Cathi A. Thomas, RN, MS, CNRN

Clinical Care

Cathi-Ann Thomas, RN, MS, CNRN, is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Program Director of the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder’s Center at Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC). She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Neuroscience, she has developed novel programs to assess the impact of Parkinson’s disease and most importantly deliver evidenced based and highly individualized care to patients and families.

Research Interest

As a member of an interdisciplinary research team at BUMC, an APDA Center of Advanced Research, she has participated in over one hundred clinical research studies. She is an active member of the Parkinson Study Group (PSG) and previously served on its Scientific Review Committee and Executive Committee. She was a co-investigator in NIH’s “Self-Management in Parkinson’s Disease (Wagenaar) and Social Self-Management in Parkinson’s Disease (Tickle-Degnan) studies. She participates in the Parkinson Progression Biomarker Study (PPMI) study funded by the Michael J Fox Foundation. She has co-authored over fifty publications including Parkinson’s Disease A Guide to Patient Care.

Community Outreach & Teaching

As Program Coordinator of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Information and Referral Center at BUMC, she has participated in over 300 presentations to professional and lay groups. She regularly speaks to support groups and educates health care professionals about PD. She has facilitated local and national conferences for the APDA and American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. She has served as Course Director for the Parkinson Foundation Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program at BUMC. She has been instrumental in creating the APDA New England Regional Parkinson Disease Symposium for patients and families.  Working with an inter-professional team she has developed APDA’s Parkinson Good Start program, APDA’s PRESS program, Care Partner Support series, and health professional training programs delivered regularly across the region. She recently served as co-chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Parkinson’s Disease Registry and Advisory Committee.

Professional Affiliations

Cathi is a member of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. In 2017, she received the Shawn Thornton Award for Excellence in Service to the Parkinson Community. In 2019, she received the Maryann Garrigan Award Theta at-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She is a past recipient of the APDA Salvatore A. Esposito, Sr. Coordinators Award, the American Parkinson Disease Association National Service Award and in 2024 the APDA Lifetime of Hope Award.