Dr. Matthew LaVoie is the Fixel Family Endowed Chair in neurology and neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He serves as director of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and associate chair for research in the department of neurology. Dr. LaVoie is dedicated to understanding the earliest cellular and molecular events that initiate neurologic disease, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease and Lewy Body dementia. Current work focuses on novel pathologic consequences of mutations in LRRK2 and GBA1, and the mechanisms responsible for the deposition of protein aggregates and their relationship to neurodegeneration. His lab also has a long-standing interest in the mechanisms underlying the selective neurodegeneration caused by loss-of-function mutations in Parkin and PINK1. The LaVoie lab applies various molecular and cell biological techniques to address unmet biomedical needs, including human stem-cell modeling, advanced microscopy and novel preclinical models.