I am a Director of the Mount Sinai Health System Movement Disorders Center and the Mirken Family Professor of Neurology. Over the last 30 years, my research has focused on identifying etiologies and disease mechanisms, especially genetic, that underlie dystonia (TORIA, THAP1, GNAL, GCH1, SGCE) and Parkinson’s disease (LRRK2, GBA ). My unique contribution has been in helping to create and promote translational teams and my special expertise has been clinical characterization and family studies aimed at identifying relatively homogeneous subgroups likely to share etiologies. As an extension of this work, once genetic etiologies are identified I have pursued further translational research aimed at expanding understanding of gene expression; this includes using additional clinical testing, imaging, and biomarkers of pathology. My work has been supported by the NIH, Michael J Fox Foundation, Dystonia Medical research Foundation and Bachmann Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson’s Foundation.