Boston University Medical Campus
Parkinsons Disease & Movement Disorders Center

The 27th Annual APDA Massachusetts Parkinson Walkathon will begin on Sunday, June 9th at 12:00 noon at Reebok International Headquarters in Canton, MA. For details, visit the Walkathon homepage to join the walk, create a team, or make a contribution. Last year’s Walkathon raised over $135,000 for Parkinson’s research.

Please contact the Information & Referral Center at (800) 651-8466 or information@apdama.org with any questions.

On Thursday, June 6th from 10:00am to noon, Richard H. Myers, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, will present Advances in Genetic Research in Parkinson’s Disease.

To see the program flyer, please click here. For more information and to RSVP, contact the APDA Information & Referral Center at 800-651-8466 or information@apdama.org. Registration is required for this event.

The Parkinson’s Disease Family Caregiver Evening will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital. Faculty from Boston University, Boston Medical Center, and other organizations will provide current information and resources to assist in providing care to family members or friends.

Please click here to view the program brochure. For more information and registration, contact the APDA Information & Referral Center at 800-651-8466 or information@apdama.org. Registration is required for this program.

The Good Start Program is a two part series presented by a team of Parkinson’s disease specialists from Boston University and Boston University Medical Center. This program is designed for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the last two years and their families. Participants will receive up-to-date information on diagnosis, treatment, and resources.

There is no cost for participation in this program, however registration is required. For more information, click here to see the program brochure. To register, contact 800-651-8466 or information@apdama.org.

The American Parkinson Disease Association Information & Referral Center at Boston University Medical Center presents the New England Regional Biennial Parkinson’s Conference. This two-day Conference will take place in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on November 4 & 5, 2012.

To view the save-the-date, please click here. More information will be available soon.

(left to right) Anne Carty, DNSc, RN; Denyse Turpin, MPH, RN; Michelle Siskind, MS, RN; Nancy Meedzan, DNP(c), MSN, RN; Susan Maciewicz, RN, MSN, CNE; Brianne Lienkamp, RN, MSN, ANP-BC; susan A. Larocco, PhD, RN, MBA; Keith Ciccone, BS, LPN; Cathi Thomas, MS, RN; Marie Saint-Hilaire, MD; Anna Hohler, MD

For the third consecutive year, the Edmond J. Safra Foundation has provided a grant to support an intensive educational program on Parkinson’s disease to nursing professionals. The goal of this program was to provide up-to-date information on the care needs of Parkinson patients to faculty. This information and experience can then be shared with students to better prepare them for their role as nurses. This year, six nursing faculty from Curry College, Rhode Island College, North Shore Community College, Mass Bay Community College, and Endicott College participated. The program was held June 25th to 28th.

Program content included signs and symptoms of PD, diagnosis, medical and surgical management,  the role of nursing and interdisciplinary care, basic science and clinical research, resources, and family care. Opportunity was provided to meet patients and family during actual clinic visits. Faculty spent one full day at Boston University’s Neurorehabilitation Center learning about the important role of exercise and other rehabilitative therapies. Each participant will work on a Parkinson’s disease independent project.

This Visiting Nursing Faculty (VNF) program was developed and successfully piloted in 2009 by Gwyn Vernon MSN, CRNP and Lisette Bunting-Perry, PhD(c), RN at the University of Pennsylvania. Cathi Thomas, MS, RN, CNRN served as BU’s program director. To learn more about the Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty visit www.parkinsonsnursing.com.

The American Parkinson Disease Association Advanced Center of Research at Boston University and Boston Medical Center supported this year’s fourth annual Parkinson’s Disease Forum. This program, which took place on Friday, April 13th at Boston University’s Photonics Center, was organized by Dr. Ben Wolozin, Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology, Dr. Marie Saint-Hilaire, Associate Professor of Neurology and Medical Director of the APDA Advanced Center of Research, and Cathi Thomas, MS, RN, Program Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center.

Scientists and clinicians from across campus presented information on their research. Breakout sessions were designed to foster collaborations among different disciplines. Tara Guastella provided information on the Fox Trial Finder, an innovative online database connecting researchers to study subjects. The day ended with a poster session with contributions by many of the doctoral students conducting research in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.

Special thanks to Ray James, BS, RN and Vanessa Blais for their support. To view the program please click here.