David Coughlin, MD

David Coughlin, MD, MTR, is a board-certified neurologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, tremor, essential tremor, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy, corticobasal syndrome, dementia with lewy bodies, ataxia, dystonia, myoclonus, drug-induced movement disorders, and gait abnormalities.

He is experienced in the use of botulinum toxin for hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, limb dystonias and sialorrhea (drooling or excessive salivation). Dr. Coughlin is also skilled in patient selection and post-operative management of deep brain stimulation.

As an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosciences, Dr. Coughlin trains medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

He completed a fellowship in movement disorders at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he also did his neurology residency. He earned his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Coughlin also holds a master’s degree in translational research from University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and completed a Healthcare Leadership and Quality Improvement Certificate Training program at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Coughlin is a recipient of the 2019 American Academy of Neurology Healthcare Quality and Safety Award and the 2019 American Academy of Neurology/American Brain Foundation clinical research training scholarship in Parkinson’s Disease. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals.

He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Dr. Coughlin’s personal interests include running and rowing.

Kathy Huynh, NP-C

Ms. Huynh graduated from UCSD graduating in 2000 with a BS in biochemistry and cell biology. She was licensed as a registered nurse in 2007 and obtained her MS in Nursing in 2010 from Samuel Merritt University. She is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner.s.

Stephanie Lessig, MD

Dr. Lessig is a board-certified neurologist at UC San Diego Health and the VA San Diego Healthcare System. She regularly treats patients for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, including administration of botulinum toxin and management of deep brain stimulation. Dr. Lessig is involved in both basic research and clinical trials, with a clinical research focus on Parkinson’s disease and Parkinsonian disorders.

Irene Litvan, MD

Dr. Litvan is an internationally recognized, board-certified neurologist and director of the Parkinson Foundation-designated Parkinson’s and Other Movement Disorders Center of Excellence at UC San Diego Health. Dr. Litvan treats diagnoses and conducts state of the art research and therapeutic trials in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, coricobasal degeneration, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementias. Throughout her career, she has played a pivotal role in advancing research and management of Parkinsonian and dementia disorders. As a result, she is frequently invited to lecture worldwide, received awards and played important roles in many professional associations. Currently, she chairs the American Academy of Neurology Movement Disorders Section.

Katherine Longardner, MD

Dr. Longardner is a movement disorders neurologist who evaluates and takes care of patients with conditions including Parkinson disease/parkinsonism, tremor, dystonia, chorea, ataxia, and tics. Her research focuses on parkinsonian non-motor symptoms, especially the relationship between orthostatic hypotension and cognition. She is also interested in using non-invasive electrophysiological techniques to diagnose tremor and other types of involuntary movements.  

Caitlin Mulligan, MD

Caitlin Mulligan, MD, is a board-certified neurologist who treats patients with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, tremor, dystonia, or other gait and balance problems. She has expertise and special interest in deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a tool to treat movement disorders, as well as botulinum toxin injections.

As an assistant professor of in the Department of Neurosciences, Dr. Mulligan trains medical students, residents and fellows. She recently co-authored a review on the diagnosis and management of Wilson’s disease and was a coauthor on a recent paper about developing a residency curriculum to teach resiliency skills to neurology residents.

Dr. Mulligan completed a fellowship in movement disorders at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she also did her residency and served as chief resident. She earned her medical degree from the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the Movement Disorders Society (MDS).

In her free time. Dr. Mulligan enjoys nature and spending time with her family.

Brent Wright, MD

Dr. Wright is a board-certified neurologist who treats people with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremor, ataxia, chorea, tics, tardive syndromes and other rare diseases. He also conducts research on falls and balance in neurodegenerative diseases; clinical research in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and other movement disorders; mechanisms and outcomes of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery; and outcomes of continuous intraintestinal levodopa infusion. His research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals.