My PD Story

I have always been involved in caring for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by elderly relatives, including my grandfather, who was diagnosed with PD at a relatively early age.

I witnessed how important mobility was for my grandfather’s well-being and how my grandmother was a force in his life. She was his strongest advocate. One memory I have of her support is when she would have me take him to the local pool to work on his strength and balance in the water.

Later, I was privileged to support one of my uncles who also had PD. I remember how my aunt assisted him and how music was instrumental in his movement. Memories of him dancing with my cousin in the hospital hallway will always stay with me.

As I started to think about my own career, I did not initially plan to have a career in medicine. I originally studied health policy and was interested in gerontology (the study of aging). I was exposed to the policy side, but I found that the work — while important — did not allow me the human connections that I enjoyed while working in college at an adult day care center.

Once I decided to go to medical school, I was drawn to physical medicine and rehabilitation where the focus was on restoration and maximizing function.

When I joined Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in 2018, the director of the Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders (PDMD) Program asked if I would be one of the clinicians in the program, and I have been a part of the PDMD clinic ever since. Today, I serve as the medical director of the program, and I am proud to work with the PD community each day.

Our work in the PDMD Program is built on an interdisciplinary approach. Our team of physicians; physical, occupational and speech therapists; psychologists; and exercise physiologists all work together to identify customized personal recommendations for our patients.

We have a unique system with multiple levels of care: inpatient rehabilitation, day rehabilitation and outpatient care, as well as functional fitness classes to help meet this diverse population’s functional needs. We recognize that not everyone has the same level of support at home, and we tailor our care accordingly.

In addition to our clinical practice, we also collaborate on PD research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. We have rehabilitation outcome measures based on our extensive patient data. Together with Northwestern University’s neurologists and scientists, who have collected genetic data on people with PD, we are hoping to determine which patients with PD may respond well to exercise therapies versus those who may need an alternative approach.

Being able to tailor therapy based on a patient’s genetics is exciting for the future of PD treatment.

Outside the clinic, members of our team are involved in various PD organizations on local, national and international levels. We will be sending a team to the World Parkinson’s Congress this May.

Additionally, we have a team of patients and clinicians, called the “Parkinson’s Peak Performers,” who participate in Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s SkyRise Chicago each year and recently participated in the Parkinson’s Revolution ride to raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

What keeps me motivated in my work are the relationships my team has built with our patients over time. We meet many of our patients early in their disease, and we collaborate with them to help maintain and optimize their function over the course of their PD progression.

Every patient and their care partners are unique and bring something special to each visit. Whether it be suggestions about our current programs or ones they would like to see in the future, we are fortunate to have an advisory board of patients and care partners who provide us with ideas and feedback.

Once again, I always go back to my childhood and how my grandmother cared for my grandfather with PD. She often said, “It’s about the quality of life, not just quantity.” I remember her mantra daily. It serves as a reminder to me that members of the PD community are resilient and always looking for ways to improve their quality of life.

Find expert PD care near you. Explore centers in our Global Care Network or contact our Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) or Helpline@Parkinson.org to build your care team and find tailored PD specialists.