Encyclopedia of Movement Disorders

Dr. Kompoliti was born in Greece and completed her early education there, including Medical School. She graduated from the University of Patras, college of Medicine in 1988. She came to the United States in 1989, where she completed the rest of her medical education. She first trained in internal medicine (1990-1992) at St Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL. Following that she pursued her interest in neuroscience by completing a residency in Neurology at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL (1992-1995). After the completion of her residency she held a fellowship in Movement Disorders at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL (1995-1997). She became Assistant Professor of Neurology in 1998 and Associate Professor in 2004. She is board certified in Neurology (1997-present) and is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association and the Movement Disorder Society. The author and coauthor of numerous publications, her clinical interests as a principal investigator have focused on several therapeutic areas of on-going research including studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new compounds to treat Parkinson’s disease, Tourette syndrome, and Psychogenic Movement Disorders. Special interests of Dr. Kompoliti’s include the gender differences in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, studies to define the effect of neuroleptics on weight, risk for diabetes and dyslipidemia in patients with Tourette syndrome, and define the current status of use of Complementatry and Alternative Medicine in patients with Tourette syndrome. Finally, Dr. Kompoliti has been conducting studies to assess therapeutic interventions for patients with functional movement disorders. Dr. Kompoliti is a member of the National Medical Advisory Board of the Tourette Syndrome Association and has given numerous lectures and Grand rounds around the country to increase public awareness in Tourette Syndrome.

Leonard Verhagen Metman earned his medical degree from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1983. He moved to the United States in 1985 to work in the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Utah with Dr. Willem J. Kolff (1985-1987). He first pursued his interest in the Neurosciences by joining the Division of Restorative Neurology and Human Neurobiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas with Dr. Milan R. Dimitrijevic (1987-1988). Following an internship at Waterbury Hospital Health Center in Connecticut (1988-1989), he completed his Neurology residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under Robert J. Schwartzman (1989-1992). He then accepted a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, in the Experimental Therapeutics Branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland under Thomas N. Chase (1992-1994). Upon completion he remained at the NIH as Visiting Associate and later as Visiting Scientist until 1999 when he joined the Movement Disorder Section of the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, directed by Dr. Christopher G. Goetz. In 2002 Dr. Verhagen received his Ph.D. from the University of Leiden based on his studies of motor response complications in Parkinson's disease. Over the past 10 years at Rush, Dr. Verhagen has served as Assistant Professor (1999-2000) and Associate Professor (2001-current) of Neurological Sciences. In addition, he established the Rush Movement Disorder Surgery Program and serves as its Medical Director. His clinical research interests include the development of new medical and surgical therapies for patients with advanced movement disorders. Dr. Verhagen is board certified in psychiatry and neurology (1994-present) and is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association and the Movement Disorder Society.