Summer Symposium – A Deep-Dive In-Person Workshop for People Impacted by Parkinson’s
A Deep-Dive In-Person Workshop for People Impacted by Parkinson’s
This is your chance to learn from and ask questions of leading experts in the movement disorder world. Let’s spark connections, get real and get curious about the road ahead, and receive practical advice for managing your PD journey.
Topics include:
- Panel: Research and Trial
- Panel: Movement and Cycling
- Nutrition Panel
- Strategies for the management of PD
- Q&A Session
Lunch by Sauced: Craft Pizza. will be served, so please register to reserve your seat!
Join us for a full-day Summer Symposium at the London Community Center — a day of education, community, and inspiration for anyone impacted by Parkinson’s Disease.
Venue:
London Community Center
529 South Main Street
London, KY 40741
Time:
Friday, August 15th | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Registration Details:
Register online now at http://bit.ly/LondonKYRR
We look forward to seeing you there!
Kara Lee, PT, DPT, NCS
Kara Lee, PT, DPT, NCS received both her BS in Health Sciences and her MS in Physical Therapy from the University of Kentucky in 1997. She completed her transitional clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2008 from the University of Kentucky. She practiced clinically with an emphasis on pediatrics for 3 years and neurologic rehabilitation for 14 years before joining the faculty at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Lee is a Board-Certified Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy.
Karen Malkin
Originally from Brooklyn, Karen Malkin has resided in central New Jersey for over 30 years. When she was diagnosed with Parkinson in early 2017, Karen decided once again to change careers—to become the captain of her own sinking ship. Karen states “I knew in my heart, I needed to make a lifestyle change to steer my ship into calm and beautiful seas”. Karen’s goal to support and guide others as they navigate the seas on their Parkinson journey.
Kristine Meldrum
Kristine Meldrum is an award-winning author recognized for her book, “Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise.” She is an exercise professional specializing in working with individuals who have Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurological conditions. Additionally, Kristine is the founder and president of Parkinson’s Place Iowa.
Kristine speaks at Parkinson’s conferences, as well as through Zoom, both nationally and internationally, presenting a talk titled “How to Exercise to Manage and Reduce Parkinson’s Symptoms. “With fifteen years of experience in the fitness and medical fitness industries, Kristine has received eight national and international Independent Book Awards in categories including “Health,” “Exercise,” “New Book,” “Grand Prize Short List” and “First Book.”
Kristine also holds nine NCCA-certified professional exercise and Parkinson’s certifications, making her a highly qualified expert in the field of exercise for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Her new Guidebook, How to Build a PD Exercise Cocktail Plan: A Professional’s Companion Guidebook to Parkinson’s: How to Reduce Symptoms Through Exercise, is expected to be released at the end of Summer 2025
Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH
Laurie Mischley, ND PhD MPH studied naturopathic medicine (ND) at Bastyr University and epidemiology (MPH) and nutritional sciences (PhD) at the University of Washington and she maintains appointments at both Universities. Her work is focused on identifying the nutritional requirements unique to individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and has published on coenzyme Q10, lithium, NAD+, and glutathione deficiency (www.lauriemischley.com). She is Principal Investigator of the Modifiable Variables in Parkinsonism (MVP) Study (MVP-study.com), which is attempting to describe why some people with PD progress slower than others. She is working on ways to study, package and deliver evidence-based lifestyle modification as a therapeutic strategy. She founded the Parkinson Center for Pragmatic Research (www.parkinson-cpr.com) and the canine scent-based PD screening tool, ParK-9 (www.Park-9.com), developed a patient-reported outcome measure to assess PD severity (www.PD-symptoms.com), built the Parkinson Symptom Tracking (PRO-PD) App, and is instructor of the online series, Parkinson School (www.Parkinson-School.com). Dr. Mischley maintains a small clinical practice at Seattle Integrative Medicine focused on nutrition and neurological health of patients with Parkinsonism.
George Quintero, PhD
Beginning with his postdoctoral work at the Center for Microelectrode Technology, Dr. George Quintero helped with the development and use of biosensors to understand the neurochemical communication of the brain. The majority of communication in the brain is chemical in nature, but the techniques for enabling those measurements, especially in the complex nature of the nervous system, have been limited. Using electrochemistry coupled to enzyme-based ceramic biosensors, Dr. Quintero was the first to use these biosensors in non-human primates and acute brain slices to measure glutamate function. This methodology is being used throughout the world, and Dr. Quintero has trained dozens of investigators at dozens of universities, research centers, and companies throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, Dr. Quintero has been part of the Brain Restoration Center (BRC) at the University of Kentucky since it was established. His working relationships with preclinical scientists and clinical groups are critical to the development of the BRC into a center focused on clinical solutions to disorders of the brain. Along with his contributions to clinical trials, he is a co-investigator on a retrospective/prospective study examining the clinical outcome of Deep Brain Stimulation, the principal investigator developing a database of patients who have received DBS at the University of Kentucky, and the study manager for an industry sponsored Phase II study of cell therapy delivery.
Eric Richardson
Eric Richardson is an experienced healthcare executive with over 16 years of expertise in the neurorehabilitation field, specializing in Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and other neurological disorders. As the President and CEO of the National Parkinson’s Institute, Eric leads initiatives that enhance patient care, community support, and research-driven wellness programs.
His background in physical therapy, exercise physiology, and corporate wellness allows him to develop and implement innovative strategies for both individual and group therapy settings. He is passionate about improving quality of life through evidence-based interventions, he is committed to advancing neurological care through comprehensive, patient-centered approaches.
John Slevin, MD, MBA
John T. Slevin has appointments at the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital and Lexington VA Medical Center where he specializes in the evaluation of disorders of movement. His clinical research interests center on Parkinson’s disease and currently include several industry-sponsored clinical drug trials of promising new anti-Parkinson medications and NIH-funded translational research. He is director of Clinical Research at the UK Parkinson’s Disease Research Center of Excellence, the UK Holsinger Parkinson’s Disease Professor of Neuroscience, and Lexington VA Center Director of the VA National Parkinson’s Disease Consortium. His research laboratory is engaged in the study of molecular mechanisms of epileptogenesis. In this capacity, he holds the Robert & Jeanne Nyere Epilepsy Research Professorship. He has authored more than 200 abstracts, book chapters and research articles. A member of several professional research and clinical national societies, he is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and member of the American Neurological Association.
Eddie Valentine, PT, DPT, COMT, Cert. MDT
Eddie Valentine PT, DPT, COMT, Cert. MDT graduated the University of Kentucky where he completed his Masters Degree in Physical Therapy in 2003. He received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2009. After 15 years of clinical practice then founded Revolution Physical Therapy in 2018.
Dr. Valentine’s clinical interest include treatment of Spine Related Pain, Industrial Health Services, Sports Medicine, and Post-Operative rehabilitation. He is one of only two physical therapists in the state to be dual certified in the Maitland Concept (COMT) and the McKenzie Method (MDT). Both treatments are recognized as leading treatments for spine and joint related pain. He is also certified to provide dry needling. Dr. Valentine serves as adjunct faculty in University of Kentucky Physical Therapy Program and serves as a clinic instructor to students from several colleges. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Orthopedic Section, and American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapists.
Julie Worden
Julie Worden is a teacher with Dance for PD and the Muhammad Ali Foundation. She is a Global Ambassador with the PMD Alliance, where you can find her classes, Moving the CHI with PD and Tranquilidad de Espíritu in the archived library. This class is a combination of Tai Chi, Laughter Yoga and Dance in both English and Spanish. She is an advocate for Parkinson’s Disease, leading events internationally for PD Awareness. She was a dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Group for 18 years and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
David Worthy, MD, CPE, CPPS
Dr. David Worthy is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Baptist Health Corbin. He directs oversight of hospital safety and process excellence, medical staff office, quality and clinical information technology activities. He is also the Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Baptist Health System (BHS). In this role he serves as the medical director for the value-based programs for BHS and the Safety Officer for BHS.
Prior to joining the Baptist Health System, Dr. Worthy served as a Family Medicine Physician for several organizations including the Kijabe Medical Center in Kenya, Barbourville Family Health Center in Kentucky, and the United States Army, with deployment to Germany. Dr. Worthy also served as an Emergency Medicine Physician for the Knox County Hospital. He was also the Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Grace Community Health Center, Inc., in Gray, Kentucky.
Dr. Worthy earned his medical degree from Oral Roberts School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He completed a family medicine residency at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He earned Lean Certification from UK in 2014, and he was credentialed as a Certified Physician Executive in 2018.
Jane Williams
Jane Rice Williams is a retired judge, diagnosed on October 26, 2018, and the founder and director of Parkinson’s in Motion. She relies on optimism in an effort to seek out and educate patients and providers and instill hope. Jane’s organization’s mission/vision statement says it all: Moving for change – reforming body, mind and community.
9:00-9:15 AM: Welcome (Jane Williams)
9:15-9:55 AM: Parkinson’s Research in Kentucky (Dr. Slevin, Dr. Quintero, & Renee Wagner) Moderated by Dr. Worthy
9:55-10:50 AM: Cycling for Change (Meldrum, Valentine, & Lee)
10:50-11:00 AM: Dance for PD Movement Break (Julie Worden)
11:00-11:50 AM: Optimal Nutrition to Halt PD (Dr. Mischley, Williams, & Malkin)
11:50-11:55 AM: Prep for Lunch
11:55-12:30 PM: Lunch/Networking/Exhibits (Catered by Sauced)
12:30-12:40 PM: Yoga Movement Break (Julie Worden)
12:40-1:00 PM: Screenings
12:40-1:00 PM: Rock Steady Movement Break (Eric Richardson)
1:00-1:35 PM: Buddy Program/Rock Steady Boxing (Eric Richardson)
1:35-1:50 PM: Q&A (Dr. Worthy)
1:50-2:00 PM: Closing Remarks (Jane Williams)
Venue: