NEW ORLEANS - Ochsner Health, a leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, has been selected by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) as one of six new study sites for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease study. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research serves as the implementation partner for GP2 to coordinate a global program to conduct scientific research and analysis to identify genetic links to Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The study is a dedicated effort to better understand the genetic basis of PD among underrepresented populations by genotyping over 150,000 individuals from around the world. Most recently, this study contributed to findings of a novel GBA1 variant unique to individuals with PD and African ancestry, providing population-specific insights into the basis of PD.
With its selection as a study site, Ochsner will receive funding to support study visit costs, supplies, community engagement strategy support, staffing support, and participant incentives. Additionally, as a part of GP2, Ochsner will become a part of the largest PD genetics consortium in the world.
Ochsner’s PD research extends to two additional studies (GoAAL-PD and PDgeneration) aimed at uncovering novel genes and investigating care access and health disparities. Most studies require participants to consent to a simple blood draw, and survey completion.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s, affecting nearly 1 million people in the U.S. and 6 million worldwide. It often causes problems with movement, mental health, sleep, pain, and other issues. Many members of the Black and African American community diagnosed with PD often face health disparities, which can lead to decreased access to resources, care, and research opportunities.
“These studies in partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation are aimed at uncovering genetic markers of disease and health disparities such as barriers to care affecting Black and African Americans with Parkinson’s. This is a historically understudied population that we are committed to serving,” said Julia Staisch, MD, MS, movement disorders neurologist, Ochsner Health, and principal investigator of the study. “Ochsner is excited to join this existing network of study sites across the United States and the GP2 global network to expand understanding of Parkinson’s disease within the Black and African American community and contribute to a more holistic, global understanding of the disease.”
Ochsner is one of six new sites included in this expansion. The other sites include UTHealth in Houston, Texas; Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; UChicago Medicine Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana; Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois; University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland; Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio. This expansion will broaden the geographic diversity of the study’s locations across the United States, increasing representation of the diverse U.S. Black and African American community in the study population and building a base for greater discovery and application of findings across ancestries.
Ochsner is currently recruiting volunteers to participate in its PD studies. Volunteers do not have to be established Ochsner patients to participate.
Eligible individuals must be:
- 18 years of age or older
- Identify as Black and/or African American
- Do or do not have PD
To participate in this study, please contact Dominique Thomas, 504-842-3980 or dominique.thomas3@ochsner.org.
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. For 13 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Ochsner as the No. 1 hospital in Louisiana. Additionally, Ochsner Children’s has been recognized as the No. 1 hospital for kids in Louisiana for four consecutive years. Ochsner inspires healthier lives and stronger communities through a combination of standard-setting expertise, quality and connection not found anywhere else in the region. In 2023, Ochsner Health cared for more than 1.5 million people from every state in the nation and 65 countries. Ochsner’s workforce includes more than 38,000 dedicated team members and over 4,700 employed and affiliated physicians. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.