Who We Are

ASAP is a coordinated research initiative to accelerate discoveries for Parkinson’s disease. ASAP is led by the Coalition for Aligning Science and is working collaboratively with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to implement its programs. The initiative was incubated at the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy under Dr. Ekemini Riley’s leadership with support from the Sergey Brin Family Foundation.

Executive Leadership

Ekemini A. U. Riley, PhD
Biography
Managing Director

Ekemini A. U. Riley, PhD

Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) | USA
Sonya Dumanis, PhD
Biography
Deputy Director

Sonya Dumanis, PhD

Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) | USA

Implementation Partner

Since ASAP’s inception, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has worked in parallel with ASAP to complement its programs. We have leveraged the MJFF grantmaking and scientific infrastructure to process proposals, issue grants, and steward key scientific teams. Beyond grantmaking, we are supporting the expansion of the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), MJFF’s landmark study.

Current Scientific Advisory Board

Randy Schekman, PhD
Biography

Randy Schekman, PhD

Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, University of California at Berkeley & Howard Hughes Medical Institute | USA
Paola Arlotta, PhD
Biography

Paola Arlotta, PhD

Harvard University | USA
David Ginsburg, MD
Biography

David Ginsburg, MD

University of Michigan Medical School | USA
William J. Marks, Jr., MD, MS-HCM
Biography
Hollis Cline, PhD
Biography

Hollis Cline, PhD

Scripps Research Institute | USA
Ian J. Reynolds, PhD
Biography

Ian J. Reynolds, PhD

YaghPenn Consulting, BV | Belgium
Bernardo Sabatini, MD, PhD
Biography

Bernardo Sabatini, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School | USA
Carla Shatz, PhD
Biography

Carla Shatz, PhD

Stanford University | USA

“Parkinson’s Disease presents a challenging scientific problem as well as a major unmet medical need. The ASAP Initiative offers an opportunity for major innovative impact on both fronts in this important area.”

Planning Advisory Council

With thanks to ASAP’s founding Advisory Council for their input and guidance in development of the strategic roadmap.

James Beck, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer, VP, Scientific Affairs, Parkinson’s Foundation

Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD

Van Andel Research Institute Center for Neurodegenerative Science

Pietro De Camilli, MD

Kavli Institute for Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine

Marie-Françoise Chesselet, MD, PhD

Van Andel Institute Center for Neurodegenerative Science

Martin Citron, PhD

UCB Pharma

David Dexter, PhD

Parkinson’s UK, Imperial College London

Ted Dawson MD, PhD

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Thomas Gasser, MD, PhD

Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research

Magali Haas, MD, PhD

Cohen Veterans Bioscience

Karl Kieburtz, MD, MPH

University of Rochester Medical Center

Walter Koroshetz, MD

National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke

Robert Malenka, MD, PhD

Stanford University School of Medicine

Kelsey Martin, MD, PhD

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Eliezer Masliah, MD

National Institute of Aging, NIH

K. Kimberly McCleary

The Kith Collective

Karoly Nikolich, PhD

Alkahest

C. Warren Olanow, MD

Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

Bernardo Sabatini, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School

Randy Schekman, PhD

University of California, Berkeley

Darryle Schoepp, PhD

Merck

Todd Sherer, PhD

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Andrew Singleton, PhD

National Institute of Aging, NIH

Beth Stevens, PhD

Harvard Medical School

David Sulzer, PhD

Columbia University Medical Center

Huda Zoghbi, MD

Baylor College of Medicine

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