Emily Tharp, MD
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Texas
Rooted in Science and Service My family roots run deep in Oak Park, Illinois; my parents still live in the house I grew up in. My parents instilled the importance of education and service in my siblings and me. Living close to the west side of Chicago, we were acutely aware of our privilege. I knew I wanted to do something with my life that would be a net positive for the community.
I’ ve always been scientifically and mathematically inclined, and I loved school growing up. During college, I worked at the Rush University Alzheimer’ s Disease Center. As part of my summer internship, I attended the autopsies of individuals with Alzheimer’ s who had donated their brain and spinal cord to research. I’ ll never forget holding someone’ s brain for the first time, after an autopsy. It was almost a spiritual experience. What made someone who they were, their memories and every conversation they ever had was now just tissue I was holding in my hands. That experience was very profound for me, and it set me on the path to neurology.
On the Cusp of Change During my residency and the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship, both at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, I participated in the clinical trial process— from start to finish— for a potential disease-modifying
Parkinson’ s therapy with my mentor, Mya Schiess, MD, who is also an Edmond J. Safra Fellowship Director.
I also gained experience with seed amplification assays, which can be used to distinguish Parkinson’ s disease from other parkinsonisms. When I started medical school 10 years ago, this assay didn’ t exist. So much is changing in Parkinson’ s care and research. Our field is on the cusp of something great and I’ m excited to be part of it.
Focused on Women I’ m staying on at The University of Texas Health Science Center as faculty, splitting my time evenly between research and clinical care. I’ m especially passionate about studying women with Parkinson’ s.
Nearly all available research on the disease has heavily focused on white men, and that needs to change. I’ m working on retrospective studies that look at selective estrogen receptor modulators— medications normally used to treat osteoporosis and breast cancer in women— to see if estrogen exposure affects someone’ s risk for getting Parkinson’ s. I hope this project will help determine whether these medications confer risk or protection for a woman’ s future development of Parkinson’ s.
Fall 2025 11