanthropy of the Levine family will be a complete game changer in the field of movement disorders, to the benefit of patients across the country and around the world,” said Dr. John Mazziotta, vice chancellor for health sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “UCLA is deeply honored to play a significant part in this process.”

The donations, the Levine family said, are meant to honor Dr. Jeff Bronstein, UCLA’s Fred Silton Professor of Movement Disorders and director of the UCLA Movement Disorders Program and Clinic.

“The overwhelming generosity of the Levine family will make possible unparalleled excellence in movement disorders research and care,” said Bronstein, who has been the beneficiary of several gifts from the Levine family to support his research. “This transformative philanthropy will provide inspiration and funding for many early career physician-scientists who hopefully will bring us closer to cures for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.”

The UCLA Movement Disorders Program is nationally recognized for its movement disorder care, having been named a Wilson Disease Association Center of Excellence and a Huntington Disease Society of America Center of Excellence — designations that signify the provision of comprehensive, high-quality care."

Read more in UCLA Health.