Assistant Professor of Neurology
Phone: (412) 648-9720
Movement Disorders Clinical: (412) 692-4916
Dystonia Clinical: (412) 692-4670

Specialized Areas of Interest

Movement disorders; dystonias; Parkinson’s disease; essential tremors; tics; myoclonus; gait disorders.

Biography

David A. Hinkle, MD, PhD, received his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1997. He joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology faculty in 2004 after completing his neurology residency and fellowship training in Movement Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania.

He has been an active member of the Movement Disorders Division through his participation in the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic (CMDC) and his outreach activities with the local Parkinsons disease (PD) and Dystonia communities.

He has contributed significantly to the development of a new Dystonia Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to these activities, Dr. Hinkle also attends at the Veterans Administration Movement Disorders/Dementia clinic and on the UPMC Presbyterian inpatient neurology consultation service, and is an active participant in the clinical training of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Internal Medicine students, residents, and fellows through these outpatient and inpatient services. He also initiated, currently organizes, and lectures in a special monthly Movement Disorders lecture series for the residents, and lectures in a variety of capacities around campus including the Medical School Neuroscience course.

Dr. Hinkle has recently been named the Medical Advisor for the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, the Director of the VA Pittsburgh Center for the National VA Parkinsons Disease Consortium, and the Program Director for the CMDC Annual Movement Disorders symposium.

Dr. Hinkle runs a basic science laboratory within the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and is currently involved in studies relevant to the potential role of astrocytes in the neuroprotective response of the brain to acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders (with a focus on stroke and PD, respectively). He is particularly interested in how DJ-1, a gene that causes familial PD when mutated/silenced, may act through astrocytes to reduce neurotoxicity under in vitro conditions that are relevant to each disorder. Dr. Hinkle is currently funded by the Pittsburgh Foundation for his stroke studies, the Parkinsons Chapter of Greater Pittsburgh for his single-cell gene expression profiling studies, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for his PD-related studies.

Dr. Hinkle's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.

Board Certifications

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Hospital Privileges

UPMC Presbyterian
UPMC Montefiore
Magee Women's Hospital
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Professional Organization Membership

Movement Disorder Society
American Academy of Neurology
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Society for Neuroscience
Allegheny County Medical Society
Pennsylvania Medical Society