Dr. Okeanis Vaou is a neurologist specialized in movement disorders and sleep medicine with a particular interest in exercise and Parkinson’s disease (PD). She is a site-PI for the SPARX3 clinical trial, which is a research study aimed at understanding PD and the impact of high-intensity endurance exercise on disease progression. Dr. Vaou is also involved with the PDGENEration study, where she focuses on expanding research in the Hispanic population. In the past year, more than 200 subjects enrolled in the PDGENEration study, 32% of which are Hispanic. Because UT Health San Antonio is positioned in an area with a majority (64%) Hispanic population that is known for its rich Hispanic heritage, the goal of Dr. Vaou’s research is to recruit more Hispanic individuals into all research studies. Her other research interests include improving exercise compliance (funded by the Parkinson’s Foundation), deep brain stimulation and sleep medicine.