Paula Trujillo Diaz, MS, PhD

Paula Trujillo Diaz is a research fellow in the Neurology Department focusing on image-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. She received her bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering from Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia, Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Her doctoral research proposed a quantitive assessment of the severity of Parkinson's disease, and differentiation between individuals with the disease and healthy subjects through the analysis of MRI. After her PhD, she worked at the Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology of the Italian National Research Council, with activities in the field of neuromuscular diseases, motor and exercise rehabilitation, and focused on the analysis of biomedical signals and images (EEG and MRI). In February 2017, she joined the Neurology Department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and her current research includes investigating quantitative MRI methods to asses brain changes associated with neurodegeneration. She helps to support many projects involving mechanisms of neurodegeneration, including most recently the possible role of the recently-identified glymphatic system in these disorders.