Dr. Roberta Marongiu, Ph.D.
Dr. Roberta Marongiu is assistant professor of neuroscience in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. She also holds a secondary appointment in the Cornell Feil Family Brain and Mind Institute. She received her BSc and MSc summa cum laude in human Genetics from the University of Cagliari, Italy, and PhD in Medical Genetics and Neuroscience from the Sapienza University of Rome and University of California San Diego. She then completed her postdoctoral studies in neuroscience with focus on viral-vector mediated gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease at Weill Cornell Medical College in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Kaplitt.
Her research contributions as a geneticist and neuroscientist to Parkinson’s disease include the identification of the first Pink1 pathogenic mutations and evidence of a direct link between mitochondria, autophagy, and the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Marongiu’s recent work focused on the genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease and the development of new adeno-associated virus vector (AAV)-mediated brain gene therapies for the disease. She has been studying the role of the P11 gene (S100A10) and LRRK2 in dopaminergic-mediated striatal motor activity and Levodopa-induced dyskinesias.
As a young new investigator, using novel genetic, viral, and animal model approaches her lab research focuses on the identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of sex and menopause on neurodegenerative brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Marongiu's Non-Profit organization
Dr. Marongiu is Co-Founder and President of stoPD (Support and Training to Overcome Parkinson's disease) a Bi-Coastal 501c3 Non-Profit organization devoted to bettering the quality of life for people living with Parkinson's disease and their families.
stoPD provides support, intense exercise programs, arts programs, and education to encourage proactivity and a positive shift in perspective toward the future. Our strategic intervention is integrated and personalized to improve self-confidence and social interactions.
