Sonja W. Scholz MD, PhD

Dr. Scholz is a physician-scientist specializing in neurodegeneration. She received her medical degree from the Medical University Innsbruck, Austria, and a Ph.D. in Neurogenomics from the University College London, UK. She completed a neurology residency training at Johns Hopkins University before joining the National Institutes of Health as a neurologist-scientist. She is a Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University. Her primary area of research is the genetic characterization of atypical parkinsonism syndromes, such as Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, and frontotemporal dementia. She specializes in applying modern genomic techniques and data-driven approaches to assess molecular genetic mechanisms implicated in these complex neurodegenerative disorders and identify targets suitable for disease-modifying therapeutic interventions.