Dr. Jason Schapansky received his PhD in pharmacology at the University of Manitoba, where he studied cellular pathology related to Alzheimer's disease and diabetic neuropathy. Following completion of his graduate work, he began his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, examining potential mechanisms of LRRK2-dependent pathology in Parkinson's disease, where he established a significant role for endogenous LRRK2 in the regulation of autophagy (break down of parts of the cell). In 2015, he joined the faculty of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School as an instructor in neurology. Dr. Schapansky is currently studying signaling pathways and partners associated with mutant LRRK2-directed lysosome (enzyme storage unit) dysfunction. His research has been supported by numerous agencies, including the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center and the American Parkinson's Disease Association.