The Parkinson's Disease Foundation has an event in New York on May 10th that is being broadcast via the web. There are two main speakers -- Dr. Bill Langston from The Parkinson's Institute who is talking about the promise of science, and Dr. Lisa Shulman from the University of Maryland who is talking about the power of the individual.


Here are the details for participating online:

Tuesday, May 10
online presentation begins at 10:30am California time
duration: 2 hours

Register here:
http://event.netbriefings.com/event/pde ... ister.html

You can participate by phone only, by computer only, or by computer and phone. To hear the audio by phone:
Dial tollfree 888-272-8710 and enter passcode 6323567#


Here's a description of the program from PDF's website (pdf.org):

Welcoming Remarks, by Stanley Fahn, M.D., Neurology, Columbia University
The Promise of Science, by J. W. Langston, M.D., Founder and CEO, The Parkinson's Institute
The Power of the Individual, by Lisa M. Shulman M.D., Neurology, University of Maryland


Promise of Science, by J. W. Langston, M.D.

This talk will focus on potential future developments in the study of Parkinson’s disease over the next 10 years. Based on current research, Dr. Langston will share information showing that by the end of the next decade, PD will be considered part of a much broader symptom complex and that all of these different symptoms will be connected by a common underlying pathological process. Dr. Langston will discuss the potential of new technologies to screen the general population for Parkinson’s before disabling symptoms develop. He will explore the possible development of safe “disease modifying therapies” over the next decade and the likelihood that we will be able to intervene therapeutically to slow or halt the disease and therefore be able prevent PD as we know it today.

He will talk about the future of genetic testing, by means of which anyone who is interested in doing so will be able to determine his or her individual risk for PD by simply providing a saliva sample and taking a series of surveys online. Dr. Langston will discuss risk factor screens that will take into account both increasingly available genetic data and the ability to survey environmental factors online.

He will refer to other disease states, such as heart disease and stroke, for which individuals can visit web-based sites such as WebMD to determine their risk for these health problems by filling out questionnaires, and how this could be the future for Parkinson’s disease.


The Power of the Individual, by Lisa M. Shulman M.D.

This talk will focus on how the individual with Parkinson’s disease can help determine disease outcomes. Based on current scientific research in several areas over the past decade Dr. Shulman will look at areas including the study of self-efficacy for self-management of PD (that is, a person’s confidence in his or her ability to manage the condition) as well as the level of self-management skills people with Parkinson’s can engage in. Dr. Shulman will also look at the integration of patient-reported data into routine clinical practice ­ for example, how shared decision-making, empowerment and resilience among people with Parkinson’s can utlize or tap into to living a higher quality of life. One focus of the talk will be an area over which each person has total control ­ namely, exercise and physical activity ­ and how the practice of regular exercise can have a profound difference on the health and well-being of a person who has been diagnosed with PD.