Karen Thomas, D.O. Karen Thomas D.O. is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. ; Director of The Movement Disorders Division, Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Thomas is a native of Amherst, Ohio and received her BS degree in Biological science from Baldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio in 1992 and then her DO from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio in 1996. She completed a residency program in Neurology at the University of South Alabama and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She completed a fellowship in Parkinson’s disease and Movement disorders at The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, St Joseph’s Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Thomas joined the staff of the OSU Movement Disorders Division in 2002. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Osteopathic Association, the Ohio Osteopathic Association, the Movement Disorders Society, the Parkinson’s Study Group and the Huntington’s Study Group.

Clinical Interests

movement disorders; Parkinson's Disease

Research

Dr. Thomas has participated in a wide range of clinical trials in the area of movement disorders including:

• Primary Investigator. GlaxoSmithKline. RLS trial. A double-blind, placebo controlled, multicenter study of efficacy and safety of ropinirole in restless legs syndrome.

• Primary Investigator. Novartis. SELECT-TC trial. Study of tolerability in switching from carbidopa/levodopa to a triple combination preparation including carbidopa/levodopa/entacapone in Parkinson’s disease patients with end of dose wearing off.

• Independent rater for PHAROS trial. Pilot observational study of individuals at risk for Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s Study Group.

• Co-Investigator. Boehringer-Ingleheim. SCEPTRE. Efficacy and safety trial of a triple reuptake inhibitor in Parkinson’s disease.

• Co-Investigator. Medtronics-STN-DBS Trial. Study of efficacy and safety of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in advanced Parkinson’s disease.

• Co-Investigator. The Ali Project. Participation in development and updating of a web-based database for Parkinson’s disease to be used as clinical, research and educational tool.

• Co-investigator. Novartis. Study of a novel neuroprotective agent in Parkinson’s Disease. Proposed to be effective in delaying dopaminergic therapy.

• Co-investigator. Schwarz BioSciences. A multicenter, multinational, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of efficacy and safety of the rotigotine CDA patch in patients with early Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.

Publications (Selected)

Thomas, KM. Tremor. In: Lynn DJ, Newton HB, Rae-Grant AD, eds. The 5-Minute Neurology Consult. Philadelphia PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004:32-33

Thomas, K. et al., The Ali Project: a web-based database for Parkinsons Disease. Abstract for the Movement Disorders Society’s 7th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders. Miami, FL October, 2002.

Thomas, K. Parkinson’s Disease and Women. Southwest Parkinson Report. December 2001. Phoenix, AZ.

Contact

371 McCampbell Hall
1581 Dodd Drive
Columbus, OH 43210

Phone: (614) 688-4647
Fax: (614) 688-4060

e-mail: thomas.1407@osu.edu