JOIN LARGE-PD

My experience in this research team was above all expectations, taking into account that neuroscience and geriatrics are two of my favorite areas in medicine, and this rotation allowed me to deepen into the theoretical and biological knowledge about neurodegenerative diseases and molecular science. Additionally, it was an incomparable experience for learning about research basics, which represent a very important goal in my professional life and as one of the leaders of a Neuroscience and Geriatrics Research Group in my University

I am Dr. Andrés Lescano. I live in Montevideo, Uruguay, and work in the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Section of the Neurology Institute of the University of the Republic, a LARGE - PD collaborating center since the beginning of the project.

In 2014, as part of a summer scholarship granted by the Parkinson’s Foundation, I participated in an internship in Dr. Zabetian’s Lab at the VA Hospital in Seattle and was mentored by Dr. Ignacio Fernández Mata. It was a very enriching experience academically, technically, and culturally, especially with regard to their caring point of view. I had the opportunity to learn lab techniques, meet local researchers, and to observe the medical assistance and cognitive evaluation of Parkinson’s patients in the US. On a more personal level, it was also a very important experience because it allowed me to visit the US for the first time.

My training experience trough LARGE PD was incredibly rewarding and meaningful for my research career path. I had the opportunity to be trained while shadowing in an out-patient movement disorders clinic and to strengthen my skills in the lab. As a resident in neurology, I was involved in many ongoing research projects related to genetics in the Latino PD population. Thanks to LARGE PD, we were able to develop local capacities in Peru in molecular and population genetics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, and neurogenetics.  The mentoring team that I was able to build over the past ten years through LARGE PD has continued to support my clinical and research career today. As a current mentor of new generations of scientists and clinicians, I strongly recommend getting involved and becoming a part of the LARGE PD experience!