Donato (Dino) Di Monte received his Doctorate of Medicine and his residency training in Internal Medicine from the University of Bari, Italy. He completed post-doctoral training in Biochemistry and Toxicology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and at the School of Public Health at University of California, Berkeley. Parkinson’s disease has been the focus of his research career, first at the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California, and now at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany.

Using experimental models of Parkinson-like pathology, which were often developed and characterized in his laboratory, Dr. Di Monte has elucidated mechanisms involved in nigrostriatal degeneration and alpha-synuclein deposition. His special interest has been on pathogenetic mechanisms that are triggered and modulated by risk factors, such as environmental challenges, gene-environment interactions and aging. Results of his work have underscored the importance of disease preventive measures and targeted neuroprotective intervention.