Nick McFarland MD, PhD
Associate Professor
About Nick McFarland
Nikolaus McFarland, MD, PhD, joined the UF Department of Neurology and the UF Health Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration in 2010. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1992 with honors in biology and election into the Sigma Xi research society. He completed medical and graduate training in the MD-PhD program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, where he received a merit award for outstanding graduate research in basal ganglia-thalamic anatomy. Afterwards, he went to the University of Virginia for internship and residency training in neurology, and then pursued fellowship training in movement disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital. While a fellow and junior faculty member at MGH/Harvard he pursued research in Parkinson disease and related disorders. As a Udall Fellow, he became the first recipient of the Robert Koch Parkinson Disease research fellowship. He has since received research grant support from the American Parkinson Disease Association, Michael J. Fox Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
Honors & Awards
Board Certifications
Clinical Profile
- Neurology
- Basal ganglia dysfunction
- Deep brain stimulation
- Dystonia
- Essential tremor
- Movement – uncontrollable
- Movement – uncontrolled or slow
- Movement – uncoordinated
- Movement – unpredictable or jerky
- Parkinson disease
- Progressive supranuclear palsy
- Tremor
- Multiple system atrophy – parkinsonian type
- Huntington disease
Research Profile
Dr. McFarland is an active member of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CTRND) which aims to bring the bench closer to the bedside. His research focuses on understanding the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson disease and related disorders, and in particular the role of alpha-synuclein in cell toxicity and neurodegeneration. His current studies utilize both cellular and preclinical models to study genes and molecules that may affect brain pathology. A primary goal of his research is to identify and to develop potential novel therapeutics for Parkinson disease and related disorders. His research extends also to the clinic where he is actively involved in multiple clinical trials for atypical Parkinson disorders and Huntington disease.