Rachel Thomas, MD, PhD

Saulena Shafer, DO, is a neurologist in the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Shafer’s expertise lies in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, the parkinsonisms, essential tremor, dystonia, Huntington’s disease, and ataxia. She is trained in giving botulinum toxin injections for movement disorders, sialorrhea, spasticity, and migraine. She also has a particular interest in deep brain stimulation for the treatment of refractory tremor, Parkinson’s, and dystonia. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Osteopathic Association, the Movement Disorders Society, and the North American Neuromodulation Society. Dr. Shafer earned her medical degree from the Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson. She completed her neurology residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois and a fellowship in movement disorders at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Shafer’s research interests include advancements in the understanding and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, innovative treatments for tremor, and neuromodulation advancements.

Brad A. Racette, MD, FAAN, is the Kemper and Ethel Marley Professor and Chair of Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. He is board certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Racette’s clinical expertise includes the diagnosis and management of all types of movement disorders, and he has a special expertise in the use of botulinum toxin for limb disorders. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association. He is the past chairman of the Neurological, Aging, and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Study Section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a current member of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He has served as an advisor for numerous international regulatory agencies. He is an honorary professor of public health at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a professor emeritus at Washington University. Dr. Racette earned his medical degree from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University in New Jersey. He completed his neurology residency and a fellowship in movement disorders at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He then joined the faculty at Washington University, where he held the roles of Robert Allan Finke professor of neurology and executive vice-chairman of neurology. Dr. Racette’s research focuses on manganese neurotoxicity, environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s disease, and administrative data studies of Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic diseases. He has authored over 160 peer-reviewed publications. He is supported by the NIH, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Department of Defense, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Northeast ALS Consortium, and American Parkinson Disease Association.