Erin Foster, an associate professor of occupational therapy, and Scott Norris, MD, an associate professor of neurology, have established a site at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinsons Disease (BLAAC PD) study, an international study aimed at understanding the gene changes that may lead to Parkinsons disease in people with African ancestry. Parkinsons is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by slow and unsteady movement. Foster and Norris are collecting clinical and behavioral data from people with Parkinsons and healthy people who identify as Black or African American in the St. Louis area.

By joining the study, Washington University also joins the Parkinsons Genetics Program, a global initiative geared at promoting a more comprehensive view of Parkinsons disease by collecting genetic data from 150,000 people representing diverse populations around the world. Parkinsons is a debilitating disease that affects people of all backgrounds, but it has historically been understudied in many populations, including Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, LGBTQ+, those in lower socioeconomic groups and people living in underserved geographies (rural and urban).

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Study aims to understand genetics of Parkinsons disease in Black people - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis