All About Spastic Ataxia

During this webinar, experts will discuss Spastic Ataxia, the typical diagnostic journey for those affected, what to expect for clinical care, and an overview of current research into this disease. For more information on Ataxia, please visit our website: https://www.ataxia.org Become a Free NAF member! https://bit.ly/JoinNAF Follow us on Social Media! NAF Facebook: / ataxiafounda. . NAF Twitter: / naf_ataxia NAF Instagram: / ataxiafound. . Ataxia Subreddit: / ataxia About the Speaker- Speaker: Joana Damásio, MD, PhD Bio: Joana Damásio, MD PhD is a neurologist and clinician-scientist specializing in hereditary ataxias, neurogenetics, and movement disorders. She serves as Graduate Assistant in Neurology at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António (CHUdSA), Neurologist at the Centre for Predictive and Preventive Genetics, and Invited Associate Professor at ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto. She coordinates the Neurology Outpatient Clinic at CHUdSA and the Ataxia Centre of Excellence and is an active member of the multidisciplinary movement disorders and deep brain stimulation teams. Dr. Damásio is actively involved in medical education, supervising Master’s and PhD students, while integrating clinical practice with translational neuroscience research. She is a member of Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine/ ICBAS, collaborates with research institutions as Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, and has participated in several Phase I–IV clinical trials as principal investigator and sub-investigator, particularly in the fields of ataxias and other neurodegenerative disorders. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. Her work focuses on hereditary ataxias and translational approaches aimed at improving diagnosis, patient care, and therapeutic development. Dr. Damásio is currently President of the Portuguese Society of Movement Disorders (2025–2027) and is an active member of several international neurological and neurogenetics networks and collaborative initiatives. About the Series: NAF is producing a series of monthly educational webinars that focus on one type of Ataxia at a time. Each month we will feature a different type. Clinical experts will join us to take a look at the causes and symptoms of the disease, the typical diagnostic journey for those affected, and what to expect for clinical care. Research experts will teach us how the disease is studied and give an overview of the current state of research and drug development.