Mallory Hacker, PhD, MSCI
Dr. Hacker is Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received the 2019 Kumar New Investigator Award from the North American Neuromodulation Society. She has received funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), and the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA).
Dr. Hacker earned a B.S. in Chemistry in 2007 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She attended Vanderbilt University where she earned a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology studying neurodegenerative pathways arising from Coenzyme Q deficiency in 2013. She received postdoctoral training in neurology clinical research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and was a visiting assistant professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in 2016. She completed the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) program in 2019.
Research Information
Dr. Hacker’s research focuses on understanding the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in very early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients and studying objective methods to evaluate Parkinson’s disease progression. She also investigates the prevalence of spasticity in the long-term care setting and ways to improve its screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
Neurology Advisor: Benefits of Deep Brain Stimulation for Early Stage Parkinson Disease
Technology Networks: 5-year Study Shows the Long-term Efficacy of Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's
Medical Xpress: Nursing home study reveals 'woeful' underdiagnosis of spasticity
VUMC Discover: Reducing Untreated Spasticity in the Elderly
VUMC Reporter: Neuromodulation Society honors Hacker’s Parkinson’s research
The Tennessean: For Parkinson’s patients, a surreal brain surgery offers new hope
VUMC Reporter: DBS treatment may slow tremor progression in early-stage Parkinson’s patients
VUMC Reporter: Trial to test whether DBS slows Parkinson’s progression