Revolutionizing the future of Parkinson’s disease treatment

Dr. Abraham Lieberman with a patient

Parkinson’s disease affects up to 1 million people in the United States. It’s a slow-progressing neurodegenerative disorder that can cause tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness, and gait or balance problems. This chronic disease is challenging to live with – something Lynn Diamond knows too well.

A philanthropist and former real estate executive from New York, Lynn was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 40. Over nearly three decades she has supported the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center’s Barrow Neurological Institute, and the work and research of her doctor, Abraham Lieberman, MD. Recently, Lynn made a generous gift of nearly $1 million in support of Parkinson’s research at the center. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center is one of the nation’s most comprehensive programs for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders and is a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence.

This gift will help Barrow name its Parkinson’s research facility the Lieberman Parkinson’s Research Center, in celebration of Dr. Lieberman’s retirement. The investment will help expand Barrow’s basic, translational, and clinical research to qualify as the first Udall Center of Excellence in the Southwest. Being selected as an Udall Center would elevate the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center to new heights, enable the team to conduct and contribute even more to research efforts, attract top talent, share knowledge with the community and serve more patients with highly complex movement disorders.

Lynn’s compassion for those battling progressive neurological disorders is apparent through her long-standing, generous giving, and her gifts continue to make a difference in the lives of current and future patients at Barrow.