Dr. Giuffrida received his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Catania, Italy in 1992 and an MS in Natural Sciences from the University of Siena, Italy in 1993.  He completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Siena, Italy, the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, CA, and the University of California (UC) Irvine, CA. In 2001, Dr. Giuffrida was appointed as an Assistant Adjunct Professor at UC Irvine, where he received a Faculty Career Development Award and a College of Medicine Research Award. In 2003, he joined the School of Biomedical Sciences at UTHSCSA, where he received a NARSAD Young Investigator Award in 2008. His laboratory investigates the role of the endocannabinoids and PPAR receptors in Parkinson’s disease, L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias, and psychomotor disorders.