The Research Center of Excellence is composed of three main cores that currently provide comprehensive clinical care for patients with DLB: the Penn cognitive clinic at the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (FTDC), the Penn Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center (PDMDC), and the Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC).

The FTDC is the largest young-onset dementia center on the east coast and is an internationally recognized leader in this area; the center is also active in recruitment in PDD/DLB patients for the PENN UDALL and DLB Consortium. The 30-member staff includes experienced physicians, clinical nurses, genetic counselors, neuropsychologists, researchers, and research coordinators.

The PDMDC is the largest movement disorder center in the Philadelphia region and provides care for over 2,000 patients with LBD and related disorders. The staff at the PDMDC consists of 10 full-time Movement Disorders specialists, two clinical nurses, eight research assistants, and two social workers as well as support personnel. The staff at the PDMDC facilitates a network of support groups across the Delaware Valley region and conducts regular educational events for patients and caregivers, local physicians, and trainees. There are support groups dedicated to the Chinese speaking community in Philadelphia’s Chinatown and the African American community throughout the City. There is a free counseling program staffed by licensed psychologists who are experts in the needs of patients with Lewy Body Disorders. The Dan Aaron Center Parkinson Rehabilitation Center is housed in PDMDC and is staffed by six PT/OT/Speech specialists to provide state-of-the-art physical, occupational and speech therapy, thus completing the comprehensive care model at the PDMDC.

PADRECC was funded in 2001 as one of six Centers funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide state-of-the-art care for thousands of Veterans with PD and related disorders. The PADRECC is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary clinic with a neuropsychologist, a geriatric psychiatrist, and a social worker to help care for Veterans with LBD.