Dr. Burton Scott, MD PhD
Not yet claimedNeurologist · Physician (MD)
Durham, NC
Burton L. Scott is a neurologist at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina. Search results indicate a focus on movement disorders.
About Dr. Burton Scott, MD PhD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Dr. Burton L. Scott, MD, PhD is a neurologist in Durham, North Carolina who specializes in movement disorders. He sees patients at the Duke Neurology Morreene Road clinic and at the Durham VA Medical Center, and he is a Professor of Neurology at Duke University School of Medicine, where he joined the faculty in 1995.
He earned his MD at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in 1990, completed an internal medicine internship and a neurology residency at Duke, and finished a movement disorders fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in 1995. He is board certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
In his own Duke statement, he describes treating Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, tics, chorea, dystonia, Huntington's disease, tardive movement disorders, and Wilson's disease, and he uses botulinum toxin injections. He directs the Huntington's Disease Society of America Center of Excellence at Duke, previously directed the Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence at Duke, and serves on the board of HD Reach, a North Carolina nonprofit.
Research is a large part of his work. His Duke bio says he has been site principal investigator for more than 100 movement disorder clinical trials, including current studies funded by Sage Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, and the CHDI Foundation. CMS Open Payments records list $1,181.21 in industry payments to him across 12 records from 2021 to 2025, nearly all from Sage Therapeutics. Payments like these are common and legal, and this amount is small.
- Movement disorders specialist
- Duke Health lists him as a neurologist and movement disorder specialist seeing patients at Duke Neurology Morreene Road. dukehealth.org
- Board certified in neurology
- Duke lists board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in neurology. physicians.dukehealth.org
- Fellowship in movement disorders
- He completed a movement disorders fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine from 1994 to 1995, after neurology residency at Duke University Medical Center. physicians.dukehealth.org
- Professor of Neurology at Duke
- He is a Professor of Neurology in Duke's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders division and joined the Duke faculty in 1995. neurology.duke.edu
- Huntington's disease center director
- He directs the Huntington's Disease Society of America Center of Excellence at Duke University Medical Center. hdsa.org
- Past Parkinson's center director
- He previously directed the Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence at Duke. dukeeyecenter.duke.edu
- Conditions he treats
- His Duke statement lists Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, tics, chorea, dystonia, Huntington's disease, tardive movement disorders, and Wilson's disease, and notes he uses botulinum toxin injections. scholars.duke.edu
- Clinical trial experience
- His Duke bio states he has served as site principal investigator for more than 100 clinical trials in movement disorders during his career at Duke. dukeeyecenter.duke.edu
- Current research funding
- He is listed as principal investigator on trials funded by Sage Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, the CHDI Foundation, and a University of Florida-awarded project. scholars.duke.edu
- Industry payments reported
- CMS Open Payments records show $1,181.21 in payments across 12 records from 2021 to 2025, with Sage Therapeutics as the payer of that total. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
Worth knowing
- Duke's profile for him includes an outside-activities disclosure section, meaning Duke reports that the faculty member or an immediate family member has reported outside relationships with listed companies. Patients can read the current list on that page. dukehealth.org
- One third-party directory lists him as board certified by the American Board of Urology, which conflicts with Duke's own listing of neurology board certification and appears to be a data error. The same page lists society memberships that could not be confirmed elsewhere. everydayhealth.care
- No source reviewed states where or in what field he earned his PhD. scholars.duke.edu
- No personal or professional social media accounts were found for him on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Threads. dukehealth.org
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$1,181
12 payments
| 2021 | $0 |
| 2022 | $0 |
| 2023 | $1,181 |
| 2024 | $0 |
| 2025 | $0 |
Top payers
- Sage Therapeutics, Inc.$1,181
Payment types
- Travel and Lodging$893
- Food and Beverage$288
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: dukehealth.org · physicians.dukehealth.org · neurology.duke.edu · scholars.duke.edu · scholars.duke.edu · dukeeyecenter.duke.edu · doximity.com · hdsa.org. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
Duke Health
932 Morreene Rd
Durham, NC 27705
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