Megan Feeney, M.P.H. is Senior Manager, Community Engagement at the Parkinson’s Foundation. In this role, she manages several national patient leadership programs that engage the community in addressing critical unmet needs in Parkinson's. She manages the Women and PD Initiative, an innovative program that addresses long-standing gender disparities in Parkinson's. Within the Women and PD Initiative, her team received a $250,000 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Engagement Award titled, Women and PD Teams to Advance Learning and Knowledge (Women and PD TALK). Throughout her work, Megan collaborates closely with people with Parkinson’s, care partners, allied health professionals, researchers and industry representatives to promote patient engagement and involvement in Parkinson’s research and care. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Public Health from the New York University, School of Global Public Health.

Jessica Shurer is the Center Coordinator and Clinical Social Worker of the Movement Disorders Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence and a CurePSP Center of Care. She graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s in psychology and minors in Human Development & Family Studies and Gerontology. She received her Master of Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill in 2012, where she also obtained a Certificate in Aging and was a participant in the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education. In her current role, Ms. Shurer works as a team with the movement disorders specialists to address patient and care partner psychosocial needs, mood and coping, as well as offers short-term problem-solving counseling and connection to community resources. In addition, Ms. Shurer works to grow a referral network of Parkinson’s-specialized rehabilitation clinicians across the state, coordinates two specialty interdisciplinary clinics, one for Parkinson’s and one for atypical Parkinsonism disorders, facilitates both the Chapel Hill Parkinson’s support group and a PSP & CBD support group, and organizes educational programs for patients and care partners.

Paula is a licensed clinical social worker and senior information specialist with the Parkinson’s Foundation. Since receiving her MSW in 1995, she has worked almost exclusively with the senior population. Her experience includes being a center coordinator for a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, leading a number of PD support groups, educating patients, families, and health care professionals about the disease, and answering questions on the Helpline for 12 years. Paula is passionate about improving understanding and care for people with Parkinson’s disease and their family members. Paula’s father was diagnosed with atypical parkinsonism which gave her a very personal understanding of what patients and families with this diagnosis go through.

Karlin Schroeder is the Senior Director of Community Engagement at the Parkinson’s Foundation, where she leads the Parkinson’s Advocates in Research program (PAIR). Through this program, Karlin runs the Parkinson’s Foundation Learning Institute, an intensive multi-day course that has trained over 300 people with Parkinson’s and their care partners in the research process and provides tools and resources for successful collaboration with research teams. Karlin creates and directs projects to incorporate patient expertise into research with industry, academic centers and government. Her work includes improving diversity in patient advocacy in Parkinson’s disease and defining metrics in patient engagement in research. She is a member of Patient Focused Medicines Development and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative Steering Committee.

Kevin Kwok is the Head of Patient Engagement at Theravance Biopharma in the Bay Area. Previously, he was a partner at a leading executive recruiting firm, where he led the North American Life Science practice. Kevin earned his doctorate degree in clinical pharmacy from the University of Michigan. An avid lifelong wannabe athlete, Kevin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in in his late 40’s. He has taken control of his Parkinson’s with bold irreverence, optimism and biting humor. As a self-proclaimed amateur “PD satirist”, he has been a speaker and patient advocate for several foundations and has been featured on national news programs and webcasts, speaking about living a high-impact life, thanks to traditional therapies and a “zen-aggressive lifestyle.” Kevin joined the Parkinson's Foundation Parkinson's Advocates in Research program in 2014.

Dr. Reversa Joseph is a Board Certified Neurologist specializing in Movement Disorders. Dr. Joseph’s focus is treating patients with Parkinson’s disease using a comprehensive and integrative approach. Dr. Joseph received her Bachelors of Arts at Columbia University, Medical Degree at Georgetown University and completed her Neurology Residency training at Yale University. She pursued fellowship training in Movement Disorders with a focus in Deep Brain Stimulation and Botulinum Toxin Therapy at Georgetown University. Dr. Joseph has also completed a fellowship in Neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health where she focused on autonomic dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders and researching biological markers to predict the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). She has conducted clinical trials in cognitive disorders in PD and the use of Transcranial Direct Stimulation to improve mood, speech and gait in patients with PD. She serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Movement Disorder Specialist at Chalmers P. Wylie VA. Her current research interests include mindfulness based training for improvement of gait in Parkinson’s disease and developing an Integrative approach in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Jessica Shurer is the Center Coordinator and Clinical Social Worker of the Movement Disorders Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence and a CurePSP Center of Care. She graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s in psychology and minors in Human Development & Family Studies and Gerontology. She received her Master of Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill in 2012, where she also obtained a Certificate in Aging and was a participant in the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education. In her current role, Ms. Shurer works as a team with the movement disorders specialists to address patient and care partner psychosocial needs, mood and coping, as well as offers short-term problem-solving counseling and connection to community resources. In addition, Ms. Shurer works to grow a referral network of Parkinson’s-specialized rehabilitation clinicians across the state, coordinates two specialty interdisciplinary clinics, one for Parkinson’s and one for atypical Parkinsonism disorders, facilitates both the Chapel Hill Parkinson’s support group and a PSP & CBD support group, and organizes educational programs for patients and care partners.

Richard Smeyne earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from St. Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA) in 1977, attended the M.A. Program in Experimental Psychology at the University of Hartford through 1992 and earned his Ph.D in Anatomy from Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA) in 1989. He did a postdoctoral fellowship from 1989-1991 at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley NJ where he studied with Jim Morgan and Tom Curran.

Following his postdoctoral work, he started his own lab at the Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Center where he became recognized for his analysis of mice carrying mutations of the neurotrophin receptors TrkA, TrkB and TrkC. Dr. Smeyne was subsequently recruited in 1994 to become the Head of the Neurogenetics Program in the Division of CNS Research at Hoffmann-LaRoche. In 1996, following the closure of the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, from 1996-2016, Dr. Smeyne was a faculty member in the Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) in Memphis TN. IN 2016, he moved to his current position as a Full Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University. He also serves as the Director of the Jefferson Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease Center.

Dr. Smeyne has had a long-standing interest in the cell biology of Parkinson’s disease, with studies examining both environmental and genetic causation. His lab was one the first to show, in animal models of PD, that exercise could modify disease progression, and more recently has been examining the underlying molecular programs responsible for this neuroprotection. He is also recognized for his work examining interactions of the peripheral immune system with that of the brain’s innate immune system immune as well as the role of viruses in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease. Currently, Dr. Smeyne serves as a member of the Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board for the Parkinson’s Foundation. His lab is currently funded by the NIH, the Parkinson’s Foundation, and the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Xavier E. Cagigas, PhD, es el director asociado del Centro de Excelencia Neuropsiquiátrico para Hispanos (HNCE, por sus siglas en inglés), codirector del Programa en Neuropsicología Cultural (CNP, por sus siglas en inglés) y profesor clínico asistente de ciencias de salud en el departamento de Psiquiatría y Ciencias Bioconductuales en la UCLA.

El Dr. Cagigas inicialmente se formó como neuropsicólogo clínico en la University of California en San Diego antes de llegar a la UCLA donde completó su internado clínico en neuropsicología y capacidades excepcionales, su residencia postdoctoral en genética neuroconductual y neuropsicología y donde finalmente recibió su nombramiento al cuerpo docente en el departamento de psiquiatría y ciencias bioconductuales dentro de la David Geffen School of Medicine. Sus investigaciones actuales examinan las correlaciones neurocognitivas del bilingüismo y otros variables culturales dentro de la psicosis, miembros sanos de la comunidad y poblaciones neuroquirúrgicas.

Dr. Okun is Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Florida, as well as Co-Director of the UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. Dr. Okun has long been dedicated to the interdisciplinary care concept, and since his appointment as the National Medical Director for the National Parkinson Foundation in 2006, he has worked with the 43 international Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence to help foster the best possible environments for care, research, and outreach in Parkinson disease, dystonia, Tourette, and movement disorders.

In addition to his role as National Medical Director for the Parkinson’s Foundation, he is the Medical Advisor for Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure and Co-Medical Director for the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA).

Dr. Okun has enjoyed a prolific research career exploring non-motor basal ganglia brain features, and he has participated in pioneering studies exploring the cognitive, behavioral, and mood effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Dr. Okun holds the Adelaide Lackner Associate Professorship in Neurology, has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, is a published poet (Lessons From the Bedside, 1995), and has served as a reviewer for more than 25 major medical journals. He has been invited to speak about Parkinson’s and movement disorders all over the world.

Dr. Okun earned his BA in history from Florida State University and his MD from the University of Florida, with honors. He completed an internship and neurology residency at UF. Following residency, he was trained at Emory University.

Ms. Hunter is the Director of Clinical Research for the Baylor College of Medicine, Parkinson’s Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic (PDCMDC) and serves as the coordinator of the Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence. As part of the PDCMDC’s leadership team, she serves as a resource to the Parkinson's community both locally and regionally. Her duties at Baylor College of Medicine include oversight of the research program, as well as serving as the primary coordinator for a number of PD-related trials.

Through educational efforts, Ms. Hunter is committed to increasing awareness of Parkinson's disease and improving care for individuals with PD and other movement disorders. She is an active member of the Movement Disorders Society and the Parkinson Study Group, for which she currently serves on the Executive Committee. She is a founding mentor of the Parkinson’s Foundation Mentoring and Networking Program for Centers of Excellence.

Ms. Hunter joined the Baylor Department of Neurology in 1995. She earned her AA degree in Nursing from Houston Community College and her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Texas, Arlington.

James Beck, PhD, is the Parkinson's Foundation Chief Scientific Officer and has led the scientific affairs of the foundation since 2008. Dr. Beck oversees the foundation’s research strategy and programs, including management of grants that support research centers, individual investigators, fellows and collaborative projects. In his role, he has changed the parameters of investigator-initiated grants programs to provide additional funding and multi-year support to Parkinson’s-focused scientists; expanded funding for early-career Parkinson’s researchers, established Conference Awards and instituted the inclusion of Parkinson's Foundation’s Research Advocates in the foundation's own programs. Dr. Beck is a member of the Forum on Regenerative Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences and the Udall Center Coordinating Committee.

Dr. Beck is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at the New York University School of Medicine. Previously, he taught at Long Island University as Assistant Professor in the Biology Department. Additionally, Dr. Beck was a recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and has been published in journals, such as the Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neurophysiology and Journal of Comparative Neurology. His research focused on the neural control of vertebrate motor systems and behavior.

Dr. Beck holds a B.S. from Duke University and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle. He completed his postdoctoral training at the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Beck frequently comments in the media about the implications of the latest Parkinson's science headlines.