Matthew J. LaVoie, PhD, received his PhD in 2000 from the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied neurochemistry and neurodegeneration in pre-clinical models of PD.  After a brief postdoctoral fellowship investigating Alzheimer’s disease, he was promoted to instructor and then assistant professor of neurology in 2006 and founded an independent laboratory fully dedicated to the molecular and cell biology of Parkinson’s disease. He was appointed to associate professor of neurology in 2012 and has received numerous distinctions for his contributions to research in Parkinson’s disease, including the Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research, the World Parkinson’s Junior Scholar Award, the Roberto Cornelli Award for Research in Parkinson’s Disease, and other teaching and research honors. He also serves on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and the National Scientific Advisory Council of the American Federation for Aging Research.