Agenda
(Skip to September 17 – Day 2)
September 16 (Day 1)
(All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time)
12 to 1 PM – Welcome and Keynote
Welcome by Leslie A. Chambers, MSPH, President & CEO, American Parkinson Disease Association
Keynote: Practical Applications of AI on Your PD by Aasef Shaikh, MD, PhD
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly common part of everyday life. What does that mean for people living with PD? In this session, a movement disorder specialist will discuss important considerations and limitations of using AI, helping you make decisions about when and how these tools may be useful.
1:10 to 1:55 PM – Breakout Session Block 1 (choose one session)
- Delivering a Diagnosis with Wisdom, Sensitivity, and Optimism
This session will explore how Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed, from understanding the signs and symptoms to discussing the diagnosis and creating a plan for care. You’ll learn about an approach centered on compassion, optimism, practical guidance, education, and self-advocacy, designed to help people with PD feel informed, supported, and empowered throughout their care journey.
Speakers: Kara M. Smith, MD, MSCI, FAAN & Cathi A. Thomas, RN, MS, CNRN
- Reimagining the Care Partner Relationship
This session will explore how support groups can help strengthen relationships between people with Parkinson’s and their care partners as they navigate the different stages of the disease. You’ll learn about support groups designed for couples, family members, people with PD, and care partners, and hear real-life examples that show how connecting with others who share similar experiences can provide meaningful support and understanding.
Speakers: Judith Margolis, MSW & Alice Nadelman, MSW, MS, PhD
- Traveling with PD
Do you want to travel but are intimidated by the thought of international travel with Parkinson’s disease? Join a fellow traveler with Parkinson’s as she shares her personal experiences, practical strategies, and lessons learned from navigating the logistics of traveling with PD. Whether you’re planning your first trip or your next adventure, you’ll leave this session with helpful tips to feel more confident and prepared to explore your world.
Speaker: Sabela Avión Martínez
2:05 to 2:50 PM – Breakout Session Block 2 (choose one session)
- The Family Journey: Emotional Resilience in Advanced Parkinson’s
As Parkinson’s disease progresses, its effects are often felt by the entire family. This session will explore the emotional and mental health challenges families may experience while navigating advanced Parkinson’s disease and offer practical strategies for fostering resilience, strengthening communication, and maintaining meaningful connections. Attendees will gain tools to care for their own emotional well-being while supporting one another through the changes, uncertainties, and shared experiences that accompany advancing PD.
Speaker: Martín Rodríguez Villalvazo, PhD
- Small Changes, Big Differences
This session will discuss creative, low-cost home changes that promote safety and put a spotlight on finding resources that can help with the cost of larger home changes.
Speaker: Monika Lukasiewicz, OTR/L, DCCS
- Advocacy from the Inside Out: Your Voice, Your Story, Your Impact
Hear directly from people living with Parkinson’s disease and care partners as they share how using their voices and personal stories has helped shape public understanding, influence policy, and create meaningful change. This panel discussion – by the PD community and for the PD community – will highlight practical ways to get involved in advocacy efforts at the local and national levels and inspire you to explore the impact your own story can have.
Panelists: Suzanne Cameron, Maureen Whelihan, & Bill Ryan
3:00 to 3:45 PM – General Session – Ask the Experts Anything: Rehabilitation Professional Panel
Ask us anything! Bring your questions to this interactive panel featuring experts in mental health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Designed for people living with PD and their care partners, this session offers the opportunity to get practical, evidence-based answers to the questions that matter most to you.
Panelists: Cristina Colón-Semenza, PT, MPT, PhD, Karen Torres, PsyD, ABPP, & Shoshana Bielich, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS
3:45 to 3:50 PM – Closing
Leslie A. Chambers, MSPH, President & CEO, American Parkinson Disease Association
September 17 (Day 2)
(All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time)
12 to 1 PM – Welcome and Keynote
Welcome by Leslie A. Chambers, MSPH, President & CEO, American Parkinson Disease Association
Keynote: Cognitive Clinical Trials by William Zeiger, MD, PhD
Changes in thinking and memory are commonly experienced by persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This presentation will discuss the kinds of thinking and memory changes that can happen, how these might arise, and current research on potential therapies to treat cognitive problems in PD.
1:10 to 1:55 PM – Breakout Session Block 1 (choose one session)
- Mental Health, Identity, and Parkinson’s
Join a panel of people living with PD for a thoughtful conversation about how diagnosis has shaped their mental health, sense of self, and personal identity. Panelists will explore the emotional challenges, personal growth, and perspective shifts that accompany life with PD.
Panelists: Sharon Krischer & George Bozeman
- Comfort and Confidence: Practical Approaches to Personal Care and Continence
This talk addresses one of the most under-discussed challenges in Parkinson’s care: the fear of incontinence and its ripple effect on independence. This session moves beyond the clinical mechanics of bladder and bowel dysfunction to give attendees concrete, usable strategies, from timing and clothing to products and environmental setup, that restore confidence to leave the house, stay social, and keep moving. Because fear of continence doesn’t just limit outings. It limits movement, and movement is medicine in Parkinson’s.
Speaker: Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
- Minimizing Risks During Hospitalization
Hospital stays can involve risks such as infections, medication errors and delays, falls, blood clots, and loss of strength, but many of these complications can be prevented. This presentation will provide practical, evidence-based strategies to help patients and their families partner with their healthcare team, ask the right questions, and take an active role in promoting a safer hospital stay and a successful recovery.
Speaker: Okeanis Vaou, MD, FAAN
2:05 to 2:50 PM – Breakout Session Block 2 (choose one session)
- Living in the Present While Looking Ahead
This panel discussion brings together people living with Parkinson’s disease and care partners for an honest conversation about finding hope and meaning while navigating life with Parkinson’s. Through personal stories, our panelists will explore how they balance acceptance with optimism, find purpose and connection in everyday life, and treat hope as something that can be nurtured each day.
Panelists: Melissa Morante, Jennifer Crowder, & Jocelyn Sotomayor
- Finding Strength in Your Own Words
The way we speak to ourselves matters. Living with Parkinson’s disease — or being a PD care partner — can bring moments of frustration, fear, guilt, and self-doubt. Sheila Moore, LCSW, will explore the power of positive and compassionate self-talk, offering practical strategies to help people with PD and care partners speak to themselves with greater kindness and self-compassion. In this session, you will discover how small shifts in the words you use with yourself can support your emotional well-being and help you navigate each day with more confidence.
Speaker: Sheila L Moore, LCSW, MSG
- Empowering People Affected by Parkinson’s: Finding Your Voice in Shared Decision-Making Conversations
Do you sometimes feel unprepared for or overwhelmed by clinic appointments with your healthcare providers, especially when facing treatment decisions? In this session you will learn CO-MAPS, a patient-empowering model developed by the facilitator that helps you discern your values, identify your priorities, and increase resilience in Shared Decision-Making Conversations.
Speaker: Kim Beuerman, MA, BCC
3:00 to 3:45 PM – General Session – A Conversation with the Experts
Do you have questions about managing Parkinson’s disease? Join expert movement disorder specialists Dr. Rebecca Gilbert and Dr. Harini Sarva for an interactive session where they will answer audience questions on a wide range of topics, including Parkinson’s research, treatment options, symptom management, and more.
Panelists: Harini Sarva, MD & Rebecca Gilbert, MD, PhD
3:45 to 3:50 PM – Closing
Leslie A. Chambers, MSPH, President & CEO, American Parkinson Disease Association