CurePSP Ask the Doctor: September 22, 2020

A conversation with Dr. Sonja W. Scholz, M.D., Ph.D.

Sonja W. Scholz, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist specializing in neurodegeneration at Johns Hopkins University, will be the featured guest for CurePSP’s Ask the Doctor on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. The webinar begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (11:00 a.m. Pacific).

In this webinar, Dr. Scholz will outline how modern genomic techniques are giving scientists insight into the complex molecular changes of atypical parkinsonism syndromes. She also will briefly talk about important discoveries in the field and discuss how they will be used for developing precision-based therapies.

Those who register will receive a link to the webinar twice from Eventbrite before the event: (1) one hour before it begins and (2) ten minutes before. If you do not see these emails in your inbox, please check your spam/junk folder.

The webinar will be moderated by Joanna Teters, CurePSP’s community outreach and resource manager. Questions can be submitted in advance at info@curepsp.org or through the registration link.

Dr. Scholz will answer questions that were submitted during registration by patients and families. Know that she cannot give case-specific medical advice. Any medications that are referred to during the webinar should not be tried unless under the supervision of a licensed professional.

The webinar will be set up on the Zoom platform. Registration is required. This webinar will be recorded and emailed out in the following days to all registrants. Previous webinars can be viewed here.

Currently, Dr. Scholz is a Lasker Clinical Research Scholar at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and an adjunct assistant professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University. Her primary area of research is atypical parkinsonism, such as Lewy body dementia (LBD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She specializes in applying modern genomic techniques and data-driven approaches to assess molecular genetic mechanisms implicated in these complex neurodegenerative disorders and to identify targets that are suitable for disease-modifying therapeutic interventions.

She received her medical degree from the Medical University Innsbruck, Austria. Following graduation, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, under the supervision of Drs. Andrew Singleton and John Hardy. She then obtained a Ph.D. in Neurogenomics from the University College London, UK, in 2010. She then moved to Baltimore to complete her neurology residency training at Johns Hopkins.

CurePSP is a nonprofit organization working to increase awareness, advocate for patients and families, and fund research for devastating prime of life neurodegenerative diseases, including PSP, CBD, and MSA.