Laurie H. Sanders, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Sanders received her BS from Cornell University and her PhD degree in biochemistry from the University at Buffalo. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh, during which Dr. Sanders was recognized with the first Parkinson's Action Network Postdoctoral Advocacy Prize. In 2015, she was granted the William N. & Bernice E. Bumpus Foundation Innovation award for high-risk/high-reward ideas that can advance our understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD). Her research focuses on the underlying mechanisms of PD, including the role of mitochondrial (powerhouse of the cell) DNA damage, repair and dysfunction.