Shashika Rodrigo, MD
Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Illinois
Science, Service— and Civil Engineering I’ ve always been drawn to work that brings together science and service. Growing up in a family of civil engineers, the importance of math and science was emphasized to me and my brother. But it was my early experiences volunteering in a hospital that showed me the impact of patient care. That connection— being able to support people in meaningful, tangible ways— ultimately led me to pursue medicine.
During my training, neurology immediately stood out for its complexity and the rigor it demands. Within that, I felt especially drawn to movement disorders— and Parkinson’ s disease in particular. These are conditions that affect many aspects of a person’ s life, which means care extends far beyond managing symptoms. It requires listening, problemsolving and building long-term relationships with patients and families.
Learning What Comprehensive Care Really Means In my first year of fellowship, I focused on developing clinical expertise while deepening my understanding of Parkinson’ s disease. This experience has shaped me as a clinician and shown me what truly comprehensive Parkinson’ s care can look like. This means always ensuring patients feel supported and heard, whether they are navigating motor or non-motor symptoms.
Alongside my clinical work, I’ ve focused on research exploring the ways Parkinson’ s progresses in different individuals. I’ m particularly interested in patients whose disease develops more quickly compared with those whose disease advances more slowly— and whether there are meaningful differences between those groups.
My research explores a range of factors that may help explain those differences, including clinical features such as symptoms, medications and other health conditions, as well as sociodemographic characteristics. By better understanding these patterns, I hope to contribute to a more nuanced view of Parkinson’ s progression— one that can ultimately support more personalized care and inform future research.
San Antonio, and What Comes Next As my fellowship comes to a close, I’ m preparing to join the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where I’ ll focus on building a movement disorders practice grounded in the principles of comprehensive care I’ ve learned throughout my fellowship. I’ m committed to building a system where patients feel supported, both in the clinical setting and beyond.
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