Whitney Parker, MD, PhD is a neurosurgeon-scientist developing patient-based models of neurodevelopmental epileptic disorders using stem cell technology, in order to understand mechanisms of epilepsy and uncover effective therapies. Dr. Parker received her B.A., M.D., and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her doctoral work under an individual F31 NRSA grant in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Crino, investigating brain development by studying a rare form of epilepsy seen in the Mennonite community, known as Pretzel Syndrome. Due to a mutation in the STRADA gene, children with Pretzel Syndrome suffer severe developmental delay and intractable seizures. In her Ph.D. work, Dr. Parker discovered that the protein encoded by STRADA plays a critical role in neuronal migration during brain development. Based on this finding, she and colleagues demonstrated the first effective therapy for Pretzel Syndrome patients. Dr. Parker subsequently began residency training in Neurosurgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Memorial Sloan-Kettering. During residency, she is completing a postdoctoral fellowship under individual F32 NRSA and NREF grants and the Leon Levy Fellowship in the neurogenetics laboratory of Dr. M. Elizabeth Ross, developing patient-derived neuron and forebrain organoid models from patients with mutations in NR2B and STXBP1, both of which are associated with epilepsy and developmental delay, to understand the role of these proteins in brain development and test therapeutic strategies for patients.
