Dr. Kluger’s research focuses on non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, particularly fatigue and cognitive issues. Dr. Kluger is interested in improving our understanding of the causes of these symptoms using psychological testing and other imaging techniques to examine brain activity. He is also very interested in developing better therapies for Parkinson’s disease patients with fatigue and cognitive difficulties.

Dr. Amina Alio is a Public Health researcher dedicated to promoting health equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare. Her expertise lies in using community-engaged approaches and mixed-methods to identify and address disparities in health outcomes across diverse populations, with a focus on African Americans and the Diaspora. Her work emphasizes the importance of culturally relevant approaches to health promotion and disease prevention, aiming to foster sustainable improvements in health outcomes for marginalized groups. Dr. Alio has worked with communities nationally and globally to conduct research in disparities primarily in sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

Lulu Tong joined the COPE-PD study after assisting many different research groups across the University of Rochester, including neuromuscular, child neurology, and epilepsy. Lulu enjoys playing video games (as does Cory), and doing crafts such as crochet and drawing. She is excited to work with our study participants, community partners and be a part of the team working to improve quality of life and access to palliative resources.

Cory Livne is a study coordinator with former experience in radiation oncology’s clinical research team. Her interest in palliative care stems from her father’s current journey with Parkinson’s disease; it’s difficult to watch the people you care about suffer, and (after consulting her tarot deck) she joined the COPE-PD team. She believes that this study will improve the standard of care for PD and will help incorporate the care partner amd family more.

A trained Chaplain with a strong background in spiritual care, Connor was drawn into Palliative Care through his work as a Hospice chaplain, then at Strong Memorial Hospital where he worked alongside palliative care teams in Wilmot Cancer Center as well as with Neuropalliative Clinic with Dr. Benzi Kluger. His passion for palliative care stems from being a part of an interdisciplinary team of chaplains, social workers, physicians, etc. and witnessing the many layers of care people with Parkinson’s and other related diseases benefit from. He longs to see the expansion of these services for the benefit of more people and is grateful to be a part of the mission of COPE-PD to advocate for this powerful model of care.