National Ataxia Foundation Center of Excellence
From visits with your neurologist to support groups and educational events to appointments with rehab specialists, the National Ataxia Foundation Ataxia Center of Excellence at the Fixel Institute meets all your needs in one location.
Care In One LOcation
Ataxia can be a confusing and complicated disease, and we’re here to help.
When you visit the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) Ataxia Center of Excellence at the Fixel Institute, your care is our top priority. You are at the center of everything we do.
From the neurologist to the rehab specialists, our team will work hand in hand to bring you the best care and research opportunities.
All care, research and patient resources take place at the Norman Fixel Institute in Gainesville, Florida.
Make an Appointment
Whether you’re looking for a new patient visit or returning as a current patient, our team can help you schedule your appointment. Options may be available for telehealth.
Meet your Care Team
During your visit to the Fixel Institute, you see a variety of specialties, including neurology, neuropsychology, speech and swallow therapy, rehab therapy, and more.
Tour the Fixel Institute
You can take a virtual tour of the Fixel Institute and learn about our history, our care process and services and our physical space before your appointment.
Patient Care
Ataxia Clinic
Patient care takes place at our clinical building, UF Health Neuromedicine – Fixel Institute, in Gainesville, Florida. The state of the art facility provides a central location for all your care and treatment needs including appointments, therapies, support groups and more.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy assesses your need for adaptive equipment and recommends devices to improve independence and quality of life. Through use of different therapeutic approaches, OT focuses on activities of daily living that are most important to you.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy assesses your need for adaptive devices to improve independence and safety with walking and transfers. Different therapeutic approaches are utilized to promote your ability to move within your environment and the community.
Speech Therapy
Speech therapy assesses your need for strategies that will improve your ability to communicating, chewing and swallowing. Therapeutic techniques are utilized to promote improved communication and safety with eating and swallowing.
Genetic Testing
The goal of genetic testing is to determine if your ataxia has a genetic cause. Not all types of ataxia are genetic. Knowing if your ataxia has a genetic cause can help to clarify a diagnosis, guide clinical care, and determine eligibility for treatments and research.
Your CarE Team
Assistant professor or neurology
Matthew R Burns, MD, PhD
Professor
Sub Subramony, MD
Professor Of Neurology & Division Chief Movement Disorders
Adolfo Ramirez-Zamora, MD
Assistant professor
Lauren Fanty MD, MPH
Genetic counselor
Lee Kugelmann, MMSc, GC
RN spec- acu
Eshe John, RN, BSN
Genetic Counselor
Kayla Lashinger, MS
Social Work
Alana McKay, LCSW
News & Resources
Emerging Therapies in Hereditary Ataxias
Recent research on hereditary ataxias (HAs), particularly Friedreich ataxia and polyglutamine ataxias, explores therapeutic strategies like gene editing and protein replacement, highlighting the urgent need for safe, effective treatments and innovative clinical trials.
A Milestone in the Treatment of Ataxias: Approval of Omaveloxolone for Friedreich Ataxia
The FDA’s approval of omaveloxolone as the first drug for inherited ataxia brings hope to patients and families affected by this challenging condition. This achievement reflects the collaborative efforts of patients, healthcare providers, and researchers, sparking enthusiasm for future treatments for genetic diseases.
A Natural History Study to Track Brain and Spinal Cord Changes in Individuals With Friedreich’s Ataxia: TRACK-FA Study Protocol
Drug development for neurodegenerative diseases like Friedreich’s ataxia is hindered by a lack of effective biomarkers to measure disease progression and treatment response. The TRACK-FA study aims to improve this by using extensive neuroimaging to better understand the disease and identify reliable biomarkers for future clinical trials.
Fixel Institute becomes the first National Ataxia…
Under the leadership of Drs. Matthew Burns and Sub Subramony, the Fixel Institute receives recognition as an Ataxia Center of Excellence by the…
National Ataxia Foundation Resources
Check in with the National Ataxia Foundation library of resources ranging from medication, to exercise, to caregiver resources and more.
FDA approves first ever Friedreich’s ataxia…
SKYCLARYS was tested and approved by the FDA to treat Friedrich’s ataxia.
Research & Clinic TrialS
At the NAF Ataxia Center of Excellence at the Fixel Institute, we work to provide the most comprehensive and high impact clinical trial options for our patients living with ataxia while aggressively moving the field of ataxia towards meaningful treatments and potential cures.
We offer ongoing natural history, imaging, biomarker, and therapeutic trials in pediatric and adult forms of ataxia with extensive clinical trial expertise and friendly and responsive clinical trial coordinators and support staff available to make the experience easy and accessible for you.
In addition to clinical trials, our team is dedicated to understanding the cellular and network level of neurological disorders like ataxia to better understand disorders and provide research informed care. There are several labs that conduct research on topics relevant to the ataxias
Dr. Burns’s lab focuses on the interaction between ageing and neurodegenerative disease with a focus on network dysfunction, and non-invasive neuromodulatory therapies for cognitive and affective dysfunction. Additional research labs are located in the Center for Neurogenetics under the direction of Dr. Laura Ranum and the Powell Gene Therapy Center under the direction of Dr. Barry Byrne. Collaborative efforts are also available with many other labs at the McKnight Brain Institute and other centers around the campus.
