Roberta LaPiana, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. La Piana has worked on rare genetic white-matter disorders since she was a medical resident in pediatric neurology and psychiatry. Dr. La Piana’s primary area of research examines late-onset undiagnosed forms of leukoencephalopathies. This research focuses on applying MRI pattern-recognition to define and characterize genetic white-matter diseases; to identify genes responsible for new forms of adult hereditary white-matter disorders using next-generation sequencing techniques; and to understand the clinical and MRI overlap between atypical multiple sclerosis and genetic leukoencephalopathies.