Affiliation: Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Neurology
Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Focus: Parkinson's disease, atypical parkinsonism (PSP, MSA, CBD), movement disorder clinical trials, international diagnostic criteria development
Werner Poewe, MD is a distinguished Austrian neurologist and Professor of Neurology at the Medical University of Innsbruck, widely recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on movement disorders. With over 600 peer-reviewed publications and more than 29,000 citations, his career has fundamentally shaped the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes including Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD)[1][2].
Dr. Poewe has served as President of the Movement Disorder Society (MDS), the leading international professional organization in the field, and has been instrumental in developing the international diagnostic criteria that define how PSP, MSA, and PD are diagnosed worldwide[3][4].
Dr. Poewe completed his medical training and neurology residency in Austria, with additional research training at international centers including University College London (UCL) and the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the faculty at Medical University of Innsbruck, where he established and led the movement disorders program that became one of Europe's premier centers for Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism research and clinical care.
He served as Director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Innsbruck, overseeing a comprehensive program integrating clinical care, clinical trials, neuroimaging research, and biomarker development.
A cornerstone of Dr. Poewe's impact has been his leadership in establishing international consensus diagnostic criteria:
Dr. Poewe was a key contributor to the Movement Disorder Society criteria for PSP clinical diagnosis[3:1], which:
The 2023 revision incorporated emerging knowledge about PSP clinical heterogeneity[5]:
Dr. Poewe co-authored the second consensus criteria for MSA[4:1], which:
Dr. Poewe has led or contributed to landmark PD studies:
As a lead author of the 2024 comprehensive commission[1:1], Dr. Poewe synthesized the state of PD knowledge across:
Contributed to comprehensive epidemiological analysis[6] documenting:
Contributed to the largest PD genetic meta-analysis[2:1]:
Dr. Poewe's work on MSA has been foundational[7]:
Beyond MSA, Dr. Poewe has addressed the full spectrum of atypical parkinsonism:
Dr. Poewe's recent work[10] evaluated:
Dr. Poewe has served as principal investigator or steering committee member for numerous trials in PD and atypical parkinsonism:
| Trial | Phase | Role | Therapeutic Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various DBS studies | III | Site PI | Parkinson's disease |
| Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel | III | Investigator | Advanced PD |
| Apomorphine continuous infusion | III | Investigator | PD motor fluctuations |
| Neuroprotective agents in PSP | II/III | Steering committee | PSP |
| Disease-modifying agents in MSA | II | Investigator | MSA |
Dr. Poewe's professional service includes:
The Medical University of Innsbruck provides Dr. Poewe with:
Lennon S, et al. (Poewe W, contributor). The Lancet Neurology Commission on Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurology. 2024. ↩︎ ↩︎
Paluzzi A, et al. Multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of Parkinson's disease. Nature Genetics. 2024. ↩︎ ↩︎
Höglinger GU, et al. (Poewe W, contributor). Clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy: the MDS criteria. Movement Disorders. 2017. ↩︎ ↩︎
Gilman S, et al. (Poewe W, contributor). Second consensus criteria for the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy. Movement Disorders. 2017. ↩︎ ↩︎
Höglinger GU, et al. (Poewe W, co-author). Clinical phenotypes of progressive supranuclear palsy: revised MDS clinical diagnostic criteria. Lancet Neurology. 2023. ↩︎
Bhatti GK, et al. (Poewe W, contributor). Global, regional, and national burden of Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurology. 2024. ↩︎
Wenning GK, et al. (Poewe W, co-author). Development and progression of disability in MSA: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Neurology. 2013. ↩︎
Wenning GK, et al. (Poewe W, co-author). Multi-center investigation of therapeutic advances in MSA and PSP. Movement Disorders. 2015. ↩︎
Kuhn J, et al. (Poewe W, collaborator). Automated tractography for diagnosis of PSP variants. Movement Disorders. 2020. ↩︎
Poewe W, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of innovative therapies in movement disorders. Movement Disorders. 2024. ↩︎