Bio
Dr. Bianca Palushaj is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurologist with Stanford Health Care. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Palushaj specializes in movement disorders, including but not limited to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian disorders, essential tremor, and dystonia. She has also developed a practice in diagnosing and treating disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), which often occur in individuals with neurodegenerative disease.
She enjoys caring for the whole person and looks at how all parts of the body are connected. She considers how things like sleep, stress, diet, and daily habits can affect the microbiome, gut, brain, and overall well-being.
Dr. Palushaj’s research focuses on advancing our understanding and treatment of PD. She has special interest in the gut-brain connection in PD, including the role of the gut microbiome and inflammation in PD. She has also investigated how to measure non-motor PD symptoms, such as gastrointestinal dysfunction, using noninvasive, wearable technologies.
Dr. Palushaj has published her findings in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Neurology, NeuroImage, and Cell Reports Methods. She has also written chapters for integrative medicine books on PD and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Palushaj has presented at international, national, and regional conferences, including the Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD™) Conference and the Parkinson Study Group Annual Meeting. She has also spoken about her research to several PD support groups across Northern California, including PD Active and Parkinson’s Support Group of Sonoma County.
Dr. Palushaj is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. She is also a member of Women in Neurology and Women in Medicine.
