Labs of Habibeh Khoshbouei, Ph.D., and Michael Okun, M.D.
Departments: Neuroscience and Neurology
Age: 34
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Doctorate from: UF
Research focus: Neuroimmune regulation in the central nervous system and periphery in Parkinson’s disease.
What drives me: To improve the lives of those affected by Parkinson’s disease, for which we have a resounding unmet need for better treatments, diagnostics and improved understanding of the fundamentals of disease.
Something few people know about me: I have lived in . . . six places across the U.S.? So it’s difficult to pin down precisely where in the country I’m from.
My favorite food: My recent favorite in Gainesville is banh mi (specifically from Tyummi – it helps that my friend’s family owns the place!)
In my free time: I am an avid science fiction reader! But on Sundays, I get a paper copy of the newspaper delivered, and I then proceed to read cover to cover.
“At UF, we have this particularly unique, collaborative environment between basic scientists, clinicians and a whole bunch of different neuroscience sub-disciplines. You really don’t find this diversity anywhere else. This is a very rare combination we have here at UF. So that was a major factor in my deciding to stay.”
McKnight Brain Institute
Gator NeuroScholars Highlight Series
This post was published as part of a larger article on Gator NeuroScholars, a new postdoctoral fellowship program. At UF’s McKnight Brain Institute, postdocs come from across the globe, attracted by access to renowned neuroscientists and pioneers in their fields who serve as mentors and by a wide array of leading scientific programs ranging from cognitive aging and brain tumors to Alzheimer’s disease and respiratory physiology.
