Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

Board Member and Longtime Friend of the Foundation

Jacci Bainbridge, PharmD, FCCP, a current member of the Foundation's Board of Directors, has a long history with the RLS Foundation. Beginning in 2007, Dr. Bainbridge served on the BOD for eight years. After a two year hiatus, she returned to the board in 2017.

"I have a vested interest in educating our patients, physicians and the public on RLS and neurologic medications," Dr. Bainbridge said. "I chose to serve on the RLS Foundation Board in order to assist in filling a knowledge gap in education and research relating to RLS awareness and medication usage."

Dr. Bainbridge serves as a clinical pharmacy specialist at the Anschultz Outpatient Pavilion's Neurology Clinic, an extension of the Neurology Residency Teaching Program at The University of Colorado Denver. She is also a professor in the Department of Neurology at the university's School of Medicine, and teaches at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where she is a three-time Professor of the Year (2010-2012).

"Jacci is a committed educator and researcher in the RLS field," Executive Director Karla Dzienkowski said. "She brings her knowledge as a PharmD to the board and fully supports the Foundation’s education and awareness outreach, as well as providing valuable insight on research proposals under funding consideration at the board level."

Dr. Bainbridge manages patients with neurologic disease states such as epilepsy, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, migraine and restless legs syndrome. She is currently involved in research projects funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment using marijuana. In her recent past she has had projects funded by the NIH, spanning subjects such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuroprotection trials in Parkinson disease.

Click here to read an article from the Winter 2015 edition of NightWalkers that Dr. Bainbridge co-authored with Mark Buchfuhrer, MD, FRCP(C), FCCP, FAASM, where they examine the relationship between medical marijuana and RLS.

Our RLS Healthcare Provider Directory

It is often difficult for those of us with RLS to find a physician that fully understands this often misunderstood disease and the various treatment options that are available. Thus, to better serve our members, the Foundation maintains a directory of healthcare providers who have expressed interest and knowledge in the treatment of restless legs syndrome. This directory includes doctors in the U.S. and Canada, and patients can search by city or state/province to find a healthcare provider nearby.

"We get frequent requests from members for physicians knowledgeable in the treatment of RLS," Membership Coordinator Faith Duncan said. "We do our best to provide referrals and if necessary, elevate the level of expertise to one of our Quality Care Centers. We rely on our many constituents to provide feedback to us regarding our listed healthcare providers, as well as their recommendations for physicians we might be able to add to our online directory."

The Foundation also offers a network of certified RLS Quality Care Centers in the U.S. and Europe. Centers are staffed by leading RLS specialists who provide expert care and specialized disease management. To learn more about QCCs and their certification requirements, click here.

"The RLS Quality Care Center and Healthcare Provider Directories are excellent resources for individuals in the RLS patient community in search of a physician," Executive Director Karla Dzienkowski said. "As we know, finding a doctor who can identify and manage RLS removes a barrier to treatment, and will ultimately improve symptom management."

We are always looking to grow our Healthcare Provider Directory. If you are satisfied with your current RLS doctor, please ask them to complete the HCP Referral Form so others seeking help with their RLS can get help.

User Responsibilities: Any decision to visit a healthcare provider from this directory is the sole responsibility of the user. These healthcare providers have expressed an interest in treating RLS. Each person is encouraged to make his/her own investigation prior to consulting for treatment. By using this directory you are assuming full responsibility for using this information and understand and agree that the RLS Foundation is neither responsible nor liable for any claim, loss, or damage from its use.

RLS Foundation Disclaimer: Information provided in this directory is a courtesy of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. While we try to keep this information as accurate as possible, we disclaim any representation about its accuracy, completeness, or appropriateness for a particular purpose.

The RLS Foundation makes no representations concerning the quality of medical care or level of professional skills of any specific healthcare provider. In addition, the listing of these persons does not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement by the RLS Foundation.