2025 APDA Illinois Parkinson’s Conference Join our CommunityUpcoming Chapter EventsWays to GiveAbout APDA IllinoisOptimism WalkResources & Support Join us for a powerful day designed to inform, empower, and uplift the Parkinson’s community. The 2025 Parkinson’s Disease Conference will help you build your personal PD playbook — filled with real-world tips, tools, and expert guidance to help you manage Parkinson’s with confidence. Whether you’ve been newly diagnosed or living with Parkinson’s for years, you’ll gain valuable education from leading speakers, explore local resources, and connect with others who understand your journey. Be part of an incredible gathering of the PD community, where knowledge meets encouragement and optimism leads the way. From in-depth sessions and hands-on tools to community networking and vendor exhibits, you’ll walk away with clarity, support, and renewed optimism. Agenda 8:00 AM –9:00 AM –9:15 – 10:00 AM –10:00 – 10:45 AM –10:45 – 11:15 AM –11:00 – 12:00 PM –12:00 – 12:30 PM – Check In & Community Resource FairAPDA WelcomeDr. Jori Fleisher MD, MSCE, FAAN – RUSH University Medical Center Overcoming Myths and Barriers to Live Well with PD at Any Stage: In this session, Dr. Fleisher will debunk several myths about PD including how and how long medications work, when treatment should be initiated, and how to approach any sudden changes. We will explore the impact that exercise can have on people living with PD and how to overcome barriers such as symptom progression and caregiver strain to live well with PD at any point in the journey.APDA ResearchersSaar Anis, MD – Exploring the Impact of Deep Brain Stimulation on Sleep in Patients with PDHelen Hwang, MD, PhD – Small Molecules as Potential Therapeutic for PDCommunity Resource FairExpanding Your Support Team: Panel Discussion – Hosted by: Jennifer Vince1. Living with PD – Mike Hill2. Music Therapy – Mary Helen Ekstam3. Speech Therapy – Marie Saxon4. Nutritionist – Deepa Deshmukh5. Caregiver Community Resource Fair and Final Q & A Don’t miss this opportunity to take charge of your Parkinson’s journey — we’ll see you there! Location: Northern Illinois University – Naperville Campus: 1120 E Diehl Rd. When: Monday, November 3rd, 8:00am- 12:30pm Register Today! Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jori Fleisher MD, MSCE – RUSH University Medical CenterJori Fleisher, MD MSCE is a neurologist and movement disorder specialist at Rush University Medical Center with a special interest in understanding the needs of individuals and families who are living with advanced movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and related conditions. She received her MD from Northwestern University and her Master’s of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her residency and fellowship. Dr. Fleisher has additional training in palliative care, health services and implementation research, and advocacy leadership. Supported by the NIH, foundations, and philanthropy, Dr. Fleisher’s own research focuses on designing and implementing novel models of care and support for people living with neurodegenerative disorders. She is thrilled to be the Principal Investigator of the PERSEVERE Trial, a first-of-its-kind entirely virtual, national, randomized controlled trial to educate and empower family care partners whose loved ones have Parkinson’s or Lewy Body Dementia. She is a co-investigator on several national NIH-funded studies in PD dementia, DLB, and improving emergency department care and transitions for people living with dementia. She is an internationally recognized speaker partnering with multiple patient advocacy organizations, has mentored over 25 trainees, and is a proud PD family care partner and believer in the power of movement as medicine. Expert Researcher: Dr. Saar AnisDr. Anis is a Neurologist and Movement Disorders Specialist. He completed his Neurology Residency and Movement Disorders Fellowship at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Following his fellowship, Dr. Anis served as staff at Sheba Medical Center and began a tenure-track position at Tel Aviv University. During his tenure, he investigated the impact of Deep brain stimulation (DBS) on non-motor features in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with monogenic mutations prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population. Dr. Anis has a strong research focus on non-motor symptoms of PD and other movement disorders. His previous research includes studying the effects of medical cannabis on non-motor symptoms of PD, employing both prospective and retrospective designs. He has also led and participated in many multi-center clinical trials. Currently, Dr. Anis is conducting a Clinical Research Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF), focusing on the innovative use of the DBS technology BrainSenseTM in clinical and research settings. Expert Researcher: Dr. Helen HwangDr. Hwang is a Movement Disorder Neurologist and an Instructor at Washington University School of Medicine. She obtained her BA and BS degrees in Psychology and Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego. Following this, she matriculated at the MD/PhD program at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL where she studied telomere biology with single molecule fluorescence under the mentorship of Dr. Sua Myong. Dr. Hwang then completed her Neurology and Movement Disorder training at Washington University in St Louis. During her fellowship, she became interested in potential biomarkers and therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease (PD). She has developed an in-vitro fluorescence platform of alpha-synuclein (a-syn) fibril growth for screening small molecules for potential therapeutics for PD and is interested in expanding this work into a cellular model. Mike Hill: Mike retired in May 2023 after working for Pilot Flying J for over 30 years. He enjoys spending time with his family, including 2 grandkids and traveling with his wife. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons in February of 2024 and joined the executive board for the APDA in January of 2025Panel Discussion: Living Well with PD5 Tips:– Stay Positive — Mindset Matters– Focus on What You Can Control: Sleep, Food, Exercise– Get Involved — Your Voice Can Drive Change– Get Informed, Stay Informed, and Leverage your Resources– Parkinson’s Isn’t the End – Unless You Let It Be Mary Helen Ekstam, MT-BC, CDP: Mary is a board-certified music therapist and certified dementia practitioner with a specialty in neurologic rehabilitation and hospice and palliative care and has been in the health care field for 42 years. Panel Discussion: The Advantages of Music for the Parkinson’s Patient5 Key Points:-Music can help improve overall quality of life.-Music assists with improving memory.-Rhythm and structure of music assists with overall gait.-The foundation of music is whole brain processing.-Music is enjoyable and fun and improves feelings of depression and anxiety. Marie Saxon, MS, CCC-SLP: Mary is a Senior Speech-Language Pathologist at the ShirleyRyan AbilityLab in Chicago, IL. She works with individuals with neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s, within the inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Panel Discussion: Retrain and Regain Your Voice5 Tips:– Intent – Use conscious effort and focus when using your voice. Parkinson’s Disease impacts the part of your brain that completes automatic movement; therefore, you must rely on other parts of your brain that use effort and focus. – Start Early – As soon as you notice changes to your voice and speech, seek out a speech-language therapy evaluation.– Daily Practice – Daily practice is necessary to maintain voice gains achieved in speech-language therapy– Feedback – Remember that you sound louder to yourself when speaking with intent than you will sound to your conversation partners. Trust feedback from trusted conversation partners and your therapist. – Conversation – Practice using your intentional voice in conversation with friends, family members, and colleagues. The more that you can generalize what you learned in therapy to your personal communication, the better! Deepa Deshmukh, MPH, RDN, CDCES, BC-ADM: Deepa is a dietitian and lifestyle medicine practitioner who helps individuals use food as medicine to prevent and manage chronic conditions. With over 18 years of experience, she blends science, culture, and culinary skill to turn everyday meals into tools for healing and health.Panel Discussion: From Clinic to Kitchen: Turning Food into a Daily Treatment Tool5 Tips:– Meal Prep Can Be Quick and Powerful: Plan once, eat well all week. Prepare easy-to-chew, soft-texture meals in batches and portion them for grab-and-go convenience.– Feed Your Gut, Fuel Your Brain: A thriving gut supports better digestion, mood, and even medication absorption. Add fiber-rich foods such as beans, lentils, greens, and whole grains.– Rethink the Protein: Protein is vital for muscle strength and recovery, just be mindful of timing around levodopa. Spacing it through the day helps maximize benefits.– Stress Shapes Your Plate: Stress can drive sugar and comfort-food cravings. Practice small resets — deep breaths, gentle music, or mindful bites before meals to restore balance.– Start Small, Stay Steady: Change doesn’t need to be dramatic. Add one veggie, one new routine, or one meal-prep win per week, progress compounds quietly and powerfully. Thank you to our generous sponsors for supporting the Illinois Parkinson’s Conference — your partnership helps empower, educate, and uplift the PD community! Gold Sponsor Abbvie Boston Scientific Supernus Silver Sponsors AbbottMovement RevolutionShirley Ryan Abilitylab MedtronicMEDRhythms TherapyNeuroFiber