Delaram Safarpour, MD, MSCE, FAAN, and Ronald F. Pfeiffer, MD

The Guest Editors of this issue of Seminars in Neurology are Drs. Delaram Safarpour and Ronald F. Pfeiffer.

Dr. Safarpour is Associate Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), and Medical Director of the Deep Brain Stimulation Program. She earned her medical degree in Tehran, Iran in 2007. She then completed a year of postdoctoral fellowship in movement disorders at Yale University, followed by residency in neurology at Temple University Hospital. Being interested in the clinical and epidemiological aspects of Movement Disorders, she then earned a master's degree in neuroepidemiology, and completed a fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Her research focus has been on gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease as well as the effect of deep brain stimulation in treatment of movement disorders. She has participated in several clinical trials, and is the primary investigator in ongoing PI initiated studies. Dr. Safarpour is a member of several study groups of the International Parkinson Movement Disorders Society and Parkinson Study Group (PSG). She has been recognized by the American Academy of Neurology with an A. B. Baker teacher recognition award, as well as an excellence in teaching award through the School of Medicine at OHSU. She has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

Dr. Pfeiffer is Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health and Science University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He completed neurological training at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Following military service in Germany, he served on the Neurology faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and now at the Oregon Health and Science University. His research focus has been on Parkinson's disease, primarily in three particular areas: clinical trials for Parkinson's disease, the genetic aspects of Parkinson's disease, and gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. He has participated in over 70 clinical trials, and is a long-standing member of the PSG. He was Chair of the Movement Disorders Section of the American Academy of Neurology from 2012 to 2014, Chair of the Continuing Medical Education Committee of the Movement Disorder Society from 2004 to 2010, and Chair of the Other Nonmotor Subgroup of the NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Parkinson's Disease Common Data Elements Working Group from 2009 to 2018. He has authored or co-authored over 330 journal articles and book chapters, and served as co-editor of 7 books and monographs. He served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Parkinsonism and Related Disorders from 2008 to 2017. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia University-Nebraska in 2001. He is known as one of the world's foremost experts in neuro-gastroenterology.

We greatly appreciate the efforts of Drs. Safarpour and Pfeiffer, as well as all of the contributing authors, for their wonderful work in this issue of Seminars on Neuro-gastroenterology. This is a unique issue in Seminars, last viewed by this audience in 1996! Although long overdue, hopefully this issue sheds important light into common but under-appreciated disorders in the “gut–brain axis.” Drs. Safarpour and Pfeiffer guided this issue most expertly, and Dr. Lewis and I learned a great deal by reading the contents herein—we hope you do as well! Readers are bound to learn something new in this issue, and the concepts will almost certainly impact your practice and the way you view the field. We hope you enjoy this superb issue!

Publication History

Article published online:
13 September 2023