With over 80 published scientific articles that have been cited more than 4,000 times, Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein’s research has been integral to the fields of both cardiology and neuroscience. Joining Columbia University in 1993, he performed key research, investigating the safety and efficacy of the heart failure drug nesiritide. In 2008, he joined the FDA, where he played a crucial role in spearheading safety and innovation programs and worked to prepare the Administration for a new wave of medical devices and technologies.
In 2021, Sackner-Bernstein published a seminal study in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, with data indicating that Parkinsons sufferers experience dopamine excess rather than deficiency, and that patients could benefit from lowered dopamine levels. This year, Sackner-Bernstein founded and launched Right Brain Bio, a company devoted to developing a therapy for Parkinson’s based on his research. “I’ve learned that presenting a contrarian view is a really, really tough battle,” he explained. “If I could change anything about human behavior, it would be that people would be willing to give 15-20 minutes to hear the data…before dismissing a completely novel idea—especially when the novel idea can address a major health problem that no one can address.”
