The Parkinson’s Foundation invested $4.2 million across 46 research grants to support the work of promising scientists in the field of Parkinson's disease (PD) in 2019. Grants support Parkinson’s research at centers, clinical training for neurologists and research funding for scientists who actively study various aspects of Parkinson’s with the hope of making life better for people with the disease and eventually finding a cure.
Since 1957, the Parkinson’s Foundation has invested more than $350 million in Parkinson’s disease research and clinical care. Foundation research investments are selected through a competitive application process and reviewed by its Scientific Advisory Board, which includes scientific experts and Foundation-trained patient advocates (see the full list below).
2020 Parkinson’s Foundation’s research grants recipients include:
Parkinson’s Foundation – Summer Student Fellowship | totaling $50,000
Providing students interested in Parkinson’s with an opportunity to conduct research
- Kristen Branes, University of California, San Diego (Mentor: Subhojit Roy, PhD)
- Ananya Chakravarthy, Columbia University (Mentor: Rui Costa, PhD)
- Claudia Giménez, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Mentor: Carlos Barcia, PhD)
- Meghan Heer, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine (Mentor: Maxime Rousseaux, PhD)
- Medha Krishnagiri, Rutgers University (Mentor: Brian Daniels, PhD)
- Benjamin Lau, Swarthmore College (Mentor: Robert Edwards, MD, PhD)
- Luke McKay, University of Alabama (Mentor: Guy Caldwell, PhD)
- Rudmila Rashid, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (Mentor: Nabila Dahodwala, MD)
- Colin Ryan, Wilfrid Laurier University (Mentor: Quincy Almeida, PhD)
- Marina Shaker, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto (Mentor: Sarah Lidstone, MD, PhD)
2019 Parkinson’s Foundation's research grants recipients include:
Parkinson’s Foundation Research Centers | totaling $8,000,000
Supports the innovative team’s scientific approach to Parkinson’s research
Columbia University:
Differential neuronal susceptibility as an avenue toward disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s
Serge Przedborski, MD, PhD
University of Florida
LRRK2-Synuclein Interactions with Gut Inflammation in PD Pathogenesis
Malú Gámez Tansey, PhD
University of Michigan
The Thalamus in Parkinson Disease
Roger L. Albin, MD
Yale School of Medicine
Endolysosomal Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease
Pietro De Camilli, MD
Independent Investigator Awards | totaling $2,392,500
Supports the innovative team’s scientific approach to Parkinson’s research
Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Awards | totaling $1,200,000
Provides critical funding to early career scientists to further their PD research
Determining the role of microglial LAG3 in Parkinson's diseasne, Xiaobo Mao PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: From development of predictive algorithms to testing novel therapeutics, Tuhin Virmani MD, PhD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Understanding LRRK2 GTPase function in Parkinson’s disease, Yulan Xiong PhD, Kansas State University
Deciphering the role of calcineurin in the modulation of the growth cone proteins BASP1 and GAP-43 at presynaptic terminals in response to alpha-synuclein toxicity, Gabriela Caraveo Piso, PhD, Northwestern University
Clinical Research Awards | totaling $600,000
Funds clinician-scientists to conduct clinical research in Parkinson’s
- Modulation of the inflammatory response in Parkinson’s disease, Giulietta Maria Riboldi, MD, New York University School of Medicine
- Parkinson's disease susceptibility in carriers of lysosomal storage disorder variants, Laurie Robak MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- Large-scale deep cognitive endophenotyping of Parkinson’s disease: A platform development and feasibility study, Madeleine Sharp MD, McGill University
Impact Awards | totaling $350,000
Funds innovative Parkinson’s research
- Revitalizing Cognition and Motor Symptoms in Parkinson Disease: A pilot study with near infrared stimulation, Dawn Bowers PhD, University of Florida
- Targeting Complex-1 Deficits in Parkinson's Disease, Matthew James LaVoie PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Peripheral Immune System regulation of PD pathology in LRRK2 mutant mice, Richard Smeyne, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University (supplemental award)
Innovations Award | totaling $200,000
Supports the largest network of Parkinson’s clinical trial centers in North America
Parkinson’s Study Group, Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Conference Award | totaling $42,500
Funds the convening of a group of experts to move the field forward on a specific PD topic
- Ophthalmologic Features of Parkinson's Disease - Examining Standards of Diagnosis and Management, Marta Fabrykowski OD, FAAO, MEETH Ophthalmology, Northwell Health
- The Krembil Knowledge Gaps in Parkinson’s Disease Symposium, Anthony E. Lang OC, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FCAHS, FRSC, Toronto Western Hospital
- The International Parkinson’s Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC) annual meeting, Huw Morris PhD FRCP, University College London
Fellowships and Early Career Awards | totaling $1,826,193
Supports and trains young investigators
Institutional MDS Fellowship Award | totaling $813,193
Trains neurologists to become experts in PD care and research
- Columbia University: Chi-Ying Lin, MD, MPH
- Emory University: Margi Patel, MBBS
- Northwestern University: Niccolò Emanuele Mencacci, MD, PhD
- Rush University: Roshni Patel, MD
2019 Postdoctoral Fellowship | totaling $490,000
Prepares future leaders in Parkinson’s research
- Daniel Albaugh, PhD, Emory University (Mentor: Thomas Wichmann, MD)
- Katharina Schindlbeck MD, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research (Mentor: David Eidelberg, MD)
- Vijay Singh PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Mentor: Laura Volpicelli-Daley PhD)
- Catherine Weindel PhD, Texas A&M Health Science Center (Mentor: Robert Watson PhD, MPH)
Melvin Yahr Early Career Award in Movement Disorders Research | totaling $50,000
Created in honor of Dr. Melvin Yahr to support neurologists after residency
Markers of Neuroinflammation and Phenotype Correlation in patients with Parkinsonism, Natalie Witek, MD, Rush University (Mentor: Deborah A. Hall, MD, PhD)
Collaborative Fellowships | totaling $393,000
Parkinson’s Foundation-Howard Hughes Medical Institute | $43,000
Determining the Role of The Basal Ganglia in Motor Sequence Learning and Vigor Representation in Natural and Parkinsonian States, Tori Riccelli, BS, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Second year of funding)
Parkinson’s Foundation- American Brain Foundation Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Parkinson’s Disease | $150,000
- Anna Goodheart, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- David Coughlin, MD, Pennsylvania Hospital
Parkinson’s Foundation-Parkinson Study Group Mentored Clinical Research Award | $50,000
Visual symptoms and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease, Ali G. Hamedani, MD, MHS, University of Pennsylvania
Parkinson’s Foundation-APDA Summer Student Fellowship | totaling $60,000
Providing students interested in Parkinson’s with an opportunity to conduct research
- Niam Abeysiriwardena, Lake Forest College (Mentor Shubhik DebBurman, PhD)
- Rajiv Sai Dharnipragada, University of Minnesota (Mentor: Joshua Aman, PhD)
- Carmen Domínguez, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Mentor: Xianjun Dong, PhD)
- David Guarin, Massachusetts General Hospital (Mentor: Xiqun Chen, MD, PhD)
- Huai-Ying Huang, Montreal Neurological Institute (Mentor: Edward Fon, MD)
- Ashwin Mahesh, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (Mentor: Pamela McLean, PhD)
- Caroline McLaughlin, Emory University (Mentor: Malu Tansey, PhD)
- Karina Nabieva, Toronto Western Hospital (Mentor: Connie Marras, MD, PhD)
- Jean-Louis Angelo Parmasad, University of Ottawa (Mentor: Maxime Rousseaux, PhD)
- Shankar Pattabhiraman, University of Pennsylvania (Mentor Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD)
- Florencia Scaglia Drusini, BS, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine (Mentor: Marissa Dean, MD)
- Alexandra Zinnen, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Mentor: Marina Emborg, MD, PhD)
Visiting Scholar Awardees | totaling $20,000
Allows researchers opportunity to travel to a new laboratory to learn new skills applicable to their PD research
- Sidney Baudendistel, MS, Current Institution and Mentor: University of Florida, Christopher Hass, PhD; Host Institution and Mentor: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jason Franz, PhD
- María Florencia Alamos, MD, Current Institution and Mentor: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Romulo Fuentes Flores, PhD; Host Institution and Mentor: Western Ontario University, Mandar Jog, MD, FRCPC
- Sayan Dutta, BS, MS, Current Institution and Mentor: Purdue University, Jean-Christophe Rochet, PhD; Host Institution and Mentor: The University of PhAlabama at Birmingham, Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD
- Diptaman Chatterjee, BS, Current Institution and Mentor: Rush University, Jeffrey Kordower, PhD; Host Institution and Mentor: Neural Stem Cell Institute, Anne Messer, PhD
2019 Special Support for Meetings | totaling $9,000
Provides support for PD-related meetings
- Cell Biology of Neurodegeneration Symposium, Co-organizers: Francesca Bartolini, PhD and Franck Polleux, PhD
- 7th Biennial Workshop on Dystonia and Parkinson’s Disease: Cellular and Molecular Targets for Novel Therapeutics, Scientific Committee: Hyder A. Jinah, MD, Nicola B. Mercuri, MD, Antonio Pisani, MD, PhD, David G. Standaert, MD, PhD, Jan Teller, PhD
- Synuclein Meeting 2019: Where we are and where we need to go, Conference Co-chairs: Tiago Mestre, MD and Tiago Outeiro, PhD
2018 Parkinson’s Foundation's research grants recipients include:
Parkinson’s Foundation Research Centers | totaling $1,900,000
Supports the innovative team’s scientific approach to Parkinson’s research
Columbia University: Un Jung Kang, MD
Rush University: Christopher Goetz, MD
Independent Investigator Awards | totaling $2,010,309
Supports critical funding to cutting-edge Parkinson’s research initiatives
Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Scholars | totaling $900,000
Provides critical funding to early career scientists to further their PD research
- Lipidomic Analysis in Genetic and Idiopathic Parkinson’s, Roy Alcalay, MD, Columbia University
- Lipid Phase Separation as a Regulator of Alpha-synuclein Toxicity, Tim Bartels, PhD, University College London, UK
- Deconstructing the Neuronal Metabolism-Mitochondria Axis in Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration, Gulcin Pekkurnaz, PhD, University of California, San Diego
Clinical Research Awards | totaling $600,000
Funds clinician-scientists to conduct clinical research in Parkinson’s
- Investigating the Role of GBA in the Propagation of Lewy bodies in Parkinson’s, Marie Davis, MD, PhD, VA Puget Sound
- Changes in levels, phosphorylation, and kinase activity of LRRK2 in biofluids from patients with idiopathic or alpha-synuclein linked Parkinson’s disease, Dimitra Papadimitriou, MD, PhD, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece
- The Use of vitamin K2 in Patients with Mitochondrial PD: Concept evaluation in a magnetic resonance (spectroscopy) imaging-based placebo controlled parallel group trial, Jannik Prasuhn, MD, University of Luebeck, Germany
- A Specific and Less Toxic Alpha-Synuclein Strain Is A Possible Progression Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease-Related Cognitive Impairment, Liana Rosenthal, MD, Johns Hopkins University
Impact Awards | totaling $251,399
Funds innovative Parkinson’s research
- Prodromal Symptoms in the Sister Study, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, Michigan State University
- Peripheral Immune System Regulation of PD Pathology in LRRK2 Mutant Mice, Richard Smeyne, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University
Incidence and Mortality in Parkinson’s Disease Initiative | totaling $228,766
Supports the analysis of public health data to identify trends in who is affected by PD each year
- Connie Marras, MD, PhD, University Health Network
- G. Webster Ross, MD, Pacific Health Research and Education Institute
- Rodolfo Savica, MD, James H. Bower, MD, Mayo Clinic
- Stephen Van Den Eeden, PhD, Kaiser Permanente
- Allison W. Willis, MD, MS, University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine
- Eric Roberts, MD, PhD, Public Health Institute
Innovations Award | totaling $370,000
Supports the largest network of Parkinson’s clinical trial centers in North America
Parkinson’s Study Group, Michael Schwarzschild, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Conference Award | totaling $75,000
Funds the convening of a group of experts to move the field forward on a specific PD topic
- International Parkinson’s Disease Genomics Consortium, Joshua M. Shulman, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- Luxembourg German Indian Alliance on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics, Manu Sharma, PhD, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
- Gordon Research Conference on Parkinson’s Disease, Chair: J. Timothy Greenamyre, MD, PhD; University of Pittsburgh, Co-chair: Malu Tansey, PhD; Emory University
Parkinson’s Advocates in Research Leadership Awards | totaling $38,923
Pairs the Parkinson’s community with scientists to conduct patient-centered research
- Parkinson's Diversity Recruitment for Research, Tammyjo Best, LPN, Emory University
- Boxing to Improve Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson's: A Pilot Study, Linda Denney, PT, PhD, MAppSc, Northern Arizona University
- The Impact of Three Distinct Exercise Types on Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression, in Parkinson's Disease, Mary S. Feldman, DO, Premier Clinical Neuroscience Institute
- Online Voice Class for Hispanics with PD, Meredith Fonseca, MA, CCC-SLP, Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center
Fellowships and Early Career Awards| totaling $1,939,410
Supports and trains young investigators
Institutional MDS Fellowship Award | totaling $1,106,410
Trains neurologists to become experts in PD care and research
- Columbia University: Lynda Nwabuobi, MD
- Emory University: Sahyli Perez Parra, MD
- Johns Hopkins University: Bonnie Kaas, MD
- Rush University: Alana Kirby, MD, PhD
- Toronto Western Hospital: Gerald Raimon M. Saranza, MD
- University of Florida: Matthew Burns, MD, PhD
2018 Postdoctoral Fellowship | totaling $550,000
Prepares future leaders in Parkinson’s research
- Thalamic Targets of the substantia nigra Pars Reticulata in Modulation of Parkinson's And Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesias, Stephanie Alberico, PhD, Columbia University (Mentor: Un Kang, MD)
- Temporal Changes in Beta Frequency Oscillations Predict Behavior, Ross Anderson, PhD, Stanford University (Mentor: Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD)
- Environmental Mitochondrial Toxins Induce LRRK2 Kinase Activity, Briana De Miranda, PhD, University of Pittsburgh (Mentor: J. Timothy Greenamyre MD, PhD)
- LRRK2-ATP13A2 Interaction in Parkinson's Pathways, Madalynn Erb, PhD, Van Andel Research Institute (Mentor: Darren Moore, PhD)
- Brain Mechanisms Underlying Response to Visual Cues for Gait Impairment in PD, Samuel Stuart, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University (Mentor: Martina Mancini, PhD)
Collaborative Fellowships | totaling $93,000
Parkinson’s Foundation-Howard Hughes Medical Institute | $43,000
Determining the Role of The Basal Ganglia in Motor Sequence Learning and Vigor Representation in Natural and Parkinsonian States, Tori Riccelli, BS, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
Parkinson’s Foundation-Parkinson Study Group Mentored Clinical Research Award | $50,000
Genetic Dissection of Clinical Heterogeneity in Parkinson’s, Emily Hill, MD
Parkinson’s Foundation-APDA Summer Student Fellowship | totaling $60,000
Providing students interested in Parkinson’s with an opportunity to conduct research
- Characterizing the Neuronal Internalization and Spreading of Different Conformers of α-Synuclein, Nadia M. Anabtawi, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Mentor: Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD)
- Investigation of α-Synuclein Propagation and Neurodegeneration in LRRK2-knock-in Mutant Mice, Sidhanth Chandra, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Mentor: Andrew West, PhD)
- Neuronal Extrusion of Aggregates and Mitochondria from Dopaminergic Neurons, Wai-Kit Chia, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Mentor: Monica Driscoll, PhD)
- Subthalamic Nuclei Gamma Frequency Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinsonian Non-Human Primate, Michelle Chu, University of Minnesota (Mentor: Gregory Molnar, PhD)
- Diminishing Microglial Activation Targeting Cdc42 in PD: Therapeutic Approach for Experimental Parkinsonism, Elsa Clinton, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain (Mentor: Carlos Barcia, PhD)
- Evaluation of Combinatorial Impact of Post-Translational Modifications on α-Synuclein in a Yeast Model, Yoan Petrov Ganev, Lake Forest College (Mentor: Shubhik DebBurman, PhD)
- Classifying Stages of Sleep using DBS Leads in place of EEG, Ethan Tyler Marshall, University of Minnesota (Mentor: Luke Johnson, PhD)
- Mechanisms of Cardiac Sympathetic Axonal Degeneration, Helen Nanette Matsoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Mentor: Marina Emborg, MD, PhD)
- Air Pollution, Inflammation, and Parkinson's Disease, Ashley Park, University of California, Los Angeles (Mentor: Jeff Bronstein, PhD, MD)
- ParkinSMART: Parkinson's Disease Symptom Monitoring and Recording Technology, Dakota Peacock, Kelowna General Hospital (Mentor: Daryl Wile, MD)
- Preliminary Research into Automatic Speech Analysis, Richard Edward Richter, Northwestern University (Mentor: Angela Roberts, PhD)
- Resolving the Mystery of Illegal Omissions: Language-Motor Interactions in Real Time Language Production in Parkinson's, Deepikaa Sriram, Northwestern University (Mentor: Angela Roberts, PhD)
Visiting Scholar Awardees | totaling $20,000
Allows researchers opportunity to travel to a new laboratory to learn new skills applicable to their PD research
- Molecular Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease - Mitochondria, Associated Proteins & Synapses - Parkinson's (MIND-MAPS-PD), Silvia Caminiti, MSc, King’s College London (Mentor: Marios Politis, MD, PhD)
- Characterization of Midbrain Specific KRAB Zinc Fingers in Parkinson’s, Hojin Kang, MS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Mentor: Ted Dawson, MD, PhD)
- Genome-Wide Association Study of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and its Progression to PD, Lynne Krohn, National Institutes of Health (Mentor: Andrew Singleton, PhD)
- Whole Exome Sequencing as a Diagnostic Tool For Complex Movement Disorders, Marta Ruiz-Lopez, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (Mentor: Christine Klein, MD)
2018 Special Support for Meetings | totaling $12,500
Provides support for PD-related meetings
- 2018 Basal Ganglia Gordon Research Conference, Conference Chair: Mark Bevan, PhD
- ASNTR 2018 Student Travel Awards, Educational Chair: Fredric Manfredsson, PhD
- International Tremor Conference, Course Directors: Sheng-Han Kuo, MD; and Elan D. Louis, MD, MS, Columbia University Medical Center
- International Parkinson & Movement Disorder Society, Neuroscience of Movement Disorders, Course Director: David Standaert, MD, PhD
- Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease Meeting, Conference Chair: Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD
