Susan B. Bressman, MD, a leading researcher, clinician, and educator in movement disorders and neurological conditions, has been named a “National Physician of the Year” for clinical excellence by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of the annual America’s Top Doctors® guides. Dr. Bressman is Chair of the Mirken Department of Neurology at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Chair of Neurology at Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s.
An expert in Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and essential tremor, Dr. Bressman is credited with identifying four genes for dystonia, which is characterized by muscle contractions that cause twisting and repetitive motions or abnormal postures. In 2006, she and her colleagues at Albert Einstein College of Medicine reported that a specific gene mutation is a major cause of Parkinson’s disease among Jews of Central and Eastern European descent. The results of their research were published that year in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Castle Connolly selected seven award recipients from among thousands of nominations that were submitted by physicians and leaders of major medical centers, specialty hospitals, teaching hospitals, and regional and community medical centers throughout the United States. All nominees were reviewed and approved by Castle Connolly’s Medical Advisory Board.
The award honors dedicated physicians whose skills have improved the lives of countless people throughout the world. Dr. Bressman will receive her award on Monday, March 31, at a special ceremony at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan.
“I am delighted to be honored by Castle Connolly’s Medical Advisory Board for our research and for providing much-needed care to patients who are affected by movement disorders and turn to us for help,” says Dr. Bressman. “Whatever successes we have achieved would not have been possible without the collective efforts of a dedicated team of neurologists, geneticists, surgeons, genetic counselors, psychiatrists, physical therapists, and other experts. We hope that our research efforts will lead to better treatments and ways to slow progression or prevent movement disorders.”
Under her leadership, Mount Sinai Beth Israel has become one of the leading sites for the Michael J. Fox Foundation-sponsored international consortium, which studies the genetics of Parkinson’s disease. The Department of Neurology also has one of only 39 National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence. A frequent lecturer and advisor to national and international organizations, including the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Bressman is also a highly regarded mentor who trains gifted young physicians.
“Dr. Bressman’s award as National Physician of the Year honors her groundbreaking work in research and clinical care. We are pleased that Castle Connolly has recognized her profound devotion to her work, and her remarkable talents as an academic neurologist,” says Stuart C. Sealfon, MD, Glickenhaus Professor, and Chairman of the Department of Neurology for the Mount Sinai Health System.