World Parkinson Coalition Inc.
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info@worldpdcongress.org WPC 2010 Limited
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Committee Biographies
For more information about WPC 2010 leadership, click on the individual names for a short biography.
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Patrick Aebischer, M.D. (Switzerland) was trained as an MD (1980) and a Neuroscientist (1983) at the University of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. From 1984 to 1992, he worked at Brown University in Providence (Rhode Island, USA), as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Medical Sciences. In the fall of 1992, he returned to Switzerland as a Professor and Director of the Surgical Research Division and Gene Therapy Center at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne. In 1999, Patrick Aebischer was nominated President of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) by the Swiss Federal Council. He took office on March 17th, 2000. His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene transfer approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Mary G. Baker, M.B.E. (UK) is President of the European Federation of Neurological Associations, Vice President of the European Brain Council, Consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chair of the Working Group on Parkinson's Disease, formed by the WHO in May 1997. She is Director at Large for the World Stroke Association, patient editor of the British Medical Journal, member of the ABPI Code of Practice and has received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Surrey in recognition of her work within the world of Parkinson's disease.
Judith Blazer, M.S. (US) is the Executive Director of WE MOVE. She has been with WE MOVE since its inception in 1991 and has functioned as Executive Director since 1994. Ms. Blazer earned her Bachelor's Degree in health education from New York University, and her Master's Degree from Columbia University, School of Dental and Oral Surgery. Ms. Blazer combined a career of healthcare administration with a teaching position at Columbia SDOS for over 15 years. Utilizing her experience in health care delivery, education, marketing, communications, and administration, Ms. Blazer has overseen WE MOVE's evolution from a small, University-based program, to an internationally recognized and highly respected not-for-profit organization. WE MOVE is an accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME) and the only not-for-profit organization that provides medical and scientific information about all movement disorders to patients and their families as well as healthcare professionals. Ms. Blazer, a recognized leader in the movement disorder community, serves on numerous committees and advisory boards of not-for-profit organizations including the American Academy of Neurology/Movement Disorder Society Planning Committee for regional CME courses; American Academy of Neurology, Subcommittee on the Education of the Non-Neurologist; the American Brain Coalition; American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (ASENT) Advocacy Task Force; Child Neurology Foundation, Subcommittee for Advocacy Relations; Easter Seals, Spasticity National Advisory Board; and American Academy of Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine, Continuing Education Committee.
Anders Björklund, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden) has been researching reparative and neuroprotective mechanisms in the CNS using cell replacement and gene transfer techniques. In the 1970s his group pioneered studies of neural transplantation to the brain, and developed techniques for cell replacement in animal models of Parkinson's disease. Over the last 15 years the Lund neural transplantation program, headed by Professor Olle Lindvall, has been one of the leading clinical programs for the development of restorative therapies in Parkinson's disease.
Current research at the Wallenberg Neuroscience Center is focused on the use of neural stem cells and viral vector-mediated gene transfer for neuroprotection and brain repair, with the aim to develop new therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Kieran Breen , B.Sc., Ph.D. (UK) was appointed as Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) in March 2005. The primary role is to stimulate and co-ordinate PDS-funded research within the U.K., which was £4.2 million in 2007. He also represents the Society on external bodies including the Association of Medical Research Charities, Department of Health and the Medical Research Council. His previous position was Co-ordinator of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre in Dundee/Edinburgh and senior lecturer in biochemical psychiatry. He has 64 peer-reviewed research publications, four reviews and four book chapters. He has served as an external expert for the European Commission and the Australian Medical Research council in addition to UK charity advisory boards and editorial panels. He has served as a Trustee on a number of a number of Charities associated with people with disabilities.
David Brooks, M.D., D.Sc. (UK) is Hartnett Professor of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London. He is also Head of the Neurology Group at the Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London. Additionally, he is Head of Neurology, Medical Diagnostics, GE Healthcare PLC.
He is a member of the Research Advisory Panel of the UK Parkinson's Disease Society (Chairman 1996-7) and UK Huntington's Disease Association. He has been Chairman of the Scientific Issues Committee of the Movement Disorder Society 1998-2002 and of the Council of Management of the UK Parkinson's Disease Society 1997-8 and a member of the Research Advisory Board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (2002-2006) and the UK Medical Research Council Neuroscience and Mental Health Board. He is on the Editorial Boards of Brain, Journal of Neural Transmission, Synapse, Molecular Imaging and Biology, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Current Trends in Neurology, and was on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 1998-2004 and Movement Disorders 1994-1998. In 1993 he was elected a member of the American Neurology Association and in 2001 a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science, UK. In 2002 he was invited to give the Stan Fahn Lecture at the International Congress of Movement Disorders, Miami, in 2003 the George Cotzias Lecture in Madrid, in 2004 the Charles E. Wilson Lecture, The Psychobiology Institute, Jerusalem March 2004 and in 2005 the Kuhl-Lassen lecture at the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Toronto.
His research involves the use of positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose and study the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and their validation of biomarkers therapeutic trials. To date, he has published over 250 reports in peer reviewed journals, including Nature , and his research is currently supported by grants from the UK Medical Research Council, the UK Wellcome Trust, Michael J. Fox Foundation, UK Parkinson's Disease Society and industry.
Jean Burns (US) was diagnosed with PD in 2003. Four years later, Jean and a friend co-founded www.pdplan4life.com , dedicated to helping people around the world live well with Parkinson's.
Jean is active in several Parkinson's organizations including the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN), and is on the Board of the Arizona Chapter of APDA (AZ-APDA). In 2006 she was honored by AZ-APDA as its distinguished volunteer. The following year, PAN recognized her with the Murray Charters Award for outstanding service to the Parkinson's community.
Marie Francoise-Chesselet, M.D., Ph.D. (US) received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Paris VI, in France. She completed her internship at the Hopital de l'Hotel Dieu in Paris and her PhD thesis in the laboratory of Jacques Glowinski at the College of France. After obtaining a position at the CNRS, she joined the laboratory of Ann Graybiel at MIT and the laboratory of Michael Bronstein at the NIH as a Visiting Scientist. She held faculty appointments at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania before joining UCLA as the Charles H. Markham Professor of Neurology in 1996. She is currently Chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is also Director of the APDA Advanced Center for Parkinson's Disease Research, Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research and the Center for Gene Environment Studies in Parkinson's Disease at UCLA.
Mark Cookson, Ph.D. (US) received both his BSc and PhD degrees from the University of Salford, UK in 1991 and 1995, respectively. His postdoctoral studies included time spent at the Medical Research Council laboratories and at the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, UK. He joined the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, as an Assistant Professor in 2000 and moved to the National Institute on Aging at NIH Bethesda, MD in 2002. Within the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Dr. Cookson's group works on movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, attempting to understand mechanisms leading to neuronal damage. The group uses cellular and molecular biology techniques to model how the effects of mutations in genes associated with familial forms of PD (alpha-synuclein, parkin, DJ-1, PINK1 and LRRK2) affect protein function. Dr Cookson has published over 80 original papers and review articles. He is currently a member of the editorial boards for Neurobiology of Disease, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Neuroscience and PlosOne and of the scientific advisory board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Lester D. Corp, B.Sc., F.C.A., F.C.M.I. (UK) is the accountant for the Parkinson's Disease Society in the UK..
Philip Couldery, B.C.A. (UK) is the accountant for the European Parkinson Disease Association.
Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D. (US)is the Leonard Madlyn Professor of Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience and the Graduate Program in Cellular & Molecular and the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence and Director of the Neuroregeneration and Repair Program in the Institute for Cell Engineering. Dr. Dawson is world-renowned for his novel contributions on the role of nitric oxide in neuronal injury. He has published over 320 full-length manuscripts and review articles. He is one of the top five cited Neuroscientists in the last decade. He has a strong background in neuroanatomy, pharmacology, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and the use of in vivo and in vitro model systems to study pathogenic mechanisms. Dr. Dawson has won several awards including the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award, the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholar Award, the Santiago Grisolia Medal (2001). He was honored in 2000 with the ISI Highly Cited Researcher Award. He is the Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board of the Bachman-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation and serves on the Medical Advisory Board (MAB) of the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and he is a member of the Faculty of 1000 Biology Neurobiology of Disease and Regeneration Section of the Neuroscience Faculty. Many advances in neurobiology of disease have stemmed from Dr. Dawson's identification of the mechanisms of neuronal cell death and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. He pioneered the role of nitric oxide in neuronal injury in stroke and excitotoxicity and elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which nitric oxide and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and apoptosis inducing factor kills neurons. His studies of nitric oxide led to major insights into the neurotransmitter functions of this gaseous messenger molecule. He co-discovered the neurotrophic properties of non-immunosuppressant immunophilin ligands. His laboratory has also made major advances in understanding the underlying mechanisms of familial associated mutations and the elucidation of the role and function of a-Synuclein, DJ-1, LRRK2 and Parkin in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Dawson's discoveries have led to innovative approaches and enhanced the development of new agents to treat neurologic disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Due to Dr. Dawson's interest and expertise in PD he was asked to serve on the Program committee.
Alessandro Di Rocco, M.D. (US) graduated from the University of Genova, Italy, and completed his residency in Neurology and a fellowship in Movement Disorders and Geriatric Neurology with Dr. Melvin D. Yahr and Dr. Warren Olanow at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He is currently Chief of the Division of Movement Disorders at New York University School of Medicine and Director of the NYU Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center that was recently designated a “Center of Excellence” by the National Parkinson Foundation. Dr. Di Rocco is the principal investigator of a NIH-funded study on depression and Parkinson's disease and has been the principal investigator or a co-investigator in a number of other studies supported by NIH and other major foundations. His research interests are focused on the cognitive and psychiatric complications of PD and on developing new models of care for patients with PD and their families, particularly for those with more advanced disease. He is also actively engaged in national and international programs to promote education on PD and improve quality of care and access to medical services. He is a member of several public and private panels and commissions, and has been recently elected president of the Melvin Yahr International Parkinson's Disease Foundation, an organization that works closely with the World Federation of Neurology to support the work and education of young Parkinson investigators worldwide.
Patric Donaghue, M.B.A., E.A.(US)
Robin Anthony Elliott (US) has been executive director of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, Inc. since October 1996. Active in development, communications and not-for-profit management in New York City for more than 30 years, he has served variously as vice president for development and external affairs at Teachers College, Columbia University (1988-95) and (with the same title) at Hunter College, The City University of New York (1982-88); as deputy to the Chancellor for University Relations at the City University of New York (1979-82); and as director of information and education at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (1971-79).
Mr. Elliott grew up in southern England and received his formal education at Bradfield (a preparatory school; 1954-59); Magdalen College, Oxford University (B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics, 1962); and Columbia University (M.A. in American Government and Politics, 1965). He is active in reproductive health and rights (as member of the board of directors of Washington-based Advocates for Youth, an organization he co-founded in 1980) and serves also on the boards of directors of the St. Cecilia Chorus (an oratorio group, to which he contributes a lusty bass-baritone), and Community Health Charities (on both national and New York State levels).
Marian Emr (US) is the Director of the Office of Communications and Public Liaison at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. As the NINDS' senior manager for public communications, she plans and directs the Institute's program of media relations, community relations, public education, and scientific information. Before joining the NINDS in 1990, Ms. Emr served as the Deputy Information Officer for the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Prior to that, she was a medical and science writer specializing in the areas of mental health and aging.
Ms. Emr received her bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude in journalism and political science from Syracuse University in 1976. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Brain Attack Coalition; the NIH MEDLINEplus Advisory Group: the National Stroke Association Professional Advisory Committee and Prevention Advisory Board; the PDTrials Steering Committee and she is a founder of the Alzheimer's Association, a national voluntary health organization with more than 200 chapters worldwide. She was on the Steering Committee for the inaugural WPC in 2006 and chaired the Communications Committee for that event. She has received numerous awards for public service and is active in community affairs.
Murat Emre, M.D. (Turkey) was born in 1956, in Eregli, Turkey. After studying medicine at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine he was trained in neuroscience and clinical neurology at the University of Zürich. He then worked in the fields of neurorehabilitation and clinical research in Switzerland for several years. He trained in movement disorders with Prof. David Marsden at the Queen Square National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, London and in behavioral neurology with Prof. Marsel Mesulam at the Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 1996 he was assigned as Professor of Neurology at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine where he started the Behavioral Neurology and Movement Disorders Unit, which he has been chairing since then. His research interests are in Parkinson's disease and related disorders, in particular cognitive aspects of the disease, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Stanley Fahn, M.D. (US) is the H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurology and Director of the Center for Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center . He currently is the immediate Past-President of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). He founded the Movement Disorder Society and served as the Chairman of its Steering Committee. After its constitution was approved, he was elected its first president. The Movement Disorder Society, an international organization of professionals active in this subspecialty; has honored him by naming one of the two principal lectureships at its annual International Congresses after him. He was the founding co editor of the journal Movement Disorders, and served in this capacity for the first 10 years of the journal's existence, until 1996. He has also served as Associate Editor of Neurology for 10 years. Dr. Fahn has twice served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs for the Food and Drug Administration. He currently serves on an NIH Oversight Committee to review and give advice on clinical trials on neuroprotection for PD. Dr. Fahn and his scientific colleagues at Columbia University were awarded a Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health in 1999, and it is currently ongoing.
Dr. Fahn organized and executed the development of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and modified and popularized the use of the Schwab England ADL score for global severity of this disease. Both of these rating scores are used worldwide, the former to determine the severity of PD, and the latter as a measure of quality of life. He has participated in many clinical trials of a variety of pharmacotherapeutic agents for PD. Along with Dr. Ira Shoulson; Dr. Fahn was a co founder of the Parkinson Study Group (PSG), a consortium of clinical investigators dedicated to conduct controlled clinical trials on the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Fahn has received numerous honors and delivered many titled lectures at a variety of universities around the world. The American Academy of Neurology honored him with the Wartenberg Award for outstanding clinical research in 1986, the First Movement Disorder Prize for outstanding contributions in this field in 1997, and their A. B. Baker Award for outstanding educator in neurology in 1996. The American Neurological Association awarded him the First Soriano Lectureship for excellence in research; the American Parkinson Disease Association, their Fred Springer Prize; the Blepharospasm Association enrolled him in their Hall Of Fame; the Huntington Disease Society of America, their Guthrie Family Humanitarian Award; and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, their Page and William Black Lifetime Achievement Award. NIH selected Dr. Fahn to deliver the 2000 Neurodegeneration Lecture. He received the Srinivasan Award in Chennai , India , in February 2002. In October 2002 he was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academies. In November 2002, he was elected an Honorary Member of the Movement Disorder Society. In October 2003, he was elected an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Neurology. In October 2006, he was elected an Honorary Member of the American Neurological Society. Dr. Fahn has been elected an Honorary Member of several foreign neurological societies: Associacion Colombiana de Neurologia, 1986; Sociedad Espa ñ ol de Neurologia, 1987; "Membre d'honneur à titre étranger" (Foreign Honorary Member) of the Société Française de Neurologie (French Neurological Society), 2002. In October 2007, he received the James Parkinson Medal, awarded every 10 years, from the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
Dr. Fahn chaired and was chief organizer of the successful First World Parkinson Congress held in Washington, DC, in February 2006.
Steve Ford (UK) is the CEO of the Parkinson's Disease Society in the United Kingdom.
Peter Fletcher, M.D. (UK) is Consultant Physician in the Department of Medicine for the Elderly at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He specialises in Movement Disorders and shares service delivery with colleagues in Medicine for the Elderly, Neurology, Psychiatry as well as nursing and the allied health professions. He runs clinics on 5 sites across a very rural county and leads a special interest group.
He is a founder member of and educational advisor to the Pd Academy and has contributed to all Masterclasses from their inception in 2002 to date. He is current chair of the British Geriatrics Society Movement Disorders Section and president of his local branch of the Parkinson's Disease Society. He is local principal investigator for the PDMED (Pd medicines) and the PDGEN (Pd genetics) studies and will lead locally for the PDREHAB (Pd rehabilitation) study.
He is also a Senior Lecturer and an Undergraduate Medical Dean at the University of Bristol. He has an MSc in Medical Education and leads for the Medical School on interprofessional learning and personal and professional development in the curriculum. He examines for the University of Bristol and for the Royal College of Physicians of London.
Karl Friedl, Ph.D. (US) holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His early research on steroid hormones and responses to military stressors at the Department of Clinical Investigation, Madigan Army Medical Center, in Tacoma, Washington, was followed by research on body composition and nutrition at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, in Natick, Massachusetts. Beginning in 1993, he served as a staff officer in the Army Systems Hazards Research Program, eventually becoming the Research Area Director (RAD) for the Military Operational Medicine (MOM) Research Program, at the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland. As the RAD, he established a coordinated plan of biomedical research on protection and enhancement of the Soldier, instituted program-level external scientific review of all MOM research, and expanded inter-service cooperation and collaborative projects with other federal agencies including the Department of Veteran's Affairs, National Institutes of Health, National Aeronautics and Space Agency, and the United States Department of Agriculture. As the RAD, COL Friedl was responsible for management of greater than one billion dollars of research funding. COL Friedl assumed command of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, the lead laboratory for Military Operational Medicine research, in August 2003. He has published over 100 papers including 57 original reports, 18 book chapters, and other reviews and technical reports. COL Friedl received recognition from members of Congress for his work on Gulf War Illnesses research and the Parkinson's disease related research program: the Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Program.
Thomas Gasser, Ph.D. (Germany) is a Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research at the University of Tübingen, Germany.
Prof. Gasser studied medicine at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and at Yale University Medical School , New Haven Connecticut . He received his professional training in psychiatry at the Max Planck-Institute of Psychiatry in Munich and in Neurology at the Department of Neurology of the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich . From 1991 to 1993 he trained as a Post-doctoral fellow with a stipend of the German Research Foundation at the Neuroscience Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School , in Boston in the laboratory of Prof. Xandra Breakefield. He returned to Munich to become assistant professor in Neurology and head of the Neurogenetics Unit as well as the Movement Disorders Outpatient Unit at the Department of Neurology of Munich University . In 2002, he became head of the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases of the Hertie-Institute of Clinical Brain Research at the University of Tübingen .
His main areas of research are the genetic and molecular basis of Parkinson's disease, dystonia and other movement disorders, as well as their diagnosis and treatment.
Gladys González-Ramos, Ph.D. (US) is Associate Professor at New York University Silver School of Social Work, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology at the New York University School of Medicine. She received her Master's and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Social Work from NYU. Dr. Gonzalez-Ramos has worked in the field of mental health for over thirty years. She has been particularly interested in access to care and developing community- based services for diverse families. Her primary areas of research and publications have been in the provision of culturally-competent services.
Since 2000, Dr. Gonzalez-Ramos has served as a consultant to The National Parkinson Foundation, particularly in the areas of service delivery to persons and family caregivers affected by Parkinson's disease. Through her work with NPF, she helped obtain grant funding to develop national educational and care initiatives that are both responsive to underserved persons and families affected by Parkinson's disease and also train health care professionals who provide care. She helped to develop and serves on the social work faculty of the Allied Team Training for Parkinson program (ATTP), an interdisciplinary training program for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals. She is also Co-director of the Community Partners for Parkinson Care (CPP) health promotion and community outreach program designed to partner with communities to improve access to Parkinson's care. In addition, she is involved in the planning process at the NYU Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center, where among various responsibilities, she supervises social work services, community-based wellness and support programs.
Lizzie Graham (UK) is the Secretary-General for the European Parkinson's Disease Association. She has been involved in the Parkinson's disease field for twenty years with the EPDA specifically since it was formed in 1992, whilst working at the Parkinson's Disease Society (UK). In November 2001 she was appointed as EPDA Executive Officer, in a freelance capacity, to manage the organization and its development, projects, conferences, promotion and marketing, and to raise its funding.
Mariella Graziano, Physiotherapist B.Sc. ( Luxemburg) qualified in 1977 as a physiotherapist in Argentina. In 1981 she emigrated to the UK and retrained as a physiotherapist in Great Britain.
She worked for several years as a neurophysiotherapist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, where she developed a special interest in movement disorders and Parkinson's disease. In 1997 she moved to Luxembourg, where she runs her own practice. She is serving her third term of office as secretary of the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA). She is the chair of the Association of Physiotherapists in Parkinson's Disease Europe (APPDE), and vice president of Parkinson Luxembourg Association.
She has produced and is involved in the development of teaching material for people with Parkinson's and their families, lectures to physiotherapists and other health care professionals on physiotherapy and its management of PD, and runs workshops designed for people with PD.
Donald Grosset, M.D. (UK) is Consultant Neurologist at the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Glasgow, and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. His neurology interests began with his BSc degree (1 st Class, 1983) and continued through to the award of his higher medical degree (1992).
His ongoing clinical and research interests are in Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. He is director of the Regional Movement Disorder Clinic, a co-founder of the Glasgow Movement Disorder Group, an active member of the Dementia and Neurodegenerative Research Network (DeNDRON), Chair of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network for Parkinson's disease, and is active with Glasgow Biomedicine research, with specific responsibility for the Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience section. Prior positions include: Clinical Directorship for Neurology and Neurophysiology, membership of the Research Advisory Panel of the Parkinson's Disease Society, and Secretary and Treasurer to the Scottish Association of Neurological Societies.
His research is currently focused on diagnostic accuracy for Parkinson's Disease. He also serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Movement Disorders, and the Education Committee of the International Movement Disorder Society.
Katherine Grosset, M.D. (UK) is a General Practitioner with a special interest in Movement Disorders and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. She works with her husband Donald Grosset and Dr Graeme Macphee in the movement disorder service at the Southern General Hospital Glasgow as well as in primary care in a deprived area in the east end of Glasgow. Her research interests and publications include work on therapy compliance and medicine-taking behavior in Parkinson's disease. She participated in the PD sub-group of Quality Improvement Scotland to improve the services for people with Parkinson's disease in Scotland. She has contributed to the book “Parkinson's Disease: Clinician's Desk Reference” (co-edited with Donald Grosset, Hubert Fernandez and Michael Okun).
Peter Hagell, R.N., Ph.D. (Sweden) is associate professor at the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University , Lund, Sweden . Dr. Hagell has a clinical background as a neuroscience nurse and subspecialized in movement disorders. He received his Ph.D. (doctor of medical science, in the field of neurology) from the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University , Lund, Sweden . His scientific background involves the study of graft effects and function in cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease. Current scientific interest and activities are focused on measuring and understanding outcomes in Parkinson's disease, and involves development, application and evaluation of health economic, clinician- and patient-reported outcome measures, with an emphasis on methodological aspects such as measurement validity and interpretation. His research has been published in journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Brain, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry , Journal of Neurology, and Value in Health , and his research is currently supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Parkinson Foundation and industry. Dr. Hagell is a member of the steering committee of the Swedish Parkinson Academy , past current scientific chair and vice president of the Word Federation of Neuroscience Nurses (WFNN), and has served on several editorial, organizing and scientific committees as well as in leadership positions of professional organizations. Dr. Hagell has received several awards, including the Swedish Parkinson's Disease Association's Bronze Medal of Honor, the WFNN Agnes Marshall Research Award, and the New Investigator Award from the International Society for Quality of Life Research.
Ruth Hagestuen, R.N. (US) is the Vice President and Director of Programs at the National Parkinson Foundation. Ms. Hagestuen's work with Parkinson's disease began in 1987 when she joined the Methodist Hospital Parkinson Centers as nurse coordinator. In this role and as leader of an evolving Center she became Manager, and later Program Director in 1995 as the Methodist Hospital Parkinson Center relocated to a freestanding facility. The new facility, designed to provide comprehensive care for persons with Parkinson's disease and their families, was renamed the Struthers Parkinson's Center.
The Struthers Center became affiliated with the National Parkinson Foundation in 1995 as a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence. She joined the Foundation staff in July, 2000 as National Program Director. In this position she worked nationally with affiliates developing strategies to better address identified needs in the Parkinson community. Two signature programs that were initiated through that process were the Allied Team Training for Parkinson's and the Community Partners Program.
In January, 2003, she assumed a new position as Director of Field Services. Since that time Ruth has been responsible for NPF's programs in the field, which include NPF's Centers of Excellence, NPF Care Centers, Outreach Centers , Chapters, Allied Team Training for Parkinson and the Community Partners Program. Field Services programs also include support group and wellness initiatives, the Young Onset Parkinson Network, and Caregiver Connections. Her current title is Vice President, Director of Programs.
John Hardy, M.D., Ph.D. (UK) is a human geneticist and molecular biologist whose research interests focus on neurological disease. Dr. Hardy received his B.Sc. (Hons) degree from the University of Leeds, UK (1976) and his Ph.D. from Imperial College, London, UK where he studied dopamine and amino acid neuropharmacology. Dr. Hardy performed his postdoctoral training at the MRC Neuropathogenesis Unit in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and then further postdoctoral work at the Swedish Brain Bank in Umea, Sweden where he started to work on Alzheimer's disease. He became Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at St. Mary's Hospital, Imperial College, London in 1985 and initiated genetic studies of Alzheimer's disease there. He became Associate Professor in 1989 and then took the Pfeiffer Endowed Chair of Alzheimer's Research at the University of South Florida, in Tampa in 1992. In 1996 he moved to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, as Consultant and Professor of Neuroscience. He became Chair of Neuroscience in 2000 and moved to NIA as Chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics in 2001. He has won the MetLife, the Allied Signal and the Potamkin Prize for his work in describing the first genetic mutations, in the amyloid gene in Alzheimer's disease, in 1991. In May 2007 he returned to London to take a Chair in Molecular Neuroscience at the Institute of Neurology, UCL.
Nobutaka Hattori, M.D. (Japan) received his medical degree from Juntendo University in 1985. He became a resident in Department of Neurology of Juntendo Hospital. After finishing residency training in Juntendo Hospital, he was appointed as an assistant professor of neurology at Juntendo University in Tokyo, Japan in 1988. He was certified by Japanese Neurological Society in 1989. He was admitted to Juntendo University in 1990. He trained in molecular biology at Department of Biomedical Chemistry of Nagoya University from 1990 to 1993. Then Dr. Hattori graduated from graduate school at 1994. Dr. Hattori was appointed as the assistant professor of neurology of Juntendo University School of Medicine in 1995, and then became an associate professor of neurology in 2003. Finally, Dr. Hattori became the professor and chairman of neurology of Juntendo University School of Medicine in 2006. Dr. Hattori is an active member of Japanese Neurological Association and a corresponding member of American Neurological Association. Dr. Hattori is also a member of Movement Disorders Society. Dr. Hattori serves as an ad hoc reviewer of many international journals.
Dr. Hattori has been interested in the etiology and pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Hattori found decrease in the amount of complex I in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease patients. More recently, Dr. Hattori and his collaborators identified the disease gene for an autosomal recessive form of young onset familial Parkinson's disease, and named the gene as “ parkin”. This is the second form of familial Parkinson's disease in which the disease gene was identified. In addition, he and his collaborators found that the gene product, parkin is direct linked to ubiquitin-proteasome pathway as an ubiquitin ligase. This discovery suggested that protein degradation system is involved in the pathogenesis of not only monogenically Parkinson's diease but also sporadic Parkinson's disease.
Susan Heath, M.S., R.N., CNRN (US) is the Associate Clinical Director of the Parkinson's Disease Research Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC) at the San Francisco VA. Susan has worked at the SFVA initially as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Neurosurgery Service and more recently expanded her practice to work with Neurology and participated in the development of their National Movement Disorders Program. Prior to the creation of the PADRECC, Susan coordinated patient care for SFVA's Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders program in collaboration with Drs. Philip Starr and William J. Marks, Jr. She helped develop a national surgical program for movement disorders patients and continues to coordinate care for deep brain implanted patients as well as for other non-surgical patients with movement disorders.
Susan is considered an expert deep brain implant programmer and is a national speaker on the topic of management of patients with deep brain implants and Parkinson's Disease.
Susan earned her undergraduate degree in Nursing from California State University, Hayward and her Master of Science degree from the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Physiological Nursing, specializing in Neuroscience Nursing.
Etienne Hirsch, Ph.D., (France) is a neurobiologist involved in research on Parkinson's disease and related disorders. He obtained his PhD in 1988 from the University of Paris VI ( Pierre et Marie Curie) and is currently the chairman of the INERM Unit 679 " Experimental neurology and therapeutics " at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris . His work is aimed at understanding the cause of neuronal degeneration in Parkinson's disease and is focused on the role of the glial cells, the inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis but also on the consequences of neuronal degeneration in the circuitries downstream to the lesions.
Currently, he is the president of the French society for Neuroscience, a member of the SAB of INSERM (French NIH) and is the Chairman of the scientific committee of the Fédération pour la recherche sur le cerveau (consortium of patients associations).
Katie Hood (US) was named Chief Executive Officer of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) in December 2007. She has played critical roles in shaping MJFF's strategy of intervening aggressively to close critical gaps that slow potential treatments on their path from the laboratory to Parkinson's patients, as well as in building a team of in-house research experts needed to implement that strategy.
Since its inception in November 2000 the Foundation has emerged as one of a handful of medical research foundations not only driving high-impact research in their respective disease fields, but launching initiatives that promote substantial change to the scientific enterprise as a whole, in pursuit of faster progress toward tangible therapeutic advances. Today the Foundation stands as the single largest Parkinson's research funder in the world outside the U.S. government, having funded $126 million in PD research to date.
Prior to joining the Foundation in September 2002, Ms. Hood was employed as a consultant at Bain & Company in New York City, doing work in the consumer products, financial services, and nonprofit sectors. She has also served as an analyst in the Credit Department of Goldman, Sachs & Co., and as a program coordinator with Duke University's Hart Leadership Program.
In August 2008, Ms. Hood was named to the Advisory Council to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an 18-member board that advises the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, the director of the National Institutes of Health, and the director of NINDS on research funding prioritization and related matters for neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN).
She graduated from Harvard Business School and holds a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Tom Isaacs (UK) was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 27. In 2002, at the age of 34, he gave up his job as Director of a property company to walk 4,500 miles right round the coastline of the UK while at the same time raising £350,000 for Parkinson's research and increasing awareness of the condition through the significant media coverage developed on this walk. Since then he founded the UK-based nonprofit organization “The Cure Parkinson's Trust”, wrote a book entitled “Shake Well Before Use” and has taken an active involvement in Parkinson's research for which he has now been instrumental in raising over £2.5 million. Tom is also a member of the Board of the European Parkinson's Disease Association where he represents younger people's interests and he sits as a Patient Representative on the PD section of Dendron, a Government sponsored clinical trials network.
He speaks regularly about Parkinson's using both self-effacing and dark humour but with a refreshing and powerful openness which is inspirational for both people involved with Parkinson's Disease or indeed from any walk of life. He was UK Charities “Personality of the Year” in 2004 and was runner up in GMTV's fundraiser of the Year in 2003. He has made numerous radio and television appearances and has presented two of his own documentaries on Radio 4 dealing with his determined quest to find a cure.
Tom has spoken at venues such as The Mansion House, Kensington Palace, the Guildhall, The Royal Geographical Society, the NEC, the Grosvenor House Hotel , Merchant Taylors' Hall, The Houses of Parliament, The Royal College of Nursing, The Law Society, Leicestershire Cricket and Football Club, Coventry Football Club and has been a keynote speaker at International Conferences in Washington, Dublin, Lisbon and Ljubljana. He was a speaker at the Opening Ceremony at the Parkinson's World Congress in Amsterdam in 2007.
Joseph Jankovic, M.D. (US) received his M.D. degree at the University of Arizona, and completed his medicine internship at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston in 1974. He subsequently completed residency in Neurology at the Neurological Institute, Columbia University, New York City, where he was selected as the Chief Resident. While there he obtained additional training in movement disorders with Dr. Stanley Fahn. In 1977 he joined the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine and established the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic (PDCMDC). The PDCMDC has been recognized as a “Center of Excellence” by the National Parkinson Foundation and the Huntington Disease Society of America. Promoted to a full professor of Neurology in 1988, Dr. Jankovic holds the endowed Baylor College of Medicine Distinguished Chair in Movement Disorders.
Dr. Jankovic has published over 700 original articles and chapters and has edited or co-edited 35 books and volumes, including several standard textbooks such as “Neurology in Clinical Practice” (NICP.com) and “Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders” (along with a video atlas), both currently in 5 th edition. Dr. Jankovic, along with Dr. Fahn, co-authored a comprehensive book (and DVD) entitled “Principles and Practice of Movement Disorders”, published in 2007.
Dr. Jankovic is past president of the international Movement Disorder Society. He is a recipient of the 2007 AAN Movement Disorders Research Award, sponsored by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Other honors include election as an Honorary Member of the American Neurological Association, Australian Association of Neurologists, Panamanian Neurosurgical and Neurological Society, and French Neurological Society. In 2004 Dr. Jankovic was selected by fellow scientists as Highly Cited Researcher (ISIHighlyCited.com). He has served on editorial boards of Neurology, Movement Disorders, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, Journal of Neurological Sciences, Neurology Medlink, Clinical Neuropharmacology, Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, The Botulinum Journal, and other journals. (For further information log on to www.jankovic.org ).
Ed Kalkman, M.D., Ph.D. (UK) is a Lead Radiologist at the Glasgow Positron Emission Tomography Centre in Glasgow, UK. He earned his Medical Degree at Erasmus University Faculty of Medicine, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and his PhD in Pharmacology at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease seven years ago at the age of 38. He is married with three children (5 years, 3 years and 11 months old) and lives in Glasgow.
Karl Kieburtz, M.D. (US) is Professor of Neurology and of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. His primary clinical and research interests are in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases affecting the basal ganglia, particularly Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and HIV related neurologic disorders. He has been an active participant in the research activities of the Parkinson Study Group since 1989, and directs the Coordination Center for this and other multi-center academic consortia, including the Huntington Study Group. He is the principal investigator for the NINDS sponsored trials of neuroprotective agents for PD. His publications and presentations have focused on experimental therapeutics and clinical research design strategies.
Anthony Lang, M.D. (Canada)trained in Internal Medicine and Neurology at the University of Toronto. He then undertook postgraduate training in Movement Disorders at Kings College Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry in London, England under the late Professor David Marsden. He returned to Toronto in 1982 and shortly thereafter initiated the Movement Disorders Clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital which has developed into the largest Movement Disorders Clinic in Canada and one of the most reputable units in the world for the investigation, assessment and treatment of patients with movement disorders. Dr. Lang's research has included clinical studies of poorly recognized neurological disorders, clinical trials of new therapeutic modalities and collaborative basic and clinical studies involving molecular biology, neurophysiology, neuropsychology and imaging. He has published over 300 peer reviewed papers, many in important medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, Nature Medicine, the Annals of Neurology, Brain, etc. Dr. Lang was one of the founding members and initial Executive Committee members of the Parkinson Study Group (PSG). He served on the Steering Committee of the first large scale neuroprotective therapies study in Parkinson's disease (the DATATOP trial) carried out by the PSG, and funded by NIH and has served on many other Steering Committees for PSG studies since then. Dr. Lang has served on the Movement Disorders Society (MDS) International Executive Committee and as Treasurer from 1988-1992 and Secretary from 1996-1998. He is the MDS President from January 2007-2009. He served as CoEditor-in-Chief of the international journal Movement Disorders between 1996 and 2003 inclusive. Dr. Lang is Professor and Director of the Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto, Director of the Movement Disorders Center at the Toronto Western Hospital and the Jack Clark Chair for Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Toronto. Dr. Lang is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and was the recipient of the AAN Movement Disorders Research Award in 2004.
Andrew Lees, M.D. (UK) is Director of the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies at University College London, and Professor of Neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London. He is Director of the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders and the Sara Koe PSP Research Centre. He is Associate Director of the UK Dementias & Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network and Chairman of the Clinical Studies Group on Parkinson's Disease. He is the past President of the Movement Disorders Society, and Former Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Movements Disorders Journal. He received the AAN Movement Disorders Life Time Achievement Award 2006, San Diego. Professor Lees resurrected the use of subcutaneous apomorphine as an effective treatment for late stage Parkinson's, and has written a biography on Ray Kennedy, the former England football player who tragically developed Parkinson's disease at the age of 35. He is author of the monograph “Tics and Related Disorders”, and Co-author of “Parkinson's Disease, The Facts”. He is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Panel of the PSP Association (Europe) and an advisor to the UK Medical Research Council. He also sat on the UK Government NCCC Guideline Development Group for Parkinson's Disease. He is a visiting Professor to both the University of Liverpool and Universidade Federal de Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil. He is recognized as a Highly Cited Neuroscientist on the ISI "Highly Cited Researchers" database. And is an elected overseas member of twelve national neurological societies.
Susanna Lindvall (Sweden) was elected as Vice President of the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) at the General Assembly on October 10, 2005 in Dublin, Ireland. She was born in Romania and has lived in Sweden since 1962 where she graduated as a B.Sc in organic chemistry at the University of Stockholm. She is currently working as an information specialist at a dairy company, Arla Foods. From 1996 - 2002 she was President of the Swedish Parkinson's Disease Association and since 2002 she has been a vice president of the association, President of the Swedish Parkinson Foundation and board member of the Arvid Carlson Foundation.
Susanna has been a widow since 1981 when her husband died with leukaemia. She has two daughters. Her mother had Parkinson's disease (PD) and as a result she became involved in answering questions regarding PD more and more during the years. Her father, a doctor provided her with a great deal of help in finding the relevant information and possibilities to improve knowledge about the disease. She spends a great deal of her time arranging seminars, meetings and conferences in order to improve knowledge about PD both for patients, carers and professionals. She co-wrote a book about PD, used for the education of nurses, and she initiated education of PD nurses in Sweden.
Shannon MacDonald (Canada) is a senior government relations and communications professional with almost 20 years of experience serving organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Shannon began her career at the Ontario Ministry of Housing, where she worked on community-based projects in low-income housing communities across the Greater Toronto Area. She transitioned to the private sector with Olympia & York Properties, where she led a team of marketing, communications and event specialists.
In 1996, Shannon established Bliss Communications, a full-service government relations and communications firm.
Shannon began working within the neurological field in 1999, providing strategic communications support to The Easter Seal Society. Since then, her practice has grown to serve a wide array of organizations and interests within the Canadian neurological community. Since 2003, Shannon has served as Senior Public Affairs Advisor to Parkinson Society Canada. In this capacity, she was instrumental in establishing a national coalition of organizations known as Neurological Health Charities Canada (NHCC). Shannon continues to provide leadership and support to the NHCC, overseeing the development of the coalition and its partnerships with government.
Shannon is a member of the World Parkinson Coalition's Organization and Government Relations Committee. She is also a member of the faculty for the 2010 World Parkinson Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where she will speak about working with government on behalf of Parkinson Society Canada and the NHCC.
Graeme Macphee, M.D. (UK) is Consultant and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine for the Elderly at Southern General Hospital Glasgow. He runs a joint tertiary referral Movement Disorders Clinic in the Institute of Neurological Sciences with Dr. Donald Grosset, Consultant Neurologist as well as local PD services. He is immediate past Chairman of the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) Movement Disorders Section and faculty member of the PD Academy which provide residential Masterclasses for specialists in PD. He is currently the BGS lead for BRIT MODIS — a collaborative organisation of UK neurologists, geriatricians and nurse specialists affiliated to the Movement Disorder Society. Among many other publications, Dr. Macphee contributed the chapter on Diagnosis and differential diagnosis in Parkinson's disease in “Parkinson's disease in the Older Patient” ed Hindle and Playfer. Current interests include the use of FP CIT SPECT scanning in early diagnosis of clinically uncertain Parkinsonism, impulse control disorders in PD and evaluation and management of nonmotor features of Parkinson's disease. He is a Faculty member of the international PD Non Motor group which was responsible for the development of NMS QUEST to improve recognition of nonmotor features in PD. Dr. Macphee is also a past Chairman of the Geriatric Advisory Committee at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
Karen Marder, M.D. (US) is the Sally Kerlin Professor of Neurology (in the Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute, and Psychiatry). She has been the Director of the Huntington's Disease Society of America Center of Excellence since 1991. In September 2001, she was appointed Chief of the division of Aging and Dementia in the Department of Neurology, and was appointed Professor in 2002. In May 2006 she was elected to a 6 year term as Co-Chair of the Parkinson Study group, a consortium of North American investigators at 105 sites who participate in collaborative Parkinson's Disease (PD) research. In October 2006 she was appointed the director of the Participant Clinical Interactions Resource (PCIR) at Columbia, one of 24 NIH funded Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA). Her research interests span a range of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, HIV dementia, and Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. She is the principal investigator for an NIH-funded study of the epidemiology and genetics of early-onset Parkinson's disease. A major area of interest has been the risk factors and impact of dementia on the course of Parkinson's Disease. The multidisciplinary Huntington's Disease Center is a site for many clinical trials and clinical research initiatives ( www.hdny.org ). She has been studying the clinical and immunological profiles associated with the development of cognitive impairment in the setting of HIV infection and has been the site investigator on numerous Phase II and Phase III trials for HIV dementia.
Nick Miller, Ph.D (UK) is a speech-language pathologist, with first degrees from University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and De Montfort University Leicester, England. He gained his PhD in clinical and experimental phonetics from University College London.
Since 1994 he has been clinical lecturer in speech and language pathology at the University of Newcastle, England, attached to the Institute of Health and Society. Prior to this he worked for 16 years as a full-time clinician in various neurology and gerontology settings. His main teaching and research interest lies in the field of speech motor control and speech motor disorders, with a special emphasis on apraxia and on communication and swallowing changes in people with Parkinson's disease. In the latter, as well as adding to knowledge on underlying changes to speech, language and swallowing in PD, he and his team have been keen to make sure the voice of people with PD is heard regarding the impact of these changes on the individual and family. Nick Miller has been author on approaching 100 articles and respected textbooks on apraxia and bilingualism and language disorders.
Amongst other roles he is national advisor to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (GB) in motor speech disorders, member of the editorial board of five international journals in communication disorders, member of the Parkinson's Disease Society (GB) NICE audit committee and member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (USA).
Yoshikuni Mizuno, M.D. (Japan) is a graduate of University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 1965 and the former Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Juntendo School of Medicine in Tokyo. Now is the Director of the Research Institute for Diseases of the Old Age and the Director of an affiliated hospital of the same medical school. He has always been interested in pathogenesis and treatment of Parkinson's disease and his group found the parkin gene in 1998.
Wolfgang Oertel , M.D. (Germany)
C. Warren Olanow, M.D. (US) is the Henry P. and Georgette Goldschmidt Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and Chief of the Neurology Service at the Mount Sinai Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto, performed his neurology training at the New York Neurological Institute at Columbia University, and did post-graduate studies in neuroanatomy at Columbia University. He served on the faculties of McGill University, Duke University, and the University of South Florida prior to assuming his present position. Dr. Olanow has authored more than 300 publications primarily related to Parkinson's disease and neurodegeneration. He is currently President of the Movement Disorder Society and Treasurer of the American Neurological Association.
Knut-Johan Onarheim (Norway) was elected President at the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) 2009 General Assembly, after serving as a Board member of EPDA the since 2005.
Born in Bergen, Norway, Knut-Johan graduated with a Law degree from the University of Oslo, Norway in 1976 and is now senior partner in the law firm Onarheim, Hartwig, Albrektsen & Rindal Onarheim DA. Knut-Johan is married and is a father to three children.
Knut-Johan's father had Parkinson's disease and as a result Knut-Johan became involved in the Norwegian Parkinson's Disease Association, joining as a board member in 1997 and becoming President of the association in 2001. Knut-Johan has over many years spent a great deal of his time as a Board Member of different associations for the disabled, both nationally and internationally.
Werner Poewe, M.D. (Austria) is a Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Department of Neurology at Innsbruck Medical University in Innsbruck, Austria. He held a Residency in Clinical Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, from 1977 to 1984. Then, Professor Poewe was a British Council Research Fellow at University College and Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London. For three years (1986-1989), he was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Neurology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. From 1990 through 1994 he served as Professor of Neurology and Acting Director of the Department of Neurology at the Virchow Hospital of the Free University of Berlin. Professor Poewe's main research interests are in the field of movement disorders with particular emphasis on the clinical pharmacology of Parkinson's disease and dystonia. He has authored and co-authored more than 400 original articles and reviews in the field of movement disorders. He served as President of the International Movement Disorder Society from 2000 through 2002, as President of the Austrian Society of Neurology from 2002 to 2004 and is the current President of the Austrian Parkinson's Disease Society.
Heinz Reichmann, M.D., Ph.D. (Germany) graduated from the University of Freiburg, Germany in 1979. He spent the following four years as a research fellow at the Institute for Biochemistry, University of Konstanz, Germany and the Institute of Neurology, Columbia University, USA. This was paid for by honorary grants for excellency to Dr. Reichmann. He returned to Germany where he held a number of positions at the University of Würzburg, becoming Professor of Neurology in 1990. In 1996, he was appointed Chairmann of the Department of Neurology at the University of Dresden, where he is now Dean of the Medical Faculty.
Dr. Reichmann is a member of numerous scientific societies including the German Neurological Society, the European Neurological Society, the American Academy of Neurology, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Movement Disorder Society. In addition, Dr Reichmann serves on the editorial boards for a number of prestigious neurology journals. His major research interests are energy metabolism, neuroprotection, premotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, etiopathogenesis and treatment in PD. He serves on many Neurological Boards and was President of the German Parkinson Society and the German Muscle Society. In 2009 Professor Reichmann has started his 2-year term as President of the German Neurological Society.
Joy Reid, B.N., R.N. (UK) is Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist for Parkinson's disease (PD) for NHS Fife. She qualified from the University of Glasgow in 1996 and her final year thesis looked at the knowledge gap regarding PD in general healthcare. After qualifying she worked in General Medicine and Medicine for the Elderly in Edinburgh and Fife and in 2001 took up the new post of Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist for Fife region. Prior to the inception of this post a small Parkinson's clinic was running in central Fife which catered for a limited PD population within the region. The Parkinson's service in Fife now looks very different, with multidisciplinary clinics and Nurse led clinics available in many areas around the region and a second Parkinson's Nurse Specialist coming into post in 2005.
Reid has published on patient education for PD patients following diagnosis and her interests also include neuropsychiatric issues related to PD. She is a visiting Lecturer at the University of Dundee. She is also involved in the Medication Safety work being done in relation to the Scottish Patient Safety programme. She has also been involved in the review and consultation process regarding the SIGN guidelines on PD and the NHS QIS standards on Neurological Health. She is the Chair of the Alliance of Scottish Parkinson's Nurse Specialists. This group consists of 24 Scottish Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialists and provides support and professional development for the Nurse Specialists as well as raises the profile of the Nurse Specialist role on a national level and is involved in influencing local and national policy. We also run an annual conference for Health professionals involved in PD management.
Amy Comstock Rick, J.D. (US) began as Executive Director of the Parkinson Action Network (PAN) on December 8, 2003. Prior to joining PAN, she served as the sixth Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, having accepted the nomination to the Senate-confirmed position in 1999. Prior to her appointment to the Office of Government Ethics, Ms. Comstock was Associate Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel's Office. Ms. Comstock began her federal service as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education in 1988; she ended her tenure there in 1998 as Assistant General Counsel for Ethics. Ms. Comstock began her professional career at the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan.
Lynn Rochester, Grad Dip Phys, Ph.D. (UK) recently moved to Newcastle University where she is Professor of Human Movement Science in the Clinical Ageing Research Unit and is member of the Institute of Ageing and Health. She graduated as a physiotherapist and specialised in neuro-rehabilitation before completing her Ph.D. She is a member of the Research Advisory Panel of the UK Parkinson's Disease Society and the Scientific Trust of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. She has a special interest in movement science, neuro-rehabilitation and Parkinson's disease. Her main research interests are concerned with motor control of gait, motor learning and the complex interactions of non-motor and motor symptoms and their consequences on independent mobility. Her studies include the development and testing of interventions to improve mobility in Parkinson's disease, application of novel technologies for assessment and intervention and development of sensitive measures for improved diagnosis. Her work has led to the development of clinical therapeutic guidelines to facilitate translation of research findings into clinical practice and an educational focus ensures that research is communicated widely to clinicians, students and service users.
Beth-Anne Sieber, Ph.D. (US) joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in 2007 as a Program Director in the Neurodegeneration group. She received her bachelor's degree in biology and psychology from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Neurobiology from a joint program between Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Her graduate studies focused on animal and cell culture models of dopamine neuron development and neurotoxicity, with emphasis on utilizing neuropharmacological and neurochemical approaches to determine the roles of neuronal-glial interactions and neurotrophic factors in these processes. She then pursued postdoctoral studies at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. While there, she continued her interest in dopamine neurobiology by utilizing molecular approaches to elucidate the role of neurotrophic factors and receptor tyrosine kinases in cellular and behavioral function in mouse models. Prior to joining the NINDS, Dr. Sieber spent over seven years as a Program Director at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where she managed a grant portfolio in developmental neurobiology and co-chaired related efforts for the trans-NIH Neuroscience Blueprint. Her current duties at the NINDS include management of a grants portfolio on Parkinson's disease, which includes basic neurobiological approaches to understand neuronal loss, oxidative stress and glial biology, as well as grants in the areas of gene therapy, deep brain stimulation, and clinical trials. Beth-Anne manages the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research program, and serves as Chair of the NINDS Parkinson's Disease Working Group (PDWG).
Todd Sherer, Ph.D. (US) joined the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research as Associate Director, Research Programs, in April 2004, and was promoted to Vice President, Research Programs, in June 2006.
Dr. Sherer earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Duke University and his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia. His thesis work focused on neurotrophins and cell death pathways in neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Sherer then became a postdoctoral fellow at the Emory University laboratory of Timothy J. Greenamyre. During this fellowship, Dr. Sherer concentrated on understanding the role of environmental factors in Parkinson's disease, as well as on the development of PD model systems. As a result of this work, Dr. Sherer was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Dr. Sherer is the author of over 20 research articles in the field of neurodegeneration with a focus on Parkinson's disease.
Ira Shoulson, MD (US) is the Louis C. Lasagna Professor of Experimental Therapeutics and Professor of Neurology, Pharmacology and Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, New York. He received his MD degree (1971) and postdoctoral training in medicine (1971-73) and neurology (1975-77) at the University of Rochester and in experimental therapeutics at the National Institutes of Health (1973-75). Dr. Shoulson founded the Parkinson Study Group ( www.parkinson-strudy-group.org ) in 1985 and the Huntington Study Group ( www.huntington-study-group.org ) in 1994 -- international academic consortia devoted to research and development of treatments for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and related neurodegenerative and neurogenetic disorders. He has served as principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored trials “Deprenyl and Tocopherol Antioxidative Therapy of Parkinsonism” (DATATOP), the “Prospective Huntington At Risk Observational Study” (PHAROS), and more than 25 other controlled multi-center studies. He is the Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of Rochester Department of Neurology, the chair of the executive committee of the Huntington Study Group, a consultant for the Food and Drug Administration, former member of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council, past-president of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (ASENT), associate editor of Archives of Neurology and an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has authored more than 260 scientific reports.
Lisa Shulman, M.D. (US) is a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's Disease and other Movement Disorders. In addition to neurology, her diverse background includes training in nursing, education and health policy. She is currently Professor of Neurology and Co-Director of the Maryland Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Shulman is the endowed Rosalyn Newman Distinguished Scholar in Parkinson's Disease.
Dr. Shulman's major research interest is the impact of chronic neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Her studies include the development and testing of interventions to prevent disability and improve quality of life. Related interests include exercise interventions, neurobehavioral problems, and women's health issues in Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders. She is Principal Investigator of the study, Exercise and Gait-Related Disability in Parkinson's Disease funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. She also served as Principal Investigator of the Parkinson Study Group's POETRY study of estrogen's effects in postmenopausal women with Parkinson's disease. Dr Shulman has edited 8 books as Series Editor of the American Academy of Neurology's Quality of Life Patient Book Series and co-authored the reference book, Parkinson's Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients and Families. She is also the author of 25 chapters, 80 peer-reviewed publications and 100 abstracts.
During a health policy fellowship (1999-2000) sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, Dr. Shulman was instrumental in the introduction of The Chronic Illness Care Improvement Act of 2000 , a comprehensive legislative initiative to improve the care of serious and potentially disabling chronic illness. She continues to be active in promoting health policy initiatives in both chronic illness care and long-term care. Dr. Shulman is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Neurology.
John Silk, O.A.M. (Australia) was born and educated in Sydney, Australia. He is married to Rebecca, and is the father of three, and grandfather of five.
A Food Technologist by profession, his career was initially in the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Industry where he worked in the UK, USA and Australia. In 1971 he changed direction and began an involvement with the IT Industry that would continue until his retirement in 2000. First working with large multi-national companies and later in his own business , he continued to travel extensively, and in addition to Australia, worked in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and New Zealand.
Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2002, John became involved with Parkinson's NSW as acting Secretary in 2005 and later became President in 2006, a position he continues to hold. He has been Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, within Parkinson's Australia. He was the convenor of the Parkinson's Australia National Conference of 2008 and was the driving force behind the establishment and implementation of the on-line course for Rural & Remote Physicians to further their skills in the area of diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Bryan Sweet (US) is a member of the Audit Committee.
Caroline Tanner, M.D., Ph.D. (US) is a neurologist with special expertise in movement disorders, epidemiology and environmental health sciences. She is Director of Clinical Research at the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale , California . Areas of special research interest include clinical trials of new therapies for movement disorders and epidemiologic investigations of movement disorders. At present, Dr. Tanner is involved in epidemiologic investigations of the genetic and environmental contributions to the causes of Parkinson's disease, Multiple System Atrophy, dystonia, and Huntington's disease including investigations in the NAS/NRC Veterans Twins Registry, in the Agricultural Health Study, in an ethnically diverse Northern California population, in the Honolulu Asian Aging Study, and in a study of Alaska people. She is involved in clinical trials in the United States and in China investigating agents that may slow the course of Parkinson's disease and treatments for non-motor aspects of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Tanner is a member of numerous professional organizations. She also serves in an advisory capacity for a number of not for profit patient support organizations and governmental bodies, and as a reviewer for numerous scholarly journals.
Philip Thompson, M.B., Ph.D. (Australia) is the Professor of Neurology in the University Department of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and Head of the Department of Neurology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
His interests are in the fields of Movement Disorders and the control of human movement. His research has concentrated on the physiology of motor control in normal subjects and neurological disease. He is a member of many local and international committees related to Neurology and Movement Disorders and is currently the President Elect of the Movement Disorder Society and has served on the International Executive of the Movement Disorder Society for the last 9 years. He has published more than 260 articles and book chapters with special interest in neurophysiology, movement disorders and gait.
Eduardo Tolosa, M.D. (Spain) degree from the University of Barcelona. He obtained his neurological training at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis . He was Visiting Scientist at Brookhaven National Hospital where he worked with George Cotzias during 1974 and 1975, and subsequently he joined the faculty of the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota. He was later appointed Chief of Neurology at the University Hospital in Barcelona in 1982. He is Professor of Neurology at the University of Barcelona and the Director of the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Centre at the University of Barcelona Hospital.
Prof. Tolosa was certified as a neurologist by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry in 1976. He became a Fellow of the in 1997. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association and of the Royal College of Physicians and founding member of the Movement Disorder Society (MDS) . He has been President of this Society and President of the European Neurological Society. Prof. Tolosa is an honorary member of several neurological societies including the British Neurological Association and the French Neurological Society.
Prof. Tolosa's research and publication activities have brought him appointments to various peer-review journals. He is, for example, a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Archives of Neurology and has served as member of the editorial board of the European Journal of Neurology, Movement Disorders, Practical Neurology, the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and the Journal of Neurology.
Prof. Tolosa research interest have centered on movement disorders and particularly in issues related to experimental therapeutics, etiology and pathophysiology of various Parkinson syndromes. His team has investigated on the clinical and molecular genetics of Parkinson disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. They demonstrated that an extended tau gene haplotype (H1E) in its homozygous state is overrepresented in PSP and described the only homozygous tau mutation so far in patients with PSP syndrome. He has also investigated in collaboration with neurophysiologist in his department brainstem mechanisms underlying several movement disorders such as dystonia and the various Parkinson syndromes defining the presence of brainstem abnormalities in various focal dystonias and atypical parkinsonisms.
In the areas of experimental therapeutics Prof essor Tolosa was involved in pioneer studies defining mechanisms underlying levodopa related motor fluctuations, both, in patients and in animal models of parkinsonism and his team has been among the first in Europe to evaluate efficacy of novel surgical strategies for Parkinson disease such as subthalamic nucleus stimulation and its impact upon patients cognition and quality of life.
Greg Wasson (US) Greg Wasson (US) was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995. Before retiring in 2000 due to his Parkinson's, Mr. Wasson was a lawyer, law book writer, and editor. He has been active in Parkinson's advocacy since 1999. Although primarily associated with the Parkinson's Action Network, he has also worked with the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and the Parkinson's Pipeline Project. In 2002 Mr. Wasson received the first Millicent Kondracke Award for Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy. He has testified numerous times before the California State Senate on embryonic stem cell legislation, and in 2003 testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the subject of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. Mr. Wasson currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Parkinson's Action Network. He lives with his wife Ann, an author, former book editor, and fellow advocate and Parkinson's patient, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bryn Williams (UK) was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in September 2007, aged 36. He is actively involved in raising awareness of the condition through his website www.wobblywilliams.com and raising money to fund research seeking a cure. In his spare time he is a Patent Attorney.
Liz Wolstenholme (UK) Liz Wolstenholme C.B.E., B.A. (hons) (UK) was first elected to the Board of Trustees of the UK Parkinson's Disease Society in 2005 and is now in her second term of office. She became Hon. Secretary in September 2006 and Vice Chair in 2007.
Liz's professional experience spanned social services and health at local, regional and national level including six years in the Department of Health leading on policy for older people and disability (including neurological conditions) She spent five years after leaving full time work as non-executive Chair of a Primary Care Trust. She was awarded a CBE in 1999
Liz was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1994.
Erik Wolters, M.D., Ph.D. (The Netherlands) has been a trained neurologist since 1978, directing a clinic for Movement Disorders at the VU-University Medical Center. His research activities comprise mainly Parkinson's disease-related topics such as premotor diagnosis as well as non-motor symptomatology, depression, dementia and psychosis. Dr Wolters wrote over 150 peer reviewed medical articles, many book chapters and various textbooks on Neurology. He is chairman of the WFN Research Group on Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders, for which organization he also organized the XVIIth WFN World Congress on Parkinson's disease and Related Disorders, December 2007, in Amsterdam.
Anne Buckingham Young, M.D., Ph.D. (US) is the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and the Chief, Neurology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital is a researcher and clinician whose work at the bench and bedside have concentrated on neurotransmitter systems in the basal ganglia and their role in Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Dr. Young holds membership in both the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Young is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Vassar College who completed her medical studies at Johns Hopkins in 1973. She received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Johns Hopkins in 1974, and then completed residency training in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. After residency, she joined the neurology faculty at the University of Michigan where she advanced to Professor in 1985. In 1991, she was recruited to the Massachusetts General Hospital as Chief of the Neurology Service and Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Young provided some of the first evidence that glutamic acid is a neurotransmitter. Subsequently, she and her colleagues identified glutamate as a transmitter of corticostriatal and corticospinal tracts. Her laboratory first described techniques to measure subtypes of glutamate receptors autoradiographically and went on to demonstrate receptor alterations in Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Young's current research work includes elucidating cellular and systems mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In an effort to help develop therapeutic targets for human disorders of movement, she is conducting studies on the vulnerability of neurons to excitotoxic injury and the selective expression of glutamate receptors in these neurons.
Recently, she has discovered that transgenic animals expressing exon 1 of the huntingtin protein (Huntington's disease is caused by a mutation of the gene encoding this protein) have markedly altered receptors that may play a central role in the neuronal degeneration of Huntington's disease. Her studies suggest that mutant huntingtin may alter receptor expression selectively when it accumulates in the nucleus. Altered receptor expression occurs early and may contribute to selective cell death.
Dr. Young serves on the editorial board of numerous biomedical journals and she has been the recipient of many awards and honors for her work. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of several voluntary organizations. She is the past President of the American Neurological Association and the Society for Neuroscience.