Calling the GP2 gang to introduce themselves in this post!

[paularp]

GP2 is, first and foremost, a global community. It’s made up of and for people who push Parkinson’s Disease science forward from every corner of the world.

If you currently work at GP2, if you’ve collaborated in the past, if you participate in any of its projects, or if you’re part of an associated network, this space is for you.

I invite you to leave a comment with:

• Your country or city
• What you do within GP2 (your role, project, area, or contribution)
• What you generally do in your work or research

Also feel free to tag friends so they don’t miss this post!

[paularp]

I’m Paula Reyes

I work in Querétaro, México

I’m a postdoc at UNAM for GP2 and I’m part of different projects, and I’m specially passionate about LATAM cohorts and non-motor symptoms such as depression and anxiety. In GP2 I’m also part of the Trainee Network , the Data and Code Dissemination and more recently the Core Analysis working groups!

Tagging some GP2 friends so they introduce themselves (but probably I will miss some!): @psaffie @victorfloresocampo @peixott @lucasf @efernandez @waldoe @kathrynstep @yasser.mecheri @YI-WEN @mchaparro @ViniciusCrr @mariam_isayan @Alex_Zirra @danieltds @hamptonl @felipe_duartez @anajimenahdz @Roberta_Repossi @Kenlizzette

[Kenlizzette]

Happy to be part of this global community !
I’m Karen Lizzette Velásquez, based in Colombia.

I previously collaborated with GP2 through LARGE-PD, and I am currently a trainee, working with Dr. Konstantin Senkevich on a project focused on the enrichment and analysis of rare genetic variants associated with early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

I am especially interested in research on underrepresented populations and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. My work focuses on genetic and molecular analysis, with an emphasis on cellular aging mechanisms, integration of clinical and genomic data, and translational research, supported by my background in molecular and cellular biology.
Honored to learn, collaborate, and contribute within the GP2 community to advance inclusive and global Parkinson’s research !

[peixott]

Hello everyone,

My name is Thiago Peixoto Leal, and I am a Research Associate at the Mata Lab. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (my undergraduate thesis focused on using Differential Evolution to detect communities in networks), as well as a master’s degree and a PhD in Bioinformatics, with a focus on population genetics, genetic epidemiology, and admixture dynamics.

I have been working on Parkinson’s disease research since 2021, primarily developing and adapting analytical pipelines to maximize analytical power in admixed populations. I have shared several posts here describing my experience and lessons learned from working with admixed samples.

I have implemented several pipelines (Mata Lab · GitHub), including global and local ancestry inference, QC, admixture mapping, genotype-phenotype studies, PCA. Nevertheless, some recent works imply the non-existence of some of my pipelines, so be careful.

[mchaparro]

Hi everyone!

My name is Mauricio Chaparro. I’m a Colombian medical geneticist, currently pursuing my PhD at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States, under the supervision of Dr. Ignacio Mata (LARGE-PD).

I’ve been a member of the GP2 Trainee Network since 2023. I’ve collaborated on the development of LMS materials on genetic variant prioritization and classification and, together with the Return of Results Interest Group, helped develop modules for the ROR online course available on the GP2 platform. I’ve also conducted single-gene analyses as part of a project developed with other colleagues from the Trainee Network (manuscript currently under review ).

For my PhD, I’ve been studying levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID), a common and often debilitating side effect of Parkinson’s disease treatment, from multiple perspectives, including epidemiology, pharmacogenomics, and, more recently, machine-learning–based predictive models for LID in the Latino population.

Happy to connect with and hear from all other GP2 trainees, welcome everyone!

[ajbilson]

Hello everyone, I am really glad to be part of this amazing network.

My name is Andrew Jacobs Bilson, and I am a clinical research assistant at the neurology unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. I hold a PharmD degree and currently do research into demographic and environmental predictors of disease progression and cognitive decline in Parkinson’s Disease patients in Ghana.

In GP2, I am a junior trainee working under the guidance of Dr. Vida Obese (@Vidash). Leveraging my background, I am particularly passionate about the role of environmental toxins and their interplay with genes in the characterization of Parkinson’s Disease.

I look forward to learning, collaborating, and contributing within the GP2 community to advance global Parkinson’s knowledge and research.

[felipe_duartez]

Hi there!

Thanks for the call out!

I’m Juan Felipe Duarte-Zambrano, a Colombian interested in leveraging genomic research in diverse populations to push froward precision medicine for all, specifically within the field of neurology and neurodegenerative diseases.

I studied Medicine in Colombia (graduated this year!) and currently I’m working as a Research Scholar at Dr. Ignacio Mata’s (Nacho) laboratory at the Cleveland Clinic. I joined GP2 Trainee Network this year as well!

My day to day basics’–besides learning from an amazing team at the lab–, consist on running ancestry-aware genetic association studies and downstream analysis for Parkinson’s Disease related phenotypes. Besides genotype-phenotype associations, Multi-ancestry meta-analyses, heritability estimation and Fine Mapping are within my personal interests (Machine Learning and other “omic” approaches sound very interesting to me as well, but maybe that’s for next year’s resolution!).

Looking froward to collaborate with you all!

[efernandez]

Hi everyone !
I ‘ am Elias Fernandez-Toledo
I work in Concepción, Chile

I’m a neurologist specialized in movement disorders and currently a PhD student focused on the genetics of Parkinson’s disease at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). I work with the LARGE-PD cohort in Concepción, in southern Chile, and my main research interests include the genetics of movement disorders—particularly Parkinson’s disease in Latino populations. I’m also working with Paula on non-motor symptoms, such as depression and anxiety in Parkinson’s disease.

Within GP2, I’m part of the Trainee Network and serve as the LATAM GP2 Trainee Representative. If you’re based in the region and interested in getting involved, please feel free to reach out—I’d be very happy to connect!

[anajimenahdz]

Hi everyone!

SPOILER ALERT: I talk A LOT.

I’m Ana Jimena Hernández-Medrano (MD, MPS in Data Science) — GP2 trainee since early 2023 and currently part of LIIGH–UNAM as a LARGE-PD collaborator.

My work spans both the data-science and the “backend” consortium operations side of research. In LARGE-PD, I support multi-site data QC and harmonization (clinical + genetics + sub-studies) so datasets are analysis-ready and comparable across countries. In parallel, I help with administrative/regulatory coordination and site support, working closely with local centers to keep workflows moving (documentation, processes, and cross-team alignment).

Before this, I was a study coordinator at a Mexican clinical site, where I gained hands-on experience across recruitment, clinical research operations, staff training, project management, ethics, and participant-facing work. I also completed genetic counseling training through Parkinson’s Foundation in collaboration with Indiana University, which strengthened my focus on patient-centered, ethical communication.

On the GP2 side, my MPS in Data Science (2023–2025) was funded by GP2, and I’ve participated in multiple workshops and hackathons. I’ve contributed to projects including single-gene analyses and runs of homozygosity, and my master’s capstone (which I’m still actively developing) focuses on multimodal ML models (genetics + clinical data) to predict cognitive decline trajectories in Parkinson’s across diverse ancestries.

Beyond methods, I care deeply about global/public health, equity and social justice, gender-aware research, and expanding meaningful participation of underrepresented populations and the Global South—with a strong community-centered mindset. I love learning constantly, and teaching along the way too.

Excited to meet everyone and collaborate!