Professor, Department of Medicine; Past Director, Division of Neurology; Jack Clark Chair for Parkinson’s Disease Research, University of Toronto; Director, Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and the Movement Disorders Research Centre, and Lily Safra Chair in Movement Disorders, Toronto Western Hospital
Dr. Lang directs a large multifaceted clinical research program in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders. Dr. Lang’s research includes clinical studies of poorly recognized neurological disorders. An important component of the research program involves clinical trials of new therapeutic modalities. These include studies of putative neuroprotective or disease modifying therapies, pharmacological treatments for a wide range of symptoms and novel surgical therapies. Other studies are directed at attempting to define etiology and pathogenesis and better establish the natural history of the diseases of interest. The research program further includes collaborative basic and clinical studies involving evaluating possible diagnostic biomarkers, molecular biology and genetics, clinical epidemiology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuropsychology and imaging.
Dr. Lang holds the Jack Clark Chair for Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Toronto and the Lily Safra Chair in Movement Disorders at the University Health Network. He is the Director of the Edmond J Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease at the Toronto Western Hospital and in 2019 became the Director of the new Rossy Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Centre at University Health Network and the University of Toronto.
Honours and Awards
Dr. Lang is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology
AAN Movement Disorders Research Award in 2004
2005 Research Award for the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto
2008- Donald Calne Lectureship from Parkinson Society Canada
2010, named Officer of the Order of Canada for his research in Parkinson’s disease
2011 Jun - Elected Fellow Member, Royal Society of Canada, Canada. (Distinction)
2011 May - Elected Fellow Member, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CHAS), Canada. (Distinction)
2011 - International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Stanley Fahn Lectureship (Distinction)
2011 - World Federation of Neurology’s Melvin Yahr Lectureship (Distinction)
2014 - Scopus Award from the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University for “outstanding contributions to the field of movement disorders” (Distinction)
2014 - elected by the MDS as an Honorary Member “in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the field of Movement Disorders” (Distinction)
2015 - Association of British Neurologists’ Gordon Holmes Lecture (Distinction)
2017 - recipient of the first MDS Pan-American Section Leadership Award (Distinction)
2018 - Weston Brain Institute International Outstanding Achievement Award for work in accelerating the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging
