Erwin B. Montgomery Jr., MD, head of the Movement Disorders Program, department of neurology, and co-director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neuroscience at The Cleveland Clinic, joined the Clinic's staff in 1997, after spending seven years on the faculty of the University of Arizona. Montgomery obtained his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and competed his neurology residency at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also joined the faculty.
Working with Ali R. Rezai, MD, he has been instrumental in expanding the Cleveland Clinic's surgical program for the treatment of movement disorders. As a result of the efforts of Montgomery and Rezai, the Cleveland Clinic is now recognized as a leading center for the use of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. Additionally, Montgomery has established a basic science research program in movement disorder. Recently, the Center for Functional and Restorative Neuroscience was awarded a five-year, $500,000 grant from the American Parkinson's Disease Association to establish an advanced center for Parkinson's disease research.
His special interests are understanding how the brain controls movement and what happens to that control with Parkinson's disease. His research has led to the development of new tests for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He has authored more than 50 articles and chapters on movement disorders and has received numerous research grants. Montgomery regularly participates in clinical trials of experimental and new medications for Parkinson's disease, and frequently appears as a lecturer in both professional and public settings.