Trainee Eligibility
The Interdisciplinary Training Program in Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration T32 Program supports 6 trainees for 2 years each. Prospective Fellows must be in their second year of graduate training in one of the following PhD programs:
College of Public health & Health professions
Rehabilitation Science
College of Public health & Health professions
Clinical Psychology
college of health & human performance
Applied Physiology & Kinesiology
college of medicine
Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences
College of engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Successful applicants will have strong academic credentials, research interests in movement disorders, commitment to a research career, and a strong letter of support from the chair of your dissertation committee. Trainees without some or all of these qualifications, or those who are not US citizens or permanent residents, may be welcomed to join the program as adjunct trainees.
Current T32 Fellows
Clinical & Health Psychology
Francesca Lopez
Francesca joined the NINDS T32 in August 2019. Mentored by Dr. Dawn Bowers, Francesca studies novel interventions for cognitive & motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease

Biobehavioral Science
Sidney Baudendistel
Sidney joined the NINDS T32 in January 2020. Mentored by Dr. Chris Hass, Sidney studies the biomechanical mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease that affect gait

Neuroscience
Adithya Gopinath
Adithya joined the NINDS T32 in August 2020.

Neuroscience
Douglas Miller
Douglas joined the NINDS T32 in August 2020.

Specific Training Requirements
- Develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP)
- Structure your dissertation committee to include at least one mentor from your secondary training theme
- Enroll in 3 Required Classes: PET 5936 (Movement Disorders), CLP 7934 (Clinical & Research Practicum in Clinical/Translational Research), GMS7003 (Responsible Conduct of Biomedical Research)
- Attend Required Trainee Meetings: Monthly meetings with the MPIs, T32-sponsored talks & “Meet the Speaker” luncheons, and at least 1 Center-sponsored Think Tank
- Present your research productivity at the annual T32 conference
- Develop your scientific portfolio
Compensation & Support
- NIH predoctoral stipend
- Tuition
- Health benefits
- $500 travel award
- $1,000 in annual research expenses
Former T32 Fellows
Biobehavioral Science
Kathleen Hupfeld
Kathleen recently won an NIH F99 award titled “Cortical Inhibition and Mobility in Older Adults.” Her research will be supported from 2020-2022.

Biomedical Engineering
Stephanie Cernera
Stephanie recently won an NIH F31 award titled “Wearable-Sensor Driven Responsive Deep Brain Stimulation for the Improved Treatment of Essential Tremor.” Her research will be supported from 2020-2022.

Biomedical Engineering
Winston Chu
Winston Chu is continuing his PhD studies under the mentorship of Dr. David Vaillancourt & Dr. Mingzhou Ding, and plans to graduate in 2021.

Clinical & Health Psychology
Samuel Crowley
Sam Crowley is continuing his PhD studies under the mentorship of Dr. Catherine Price, and plans to graduate in 2020.

Neuroscience
Joseph Lebowitz
Dr. Lebowitz graduated in December 2019 under the mentorship of Dr. Habibeh Khoshbouie. Dr. Lebowitz joined the laboratory of John T. Williams at the Oregon Health & Science University as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

Neuroscience
Jess-Karan Dhillon
Dr. Dhillon graduated in May 2019 under the mentorship of Dr. Benoit Giasson. He is now a Research Project Manager at Discovery Life Sciences, a diagnostic & biopharma company.

Neuroscience
Michael Pace
Dr. Pace graduated in 2018 under the mentorship of Dr. David Borchelt and now works at IQVIA Biotech, a publicly traded company that facilitates clinical research & health information technology. Dr. Pace is involved with IQVIA’s vetting process of research endeavors.

Neuroscience
Sruti Rayaprolu
Dr. Rayaprolu graduated in 2018 under the mentorship of Dr. Jada Lewis. Now a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University, Dr. Rayaprolu researches the proteomic alterations associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Clinical & Health Psychology
Jacob Lafo
Dr. Lafo graduated in 2018 under the mentorship of Dr. Dawn Bowers. Now he is a postdoctoral fellow in Neuropsychology at Brown University.

Neuroscience
Barbara Perez
Dr. Perez graduated in 2017 under the mentorship of Dr. Ranum, and continued on at UF as a Postdoctoral Fellow on another T32 program with Dr. Barry Byrne.

Biomedical Engineering
Jonathan Shute
Dr. Shute graduated in 2016 under the mentorship of Dr. Aysegul Gunduz.
