Vicki L. Wheelock, M.D.
Director, HDSA Center of Excellence at UC Davis
Health Sciences Clinical Professor
Section Chief, Movement Disorders
To see if Vicki L. Wheelock is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Locations and Contact
Philosophy of Care
My philosophy of care is patient- and family- centered. I value the clinician-patient relationship and focus on the impact of neurological conditions on patients and their families. My role is to provide state-of-the neurological care tailored to the individual, informed by evidence-based treatments and incorporating advances in neurological therapeutics.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Wheelock is a neurologist specializing in the care of patients with movement disorders, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, ataxia and other conditions. She is the founding director of the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Center of Excellence at UC Davis, designated since 2001. The Center provides multi-disciplinary care for patients and families affected by Huntington's disease across the lifespan. The multidisciplinary team includes neurologist and co-director Dr. Alexandra "Sasha" Duffy, psychiatrist and co-director Dr. Lorin Scher, social worker Lisa Mooney LCSW, genetic Counselor Mara Sifry-Platt LCGC, physical therapist Michael Sterken DPT and our clinical trials research team.
Research/Academic Interests
In addition to her role as a clinician, Dr. Wheelock has been an investigator for clinical research in Huntington's disease and other movement disorders for over 25 years. She has been an investigator member of the Huntington's Study Group since 1997 and formed a translational research collaboration with Dr. Jan Nolta, director of the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures in 2009. The Huntington's disease multi-disciplinary Center of Excellence team takes pride in offering opportunities for participation in research to help advance of our understanding of HD and lead to meaningful treatments.
Division
Neurology
Undergraduate School
B.S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 1979
Medical School
M.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 1983
Internship
Internal Medicine, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak MI 1983-1984
Residency
Neurology, University of Southern California (Los Angeles County), Los Angeles CA 1984-1987
Northern California HDSA Team Hope Walk Honoree, 2018
UC Davis Department of Neurology Recognition Award for leadership as Residency Program Director, 2015
Dean's Award for Excellence in Education, UC Davis School of Medicine, 2011
Leadership Award, Graduate Medical Education Committee for 5 year accreditation of residency program, 2011
Dean's Award for Excellence in Clinical Care, UC Davis School of Medicine, 2009
Rosser AE, Busse ME, Gray WP, Aron Badin R, Perrier AL, Wheelock V, Cozzi E, Perpiña Martin U, Salado-Manzano C, Mills LJ, Drew C, Goldman SA, Canals JM, Thompson LM. Translating cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases: Huntington's disease as a model disorder. Brain. 2022 Mar 9;awac086. doi:10.1093/brain/awac086. Online ahead of print. PMID:35262656.
Davis M, Wheelock V, Talman L, Latimer C, Vicars B, Lin A, Jayadev S, Bird T. Subdural Hematoma as a Serious Complication of Huntington's Disease: An Observational Study. J Huntingtons Dis. 2021;10(3):385-390. doi:10.3233/JHD-210478. PMID:34366363.
SC4HD Consortium. Stem Cells for Huntington’s Disease (SC4HD): An International Consortium to Facilitate Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Huntington’s Disease. J Huntington’s Dis. 2021;10(2):221-226. doi:10.3233/JHD-210473. PMID:33814456.
Rosser AE, Busse M, Aron Badin R, Canals JM, Wheelock V, Perrier AL, Gray W, Thompson L, Goldman S. Cell Therapy for Huntington's Disease: Learning from Failure. Mov Disord. 2021 Mar;36(3):787-788. doi:10.1002/mds.28503. PMID:33749919.
Claassen DO, Corey-Bloom J, Dorsey ER, Edmondson M, Kostyk SK, LeDoux MS, Reilmann R, Rosas HD, Walker F, Wheelock V, Svrzikapa N, Longo KA, Goyal J, Hung S, Panzara MA. Genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms for allele-selective therapy in Huntington disease. Neurol Genet. 2020 May 14;6(3):e430. doi:10.1212/NXG.0000000000000430. PMID:32548276.
Schobel SA, Palermo G, Auinger P, Long JD, Ma S, Khwaja OS, Trundell D, Cudkowicz M, Hersch S, Sampaio C, Dorsey ER, Leavitt BR, Kieburtz KD, Sevigny JJ, Langbehn DR, Tabrizi SJ; TRACK-HD, COHORT, CARE-HD, and 2CARE Huntington Study Group Investigators. Motor, cognitive, and functional declines contribute to a single progressive factor in early HD. Neurology. 2017 Dec 12;89(24):2495-2502. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004743. Epub 2017 Nov 15. PMID:29142089.
McGarry A, McDermott M, Kieburtz K, de Blieck EA, Beal F, Marder K, Ross C, Shoulson I, Gilbert P, Mallonee WM, Guttman M, Wojcieszek J, Kumar R, LeDoux MS, Jenkins M, Rosas HD, Nance M, Biglan K, Como P, Dubinsky RM, Shannon KM, O'Suilleabhain P, Chou K, Walker F, Martin W, Wheelock VL, McCusker E, Jankovic J, Singer C, Sanchez-Ramos J, Scott B, Suchowersky O, Factor SA, Higgins DS Jr, Molho E, Revilla F, Caviness JN, Friedman JH, Perlmutter JS, Feigin A, Anderson K, Rodriguez R, McFarland NR, Margolis RL, Farbman ES, Raymond LA, Suski V, Kostyk S, Colcher A, Seeberger L, Epping E, Esmail S, Diaz N, Fung WL, Diamond A, Frank S, Hanna P, Hermanowicz N, Dure LS, Cudkowicz M; Huntington Study Group 2CARE Investigators and Coordinators. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in Huntington disease. Neurology. 2017 Jan 10;88(2):152-159. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003478. Epub 2016 Dec 2. PMID:27913695.
Fink KD, Deng P, Gutierrez J, Anderson JS, Torrest A, Komarla A, Kalomoiris S, Cary W, Anderson JD, Gruenloh W, Duffy A, Tempkin T, Annett G, Wheelock V, Segal DJ, Nolta JA. Allele-Specific Reduction of the Mutant Huntingtin Allele Using Transcription Activator-Like Effectors in Human Huntington's Disease Fibroblasts. Cell Transplant. 2016;25(4):677-86. doi:10.3727/096368916X690863. Epub 2016 Feb 4. PMID:26850319.
Pollock K, Dahlenburg H, Nelson H, Fink KD, Cary W, Hendrix K, Annett G, Torrest A, Deng P, Gutierrez J, Nacey C, Pepper K, Kalomoiris S, D Anderson J, McGee J, Gruenloh W, Fury B, Bauer G, Duffy A, Tempkin T, Wheelock V, Nolta JA. Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Genetically Engineered to Overexpress Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Improve Outcomes in Huntington's Disease Mouse Models. Mol Ther. 2016 May;24(5):965-77. doi:10.1038/mt.2016.12. Epub 2016 Jan 14. PMID:26765769.
Fink KD, Deng P, Torrest A, Stewart H, Pollock K, Gruenloh W, Annett G, Tempkin T, Wheelock V, Nolta JA. Developing stem cell therapies for juvenile and adult-onset Huntington's disease. Regen Med. 2015;10(5):623-46. doi:10.2217/rme.15.25. PMID:26237705.