University Hospitals Selected as Study Site for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) Study

CLEVELAND—University Hospitals (UH) has been selected by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) as one of four new study sites for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study.

BLAAC PD is an initiative of GP2 in a dedicated effort to better understand the genetic basis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) among underrepresented populations by genotyping more than 150,000 individuals from around the world. Most recently, BLAAC PD contributed to findings of a novel GBA1 variant in individuals with PD and African ancestry, which demonstrated that the variant is prevalent throughout African populations.

With the selection as a BLAAC PD site, UH will receive funding to support study visit costs, supplies, community engagement strategy support, staffing support, and participant incentives. Additionally, as a part of GP2, UH becomes a part of the largest PD genetics consortium in the world.

“We are happy to be a part of the network of BLAAC PD sites across the U.S. and the GP2 global network in order to expand understanding of Parkinson’s disease within the Black and African American communities,” said Camilla Kilbane, MD, neurologist at UH and Director, Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Center, Medical Director, Deep Brain Stimulation Program, and Program Director, Movement Disorders. “We look forward to continuing to contribute to a more holistic, global understanding of Parkinson’s Disease by increasing representation in our study populations and learning more about gene changes that may cause the disease.” Dr. Kilbane is also an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

This expansion will broaden the geographic diversity of BLAAC PD’s locations across the U.S. by increasing representation of the diverse U.S. Black and African American community, and build a base for greater discovery and application of findings across ancestries.

UH was one of four new sites included in this expansion, and joined UT Health in Houston, TX, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC.

###

About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 21 hospitals (including five joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Oxford University, the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and National Taiwan University College of Medicine. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital, Ohio’s only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.