David Park
Director
Brain and Mental Health Research Strategy Lead
Professor
B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
FRSC
Contact information
Phone
Location
Preferred method of communication
Administrative Assistant:
Sara McCullough
P: 403-220-3558
E: hbi@ucalgary.ca
Research and teaching
Research areas
- Genetic causes of Parkinson's disease
- Genetic links to familial Parkinson's disease
- Cellular mechanisms to improve recovery after stroke
- Stroke-related neurodegeneration
- Movement Disorders
- Stroke
Research activities
Dr. Park's research work is focused on understanding the cellular mechanisms involved in Parkinson’s disease and stroke-related neurodegeneration. He is keenly interested in the genetic causes of Parkinson's, specifically on the genes linked to familial Parkinson’s disease. In his stroke research, Dr. Park's goal is to understand and target cellular mechanisms to improve recovery and survival after stroke.
Seeking students and postdoctoral scholars. Please contact Dr. Park directly.
Biography
Dr. Park is an internationally recognized expert in molecular biology. He is the director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine, and Brain and Mental Health Research Strategy Lead at the University of Calgary. He completed his PhD in biochemistry at Rutgers University followed by post-doctoral training in neurobiology at Columbia University. His focus is on understanding the cellular mechanisms involved in Parkinson’s disease and stroke-related neurodegeneration.
Dr. Park’s Parkinson’s disease research efforts focus on the genetic causes of the disease, specifically on the genes linked to familial Parkinson’s disease. With regards to his stroke work, he aims to understand and target cellular mechanisms to improve recovery and survival after stroke. His work has been published in high impact journals such as Nature Cell Biology; Science; Neuron; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Nature Communications; the Journal of Cell Biology; and the Journal of Neuroscience and Human Molecular Genetics.
Dr. Park is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards: he’s a Heart and Stroke Career Investigator and has also been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2012). He currently serves and/or has served on various external grant review committees including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Parkinson Canada, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He also sits on editorial boards such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry and the Journal of Neurochemistry, and is an active member of the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research.
Awards
Career Scientist Award, Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2016-2020
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 2012
Lowell Langille Award, Heart and Stroke Foundation Ontario, 2011-2016
Career Scientist Award, Heart and Stroke Foundation Ontario, 2011-2016