UR Medicine Spanish Language Neurology Clinic
UR Medicine Spanish Language Neurology Clinic Strong Brains hopes to improve access to quality neurologic care and opportunities to the Latinx community in Rochester. It provides both specialty care in movement disorders and memory care as well as general neurologic care. The clinic hopes to link patient care, teaching, community engagement, and research. The UR Medicine Spanish Language Neurology Clinic with specialization in Parkinson’s disease is supported by a Centers of Excellence CORE grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation.
En Español
Faculty
Director, Spanish Language Neurology Clinic
Dr. Blanca Valdovinos is a neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders. She grew up in California and moved to New York to attend Cornell University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology. She then attended the University of Rochester for medical school where she also completed her neurology residency and movement disorders fellowship. She is the Medical Director of the Spanish Language Neurology Clinics where she sees movements disorder, general, and memory care patients. She specializes in Parkinson’s disease and is the co-director of the Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence at the University of Rochester. She grew up in a large Latinx community and is passionate about giving back to her community. Her work focuses on addressing health disparities and she believes that every patient should receive high quality medical care regardless of their race, ethnicity or language. She was awarded a Diversity Leadership Award from the American Academy of Neurology.
Director, Motor Physiology and Neuromodulation Program
Dr. Karlo Lizarraga is a board certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist with additional training in movement disorders, motor physiology and neuromodulation. Dr. Lizarraga is assistant professor at the department of neurology and the center for health + technology at the University of Rochester in New York. He is also invited professor of the department of neurosciences at the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín in Arequipa, Peru. At the University of Rochester, Dr. Lizarraga is interim chief of the division of movement disorders, director of the motor physiology and neuromodulation program, director and founder of the Neurology Peru-ROchester exchange PROgram (NeuroPRO®). His career goals are to optimize the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders with the use of neurophysiological techniques, and to develop an international collaboration that promotes global equity in neurological education and patient care. He is a member of the editorial committee for the magazine "Brain & Life en Español" from the American Academy of Neurology.
Dr. Jorge Risco is a neurohospitalist with a focus in cerebrovascular disorders. He attended medical school at the Universidad Cayetano Heredia in Peru, where he ranked first during his final internship year. He trained in neurology and vascular neurology at the University of Rochester. He has a strong interest in medical education, participating in both local and international teaching programs.
Dr. William Barbosa is a neurologist at the University of Rochester. He was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the Rochester area and is dedicated to giving back to his community. He obtained his bachelor's degree in biology with honors from Brown University, graduated from the NYU School of Medicine, and is a prior recipient of the American Academy of Neurology medical student diversity leadership award. He later completed his neurology residency at the University of Rochester where he is currently a fellow in the Movement Disorders Division. Throughout his career he has been involved in multiple projects examining innovative models of healthcare delivery in efforts to address healthcare inequities and expand access to care. He strongly believes that all patients should receive culturally competent and compassionate medical care and is excited to join the Spanish Language Neurology Clinic team.