The next webinar in the American Parkinson Disease Association’s “Dr. Gilbert Hosts” series is focused on genetic testing for PD. The guest speaker is Israel-based movement disorder specialist Dr. Roy Alcalay. Register now for this webinar, which will take place on Wednesday, July 19, 11am PT.
Whether you have Parkinson’s disease or have a family member who does, you may have thought about genetic testing. Understandably, many people wonder “if my parent/sibling has PD, will I get it also?” and “Am I genetically predisposed to get PD?” But what exactly is genetic testing and what can (or can’t) it tell you?
Dr. Roy Alcalay, a movement disorders specialist and expert in PD genetics, will help answer a myriad of questions about this complex topic, including:
• Who should get genetic testing?
• Is all genetic testing the same? If not, what type should I get?
• How do I get genetic testing?
• Does insurance pay for genetic testing?
• What will I do with the results of genetic testing?
About the speaker
Dr. Roy Alcalay is chief of the Movement Disorders Division at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. He moved from Columbia University where he holds a part-time Associate Professorship. He obtained his medical degree from Tel Aviv University, his neurology training from the Harvard University residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and his movement disorders training at Columbia University in New York. He earned a Master’s in biostatistics (Patient Oriented Research track) from Columbia University. His research focuses on biomarkers and genetics in Parkinson’s disease. He is the principal investigator of the Parkinson’s Foundation initiative to provide access to genetic testing for the PD community, the PDGENEration study.