Aviva Ellenstein, M.D. Ph.D.
Board Certified Neurologist
Areas OF EXPERTISE:
Parkinson’s Disease, Tremors, Dystonias, Ataxias and Other Movement Disorders
Aviva Ellenstein, M.D. Ph.D. is a board-certified neurologist and a neuroscientist with advanced training in movement disorders and Parkinson’s disease. She is an award-winning doctor with expertise diagnosing, treating, and improving the lives of her patients. A Washingtonian magazine Top Doctor, she is recognized regionally for her excellent care of people living with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders, essential and other tremors, blepharospasm and other dystonias, ataxias, functional movement disorders, restless leg syndrome, tic disorders, hemifacial spasm, and other abnormal movement conditions. She has provided Botulinum toxin chemodenervation therapy for over a decade. In support of patient health and wellbeing, she offers care both in person and through telemedicine.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Dr. Ellenstein pursued her undergraduate education at Bryn Mawr College, where she studied chemistry and religion and graduated cum laude in 1995. She completed a combined M.D.-Ph.D. training program focused on neuroscience and biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine in 2004. She completed neurology residency at Boston Medical Center in 2008 and movement disorder fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Hallett at the National Institutes of Health in 2012. She then joined the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GWU SMHS) Department of Neurology, where she founded the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders program and enjoyed a productive career as a clinician-educator. In 2022 Dr. Ellenstein started the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Neurology program at the Washington Brain and Spine Institute. Following from her dedication to medical education and the future of neurology, in 2024 she was appointed Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at GWU SMHS. Dr. Ellenstein works with an exceptional team of neuroscience colleagues who share a mission to provide expert neurologic, neurosurgical, pain management, and rehabilitative care, as well as to advance neurology education and research.
DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY
Dr. Ellenstein is an award-winning medical educator who brings her passion for teaching to her clinic and community. She not only works with her patients to ensure they understand the reasoning behind and expectations for their specific treatment plans, but she also collaborates with a multi-disciplinary group of physicians who serve on the Medical Advisory Board of the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area, an organization dedicated to enhancing knowledge, health, and wellbeing of those living with Parkinson’s disease. In support of future colleagues and practicing physicians, she has spearheaded several initiatives and contributed to programs that promote mentoring and career development, including the Student Interest Groups in Neurology at Boston University and George Washington University, the Mentoring for Mom and Dad Clinicians and Scientists program National Institutes of Health, the American Neurological Association e-Mentoring Task Force, and the American Academy of Neurology Burnout Task Force.