Grant Accomplishments
Since 1982, NPF has funded more than $164 million in research and support services. Funded projects cover a wide range of areas important to the study of Parkinson’s disease. These studies support NPF’s commitment to serving people with Parkinson’s disease, their families and communities, and healthcare professionals worldwide.
2010 Funded Research
Scientific and Clinical Outcomes Studies
Early Detection of Cognitive Changes in the Brain—Toronto Western Research Institute: This study uses advanced imaging techniques to study the mechanisms that lead to Parkinson’s-related cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, a model pioneered successfully in Alzheimer’s disease. Investigator: Antonio Strafella, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Canada. Funded in part by the Jules A. Kernen, MD Memorial Fund.
Visual Attention Deficits As An Early Sign of Cognitive Change—University of Florida: This study explores visual attention deficit as a symptom of Parkinson’s disease, yielding new insight into how Parkinson’s affects the brain and the manifestations of these symptoms. Investigator: Sherrilene Classen, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, United States.
Comparing Physical Therapy Outcomes: LSVT-BIG© vs. Aquatic Methods—University of Louisville: This study compares two new approaches to physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease with the potential to establish the efficacy of aquatic therapy, which is currently not covered by Medicare. Investigator: David Houghton, MD, MPH, United States.
Comparing PD Management Strategies: Comprehensive Service Delivery vs. Standard Care—Victorian Comprehensive Parkinson’s Program: This study explores the cost-effectiveness of coordinated care versus uncoordinated care in a controlled experiment. Investigator: Robert Iansek, PhD, Australia.
Partial Funding of ParkFit Trial: Physical impairments and other features of Parkinson’s disease often result in a sedentary lifestyle. Professor Bastiaan Bloem of the Parkinson Center Nijmegen is studying exercise programs for PD in order to reverse this. In a blinded clinical trial, he is evaluating efficacy and practicality of exercise programs that may offer a disease-modifying effect.
Biomarker Assessment: The Parkinson At-Risk Syndrome (PARS) project is intended to identify individuals at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease before the symptomatic threshold. Despite being asymptomatic, it is believe that those who will develop PD are currently experiencing neuronal loss at a rate substantially higher than they will once symptoms are present. NPF is funding the collection and analysis of plasma and cerebral spinal fluid from at-risk individuals.
Development of EMR-based Quality Data Collection: Mark Guttman, MD, a leader in NPF’s quality improvement initiative (QII), will migrate quality data collection into his EMR system so as to streamline quality data collection and integrate quality improvement with the processes of routine care delivery. This pilot will yield insight into the benefits and challenges associated with electronic data collection in the NPF’s QII program.
Centers of Excellence Annual Funding
NPF Centers of Excellence offer patients access to an array of services that are not covered by insurance. To help centers with these costs, NPF provides most of its centers annual funding to be applied to the delivery of care. The chart below displays the programmatic areas that NPF supports within our Centers. The bar chart represents care centers as a whole and the distribution of NPF dollars to the areas of direct care, outreach, research and education occurring within the centers.
Highlights of the 2010 funding are:
Beth Israel Medical Center Movement Disorders Center – New York, NY
PD Winter Lecture Series
360 attendees over 6 sessions throughout the winter
Duke University – Durham, NC
Living with PD 2010
250 patients and caregivers from both North Carolina and South Carolina
Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital – Boston, MA
“Tremble Clefs” Singing Group
16 singers/session, 12 sessions/semester, 2 semesters – increased communication ability
Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center – Phoenix, AZ
Recreational Programs
3,690 attendances (programs included Tai Chi, golf, Expressive Art, Dance Workshop, Pole Walking, Yoga, and Voces Unidas singing group)
Oregon Health & Sciences University (OSHU) – Portland, OR
TEAM PD
42 therapists trained in PD care throughout the entire state
University of Rochester – Rochester, NY
6-Month Pilot Trial
36 patients and caregivers (trial included telemedicine and research on the causes of caregiver burden)
University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA
USC Team Parkinson
Training group for Los Angeles Marathon (trainer paid via NPF funding)
University of California, San Francisco – San Francisco, CA
UCTV
24-hour non-commercial satellite education PD series that reached 18 million homes in California
2009 VA PADRECC Parkinson’s Disease Seminar
200 attendees, viewed at 14 other national sites
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