Academic History
Alberto Espay is a Professor of Neurology and Endowed Chair of the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Center for Parkinson’s disease at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
Prof. Espay obtained his MD from the Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela, after which he trained in neurology at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Subsequently, Prof. Espay completed fellowships in movement disorders at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada and the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Chicago, IL, as well as
an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research at the University of Toronto.
Prof. Espay has received multiple academic awards including the Dean’s Scholar in Clinical Research Award, the Dystonia Coalition Career Development Award, the NIH-funded KL2 Research Scholars Mentored Award, the Business Courier’s Forty Under 40 award, the Patients’ Choice and Compassionate Doctor award, the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Health Care Hero Award and the Spanish Society of Neurology’s Cotzias Award.
In addition, Prof. Espay currently serves as Chair of the Technology Task Force and as Secretary of the Pan-American Section of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society (MDS-PAS). He is also a member of the Parkinson Study Group (PSG) executive committee and is the former Chair of the Movement Disorders Section of the American Academy of Neurology, as well as the former Associate Editor of Movement Disorders.
Speaking on the pathophysiology and treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Prof. Espay’s research is focused furthering progress in the movement disorder field, through increased pathophysiological understanding and improved therapeutic strategies. His extensive research interests include Parkinson’s disease therapeutics, integration of advanced technology into movement disorder research and management, and functional movement disorders. Prof. Espay is also working to redefine how the scientific community thinks about the Parkinson’s disease, championing the need for biological subtypes each recognized as separate diseases. In the past, he has been a Principal Investigator for several clinical trials evaluating treatments for various movement disorders. In addition, Prof. Espay recently launched the first biomarker study of aging, which aims to match people with neurodegenerative diseases to available therapies based on biological suitability.
Prof. Espay has published over 300 research articles and eight books, including Common Movement Disorders Pitfalls, for which he received the Highly Commended BMA Medical Book Award in 2013, as well as Brain Fables: The Hidden History of Neurodegenerative Diseases and a Blueprint to Conquer Them, which was selected by the Association of American Publishers for the prestigious PROSE Award in 2020.
