Maria Cruz Rodriguez-Oroz

Dr. Rodríguez-Oroz, is Head of Neurology and Neurosciences at Clinica Universidad de Navarra and CIMA Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona (Spain). She is graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Navarra (1991) and PhD at the University of La Laguna (1999). She was formed as a specialist in Neurology at the University Clinic of Navarra (1995). Afterwards she was subspecialized in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders in the group led by Dr. Obeso at the University of Navarra and she continued her training with stays in at the Emory University (Atlanta 1997) and University College of London (London 2004). On the other hand, she is accredited as Full Professor by AQU (2020). She is associated editor of MDJ and member of several task forces of MDS. Usual reviewer in high impact journal such Lancet Neurology, Brain, etc, and national (ISCIII) and international (UK; INsem Francia, etc) research projects. Along her career she had published numerous works (180 articles, H-index 57), many of them in high scientific impact journal, and she has presented more than 190 communications to national and international conferences. She has supervised more than 17 doctoral theses. The work of the group she leads have been continuously funded by National and International institutions. One of the most important aspects in her career is that she has developed translational research activity with both clinical and basic research in animal models of Parkinsonism which has addressed various issues with complementary approaches. Her main researchers lines are: - In the clinical field, she has worked in five lines of research in PD patients: 1) dementia and cognitive decline; 2) impulse control disorders (ICD) as a severe complication of the chronic use of dopaminergic drugs; 3) deep brain stimulation and pathophysiology of the basal ganglia; 4) gait disorders; 5) HIFU and pathophysiology. - In the basic field, she has developed several lines of research in two models of parkinsonism in rat (the classic one, acute and severe, with the toxin 6-OHDA, and a new one with AAV overexpressing mutated alpha-synuclein in the SNc inducing a model of progressive parkinsonism). The research lines are: 1) motor (dyskinesias) and non-motor (abnormal impulsivity) complications of the dopaminergic treatment in animals models of parkinsonism; 2) inflammatory mechanisms involved in the beginning and progression of the dopaminergic death; 3) synaptic dysfunction and degeneration of the dopaminergic nigro-striatal pathway She has been awarded with the Federico Oloriz prize for best young researcher in Neurosciences 2002, the Movement Disorders 2017 Award by The Spanish Society Neurology and the Zambon Prize for Scientific Research in the Field of Parkinson's 2019. She is member of numerous scientific societies (SFN, MD, SEN, SENC) and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Granada.