TEAM

Adam King, Associate Professor within the Department of Kinesiology focuses part of his research on the neuromotor function of human movement within healthy individuals as well as for those with Parkinson’s Disease. He aims to understand the mobility and balance aspects of PD by identifying early motor deficits with walking and how exercise can maintain walking ability and reduce fall risks.

Don Galbadage is Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Health Sciences at TCU. His research integrates microbiology, molecular biology, and epidemiology to investigate neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Parkinson’s disease. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, he explores the interactions between gut microbiota, neuroinflammation, and protein aggregation in the progression of Parkinson’s disease. His goal is to identify microbial and metabolic factors that contribute to neurodegeneration and to evaluate microbiota-based therapeutic interventions. Additionally, he applies his expertise in infectious disease pathogenesis and host-microbe interactions to study how bacterial infections influence neurodegenerative processes.

Zoë Thijs is an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Thijs completed her doctoral studies at TCU with Dr. Watts in the laryngeal function lab. Prior to her her Ph.D., Dr. Thijs obtained a bachelor and masters degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Ghent, Belgium. Zoë’s clinical and research interests center on voice production and voice disorders. Her recent published work has identified epidemiological pattern of voice disorders treated in a community voice clinics and the perceptual characteristics of voice quality in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Matt Dumican is an assistant professor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. Dr. Dumican completed his doctoral studies at TCU with Dr. Watts in the laryngeal function lab. Dr. Dumican earned a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences & disorders from Sacred Heart University, and a masters degree in speech-language pathology from TCU. Dr. Dumican’s clinical and research interests center on laryngeal function in swallowing, specifically dysphagia in neurological disorders. His recent published work has identified patterns of laryngeal closure during swallowing in people with PD and comparisons of dysphagia signs in cardiovascular accident (CVA – stroke) patients compared to PD.