Dr. Mona Thiruchelvam is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She received her BS in Biochemistry (magna cum laude) from San Jose State University and her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2002. She subsequently was appointed as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Rochester. Dr. Thiruchelvam's research focuses on neurotoxicant induced animal models of Parkinson's disease. Her aim is to use these models to further understand the pathogenesis of the disease. She is also working on understanding the gender differences associated with Parkinson's disease and the underlying mechanisms for this difference. Understanding this basic difference can lead to the development of potential therapeutic interventions.