SPEAKERS
(In order of appearance)
RAY DORSEY, MD, MBA
Dr. Ray Dorsey is the director of the Center for the Brain & the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute. The center’s mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer’s so that we can prevent them. With his colleagues, he wrote Ending Parkinson’s Disease and the forthcoming The Parkinson’s Plan, which details a new path to preventing and treating this terrible disease.
Ray previously directed the Center for Health + Technology at the University of Rochester, chaired the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division at Johns Hopkins, and consulted for McKinsey & Company.
In 2015, the White House recognized Ray as a “Champion for Change” for Parkinson’s disease.
Larry Gifford
Larry Gifford is the co-founder and president of PD Avengers, a global alliance of advocates working to end Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 2017, he’s a former radio executive turned activist, speaker, and storyteller who uses his voice to amplify the lived experience of PD. Larry is currently hosting the latest season of the Brian Grant Foundation’s On Time podcast, focused on living well with Parkinson’s.
Nate Coomer, PT, DPT, NCS
Nate is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who has been working with neurologic diagnoses as a physical therapist for over ten years. He founded The Parkinson’s Fitness Project (TPFP) in 2016 with the mission to develop physical and online training centers to promote ongoing neurological health in those with PD. TPFP offers a variety of in person and virtual neurofitness training opportunities. Nate regularly presents at educational programs and participates in events for the PD community.
Jason Aldred, MD, FAAN
Dr. Jason Aldred is a board-certified neurologist and fellowship-trained movement disorders specialist with a strong focus on Parkinson’s disease. He completed his medical training at the University of Tennessee and Oregon Health & Science University, where he also conducted clinical research on levodopa pharmacology and earned a certificate through the Human Investigators Program. Dr. Aldred sees patients at Selkirk Neurology in Spokane, WA, where he also leads an active clinical research program at Inland Northwest Research.
Maria Marsans, MCMS, PA-C
Maria serves as the Deep Brain Stimulation Program Director at Virginia Mason Medical Center. She just celebrated 20 years at VM and has worked with PD and DBS patients during that time. Maria strives to help patients understand what treatment options will best meet their needs and take an active role in their own medical decision-making, with the goal of helping them to achieve their best quality of life. When not practicing medicine, Maria enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and being outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.
Kimmy Su, MD, PhD
Dr. Su is a movement disorders specialist who practices at both the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and at the University of Washington Medical Center. She is dedicated to the interdisciplinary team approach, working closely with the patient, family, caregivers, therapists (physical, speech, occupational), social workers and nurses to provide individualized and comprehensive care. She is actively involved in Parkinson’s disease patient education and community outreach programs, as well as research through clinical trials.
Liz Ferluga, MD
Dr. Liz Ferluga attended medical school at the University of Iowa. She completed her neurology training and movement disorder fellowship at Vanderbilt University. She serves as the Director of Movement Disorders at Synapticure and President of CareMD.
Samantha Evans, ND
Dr. Samantha Evans is a naturopathic physician with specialized training in naturopathic neurology, gastrointestinal health, and sexual health in Parkinson’s disease. After earning her degree in Molecular Biology and Chemistry, she pursued her medical education at Bastyr University, where she also contributed to Parkinson’s research and patient care. With a holistic, patient-centered approach, Dr. Evans integrates research, functional medicine, and mind-body therapies to help individuals better understand their health and achieve lasting improvements. Dr. Evans sees patients at Seattle Integrative Medicine.
Kat Hill
Kat was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 48. She believes that we can choose joy in our lives no matter what we are faced with. Movement, mindfulness and gratitude help her navigate the challenges of living with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease. After her diagnosis Kat ended her career as a nurse midwife after delivering over 800 babies and decided to apply the best of her background and experience to help others find a deeper level of joy in their lives. Kat speaks around the world literally and virtually for the World Parkinson Congress and The Davis Phinney Foundation and also is a co-founder of the Women’s Parkinson’s Project. She co-authored the book, “Being Well with Chronic Illness” and hosts the podcast “PD Lemonade.” For the last 18 months Kat, her husband and her excitable Yorkie have been living and travelling fulltime in an Airstream Travel Trailer. www.kathill.org
Dr. Karen Torres, Psy. D, ABPP-CN
Dr. Torres is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center. She specializes in evaluating individuals with movement disorders including those interested in undergoing neurosurgical intervention (DBS, FUS) and individuals with other neurodegenerative disorders. Her research interests include understanding the prodromal and early disease cognitive changes in Parkinson’s disease.
Rebecca Gifford
Rebecca Gifford is a writer, workshop facilitator, communications executive and former host of When Life Gives You Parkinson’s, a podcast she produced with her husband Larry Gifford. She is a Parkinson’s and care partner advocate, and a proud PD Avenger. She facilitates creative writing workshops and educational webinars in collaboration with Parkinson’s and other organizations across North America and beyond. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband Larry and their teenage son.
Jennie Davis, DO
Dr. Jennie Davis is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders and a special expertise in deep brain stimulation (DBS).
She opened her private practice, Maple Valley Movement Neurology in 2023 to improve access to Movement Disorder care for those who live south of Seattle. She strives to improve the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease by addressing the motor, non-motor and psychosocial dynamics of living with a chronic illness. At Maple Valley Movement Neurology she and her team work closely with patients and their families to develop customized treatment plans. She is passionate about patient education as her goal is to help patients understand their disease and empower them to take control of their symptoms to live their best life.
Amy Lavallee
Amy is a wife and mother of three who was diagnosed with YOPD at the age of 34 – 9 years ago. She became an active member of the PD community through volunteering and advocacy, and have worked with the Brian Grant Foundation for the past three years. She is a member of the Portland Movers and Shakers, a Parkinson’s walking team training for the 2025 Portland to Coast which is 130 mile relay race.
Brian Harris
I was diagnosed in Jan of 2017 at 48. When I disclosed my diagnosis to my grandmother she looked at me and said “This is what life has handed you. What are you going to do about it?” I took those words to heart and in January of 2018 I formed SEAYOPD, Seattle’s YOPD Social Activity group who meet at least monthly to do stuff together. Then January of 2019 I wanted to do more so I joined the board of directors for the APDA NW chapter. Besides being heavily involved in these 2 Parkinson non-profits, I love to travel, hike and I am an avid numismatist. I live in Auburn, WA with my husband Damion and our dog Tyson and I really try and live by my grandmother’s words of wisdom.
Denelle G. Reilly
Denelle is an elder law attorney at Macey-Cushman & Reilly, pllc . She specializes in estate planning and long-term care planning for families with loved ones who are aging and have disabilities. Outside of work, she and her husband are raising two teenagers and navigating the highs and lows of her husband’s YOPD.
Roy Hsu
Roy Hsu is the founder of Evoke Financial Services, LLC, a boutique advisory firm based in Seattle serving clients nationwide. With a background in the arts and two decades in digital media, Roy brings a unique perspective to finance, combining coaching and technical expertise to create personalized strategies that help clients live richly—on their own terms. Through Evoke, he offers holistic financial planning, tax strategies, business consulting, and alternative investments, maintaining a small client base to ensure deep, individualized attention and long-term partnership.
Laurie Mischley, ND, PhD, MPH
Dr. Mischley is a naturopathic clinician, a researcher, a writer and educator who is focused on finding the answers to make Parkinsons reversible and preventable She has spent the past two decades studying the unique nutritional requirements of people with Parkinsonism and working to find better ways to measure, monitor, predict, and prevent PD. Her academic training is in naturopathic medicine (ND), nutrition (PhD), and epidemiology (MPH). She built the Parkinson Symptom Tracking App (www.pd-symptoms.com), has trained dogs to detect the scent of parkinsonism in ear wax (ParK-9.com), is lead investigator of the MVP-Study.com, and is founder of the Parkinson Center for Pragmatic Research (CPR). She sees patients at Seattle Integrative Medicine in Seattle.
Learn more about the APDA Northwest Chapter
