A Community-Academic Alliance
Bringing Brain Health Resources to the Community

Meet Dr. Adrissi

Mission

The mission of the Parkinson's C.O.R.E. Collaborative (P.C.C.) is to develop sustainable solutions to address disparities in brain health within the Black community through advocacy, education, resources, and research. We achieve this by partnering with community organizations and centering the Black community in our steps to achieve equity in brain health, particularly in Parkinson's disease.

Vision

To change the face of Parkinson's disease to be more inclusive of the Black community.

Pillars

Community-Building
Outreach

Research

Education

Meet the Team

The P.C.C. is made up of passionate community- and equity-focused researchers dedicated to addressing health disparities in brain health within the Black community of Los Angeles and beyond.

An image of doctor Adrissi standing next to her research poster in Coppanhagen.

Founder and Program Director

Jennifer Adrissi, MD MSCR

Dr. Adrissi is a movement disorders neurologist and health services researcher at UCLA, dedicated to improving outcomes and access disparities in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Adrissi received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in Physiology and Neurobiology and her M.D. from Northwestern University. She completed her Neurology residency and Movement Disorders fellowship at Northwestern University.

During her fellowship training, she also received her Master of Science degree in Clinical Research from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Her research interests include the use of community based participatory research methods to promote brain health and develop community-partnered interventions to improve access to specialized care, support resources, and research opportunities in PD and other neurodegenerative disorders within the Black community and other historically and currently marginalized groups.

An image of research lab member Jessica smiling with a green long sleeve button down and purple tie.

Research Associate

Jessica Vinegar, MPH CHES

Jessica Vinegar is the Research Associate of the Parkinson's C.O.R.E. Collaborative in the Neurology Department at UCLA and a Certified Health Education Specialist.

She earned her Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from the California State University (CSU) Fullerton and her Bachelors in Health Science with a focus in Community Health from CSU Dominguez Hills in Carson, California.

She has worked in governmental, nonprofit, and educational settings addressing educational and health inequities of under-resourced communities across the life course.