Class of 2022

The McCamish Parkinson’s Disease Innovation Program at Georgia Tech and Emory seeks to understand, treat, and ultimately cure Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders through basic science, engineering and technology, and data and machine learning. The McCamish Blue Sky Research Program provides funding to enable teams of engineers, scientists, and clinicians from both Emory University and Georgia Tech to support new neurotechnology focused research trajectories leading to publication, translation, and subsequent funding applications and/or commercialization. https://parkinsons.gatech.edu/

Charlie Kemp (GT/Emory BME) and Madeleine Hackney (Emory Geriatrics & Gerontology) are developing a novel therapeutic robotic game system for people with Parkinson’s disease to increase patient exercise quality, frequency, and duration, while reducing demands on overburdened therapists.

Yue Chen (GT/Emory BME), Deqiang Qiu (Emory Radiology), John Oshinski (Emory/GT BME), and Nicholas Boulis (Emory Neurosurgery) are designing a robotic hardware and navigation system to accurately and safely perform MR-guided deep brain stimulation procedures for Parkinson’s disease treatment.

Amanda Gillespie (Emory Otolaryngology), David Anderson (GT Electrical and Computer Engineering), and Adam Klein (Emory Otolaryngology) are developing wearable personal technology that provides real-time feedback to address the most salient communication deficit in people with Parkinson’s disease – reduced vocal loudness.

Michael Borich (Emory Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy), Lena Ting (Emory/GT BME), and Lucas McKay (Emory Biomedical Informatics) are developing personalized, closed-loop, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for targeting abnormal cognitive-motor interactions in Parkinson’s disease that lead to reduced mobility and falls.

Minoru Shinohara (GT Biological Sciences), Woo-hong Yeo (GT Mechanical Engineering), Brian Magerko (GT School of Literature, Media & Communication), and Milka Trajkova (GT School of Literature, Media & Communication) are developing an on-skin, wireless, and automated transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation system that stimulates the human nerve during rehabilitation and facilitates motor improvement in Parkinson’s disease.