Austrian neurologist and neurogeneticist
Sonja W. Scholz is a neurologist and neurogeneticist who is a senior investigator in the neurodegenerative diseases research unit at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Life.
Scholz received a medical degree from the Medical University of Innsbruck. Following graduation, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the laboratory of neurogenetics at National Institute on Aging under the supervision of Andrew Singleton and John Hardy from 2005 to 2009. From 2009 to 2001, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Georgetown University. She obtained a Ph.D. in neurogenomics from the University College London in 2010. She completed an internship and adult neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2011 to 2015.
Scholz is a neurologist and neurogeneticist specialized in movement and cognitive disorders. In 2015, Scholz received the McFarland Transition to Independence Award for neurologist-scientists, joining the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) as an assistant clinical investigator. In 2018, she became a Lasker Clinical Research Tenure Track Investigator within the NINDS Neurogenetics Branch. In 2024, she was tenured as a senior investigator in the neurodegenerative diseases research unit.
Her laboratory focuses on identifying genetic causes of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and frontotemporal dementia. Her work in neurogenetics has contributed to a better understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In her laboratory, genomic techniques are used to study additional neurodegenerative disorders, including Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration. The focus of her research is on identifying the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying these diseases to inform potential therapeutic approaches. Scholz's research is conducted in collaboration with national and international partners, utilizing resources from the NIH Intramural Research Program. Future directions of her work include integrating molecular data into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. Her team aims to generate large-scale genomic and multi-omic datasets from clinically characterized patients, sharing these data to support collaboration within the neuroscience community and advance the development of treatments for complex neurodegenerative conditions.
References.
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