Faculty in the Kellar Family Division of Movement Disorders are dedicated mentors, and offer research training opportunities to medical students, residents, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical fellows.

Resident and Medical Student Research

Residents and medical students interested in research opportunities should contact investigators below.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Yunmin Ding

To study levodopa-induced dyskinesias, Yunmin Ding, PhD, and team use both genetic and unilateral Parkinson’s disease mouse models. They are focusing on how cholinergic interneurons respond to L-Dopa in Parkinson’s disease therapy. A medical student or resident can get involved in the levodopa-induced dyskinesia study by watching videos to score dyskinesia severity in mice with Parkinson’s disease.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Andrew S. Feigin

With Andrew S. Feigin, MD, medical students or residents can participate in an art therapy project for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Steven J. Frucht

Steven J. Frucht, MD, and team frequently encounter unusual patients that trigger interest in case reports, case series, reviews, etc., which students and residents can assist with.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Un Kang

The research of Un J. Kang, MD, focuses on how brain circuitry is perturbed by dopamine loss and produces Parkinson’s disease symptoms and how the compensatory plasticity contributes to the motor complications (including levodopa-induced dyskinesia) from pharmacologic treatment of Parkinson’s disease. He is also interested in the molecular dysfunctions that contribute to neuronal dysfunction and loss in Parkinson’s disease, and translating this knowledge into Parkinson’s disease–specific biomarkers that inform disease pathogenesis.

Medical students and residents can get involved by participating in the following projects:

• statistical analysis of clinical and biomarker data of public database of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders
• systematic data analysis of clinic patients with videos
• review articles of movement disorders topics

Research Opportunities with Dr. Thong C. Ma

For Thong C. Ma, PhD, and team, projects focus on the cellular- and circuit-level changes that underlie impairment in these neurodegenerative diseases. These are addressed by measuring and manipulating neuronal activity/circuits, interrogating signaling pathways, and assessing cell type–specific gene expression in animal models and patient biospecimens.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Giulietta M. Riboldi

The research of Giulietta M. Riboldi, MD, PhD, focuses on the understanding of the genetic determinants of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. In particular, she is studying the role of genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (especially GBA) as well as the interaction between genetics and the immune response in the pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease through genomic analysis. On the other side, her research focuses on the diagnosis of unsolved rare genetic movement disorders through whole-exome sequencing.

Graduate Student Research

Graduate students who are interested in conducting movement disorders research are required to select a thesis advisor and sign up for lab rotations. Please consult your school’s program policies and requirements for more information about choosing a lab.

Postdoctoral Research

In partnership with the Center for Cognitive Neurology at NYU Langone, National Institutes of Health T32–funded postdoctoral positions are available for neurodegenerative research in movement disorders. The goal of this program is to train scientists and clinician–scientists to be future leaders in the field of neurodegenerative research and the aging brain.

Research Fellowships

NYU Langone’s Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders offers research fellowships for Italian neurologists and researchers. Our fellowships train young neurologists and scientists in the comprehensive care of Parkinson’s disease as well as in the latest clinical, translational, and basic research.

Support for our fellowship programs is provided by the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, the Kellar Family Foundation, and the Paolo and Marlene Fresco Foundation.

Fresco Research Fellowship for Italian Researchers

Our basic research fellowship program allows Italian researchers to engage in predoctoral work relevant to the Fresco Institute’s mission within our own institute and the Neuroscience Institute.

To join one of our teams, you must be an Italian citizen with an MS or advanced degree in biomedical sciences. You must also have an excellent record of research in molecular genetics, electrophysiology, cellular imaging, rodent behavior, computational neuroscience, or a combination of these fields.

Successful candidates benefit from state-of-the-art research facilities at NYU Langone as well as from the extensive research community in New York City. As a predoctoral fellow, you receive a competitive salary and benefits.

To learn more, email Monica Norcini at Monica.Norcini@NYULangone.org.