'It's like they flipped a switch': How HIFU relieved man's tremor after 50 years
July 7, 2021
Section Head, Movement Disorders
Richard B. Dewey, Jr., M.D., is a Professor in the UT Southwestern Medical Center Department of Neurology and Director of the Clinical Center for Movement Disorders.
Dr. Dewey earned his medical degree with high honors at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his medical internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Houston, Texas, and his neurology residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Dewey then completed a movement disorders fellowship at Mayo Clinic locations in Rochester, Minn., and Scottsdale, Ariz.
He was recruited to UT Southwestern in 1994 to start the movement disorders clinic, which has since grown to include five full-time faculty members. His primary research interests are in the areas of new therapeutics, biomarker discovery, and disease modification of Parkinson’s disease.
He has been invited to give more than 100 lectures and presentations to audiences around the world. He has written and contributed to book chapters, educational materials, abstracts, and articles for journals including Archives of Neurology, Neurology, Clinical Neuropharmacology, Neurosurgery, Movement Disorders, and Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. He is also honored to serve as a mentor in the medical student colleges program at UT Southwestern.
Dr. Dewey is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and a Fellow of the American Neurological Association.
In 2018, Dr. Dewey was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list and was named a Texas Monthly Super Doctor.
As the director of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Clinical Center for Movement Disorders, Richard B. Dewey, Jr., M.D., leads a program that’s at the forefront of exceptional clinical care, groundbreaking research, and education.
A Texas Monthly “Super Doctor,” Dr. Dewey and his team treat all movement disorders, from Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor to dystonia—any condition that creates unusual slowing or speeding of movement in the body.
The center has established a national reputation for providing outstanding diagnostic care and the latest treatments alternatives, along with access to groundbreaking research including robust clinical trials. As a result, it has become a major referral destination for rare and complex movement disorder cases in North Texas and throughout the region. Dr. Dewey says the center’s experienced physicians set it apart.
“We see a lot of patients with rare diseases, where other physicians may only see one or two in their lifetime. As a result, we develop expertise in managing these problems that others can’t offer,” he says.
“People know when they come to UT Southwestern that they truly are getting state-of-the-art medical and surgical management,” says Dewey. “And they have the opportunity to participate in very high-quality, groundbreaking research.”
One of Dr. Dewey’s specialties is the medical management of Parkinson’s disease—the second most common movement disorder after hereditary essential tremor. He is leading a major study funded by the NIH to help identify biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease—substances in the blood or the spinal fluid that could be used to diagnose the disease and track its progression.
Apart from the privilege of taking care of his movement disorders patients, Dewey says one of his greatest honors is serving as a mentor for UT Southwestern medical students.
“I have two groups of medical students every year, and I teach them about ethics in medicine, how to do the general physical examination, and how to interview and interact with patients; I am someone that the students can consult if they have questions or need guidance about their careers,” he says.
“This is one of the best things I’ve ever done; it’s been very gratifying.”
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