Episode 16 - Dr. Ira Shoulson (Memories of Venezuela)

On this special episode of the HD Insights Podcast, Dr. Daniel Claassen, chief editor of the HD Insights magazine, serves as guest host in speaking with Dr. Ira Shoulson about his perspectives from the research project in Venezuela in the early 1990s that ultimately led to the discovery of the HD gene. He shares fond memories of what it was like to be part of that project led by Dr. Nancy Wexler. Dr. Shoulson has had a prominent role in HD research throughout the years. He is a co-founder of the Huntington Study Group, and was part of the team that developed the Unified Huntington’s Disease Ratings Scale, or UHDRS. This is also the first episode among others planned that takes a deeper dive into some of the disparities that impact access to quality HD care. In this instance, for the people in this area of Venezuela, the geographic and severe socio economic disparities that isolated them from the rest of the country.