The closing date for entries for the Children and Patients Art Competition
has been extended to 31st March 2006, with the announcement of winners
taking place on World Parkinson's Day, 3rd April 2006.
Please visit www.parkinsonpoly.com to
register for a chance of winning one of three
incredible prizes.
The lucky winners will be notified by email or post following the
official announcement on World Parkinson's Disease Day, 3rd April
2006.
Illustrate everyday challenges of living with Parkinson’s
disease, what bothers you most, the most inspiring moments in your
life or personal and family experiences that you would like to share
with others in the form of a painting or drawing
The art competition is endorsed by the European Parkinson’s
Disease Association and Novartis Pharma/Orion
Pharma.
First Prize: DisneyLand Paris entrance tickets for family of 4 people
including travel and accommodation
Second Prize: Apple iPod and US$200 worth of professional art materials
Third Prize: Apple iPod and US$100 worth of professional art materials
How you can participate:
Due to the diverse range of applicants entering the competition,
the format of the competition has been amended to ensure all entrants
have the opportunity to win one of the fantastic prizes on offer.
All entries will now be entered into a combined International competition,
with prizes for each age category.
By participating in this art competition, you will help increase
awareness and the understanding of Parkinson's disease in both your
country and on an international level. Furthermore, attractive prizes
await the winners of the national and international sections.
For a copy of the official rules, please click here or
visit the ParkinsonPoly
web site for more information.
To download a poster advertising the competition please click here.
6th EuroYapmeet Conference: paints brighter
future for patients with PD
Carrying as its theme, “Embrace tomorrow.
Make the future brightening not frightening,”
the 6th
European Conference for Younger People with Parkinson’s
disease (Dublin, 7-9 October) featured a
series of upbeat presentations on improving management
and developing new therapies.
Synapse
is a magazine produced by Oyster,
a specialist medical publisher producing quarterly
magazines and medical journals in key medical
specialities for secondary and primary care teams.
The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) is pleased
to announce the appointment of Steve Ford as
its new Chief Executive.
Steve, who takes over from Linda Kelly, was previously
Chief Executive of South West Kent Primary Care
Trust. He has over twenty years experience of
working in the health service but this is his
first step into the charity sector.
Steve Ford, Chief Executive of the Parkinson's
Disease Society (PDS) said: "I am delighted
to be starting with the Society. It opens up
the opportunity for me to use my health service
knowledge to push for change for people with
Parkinson's. Long term conditions are now finally
on the agenda and the Society will be working
to make sure that government proposals for improved
services become a reality for people with the
condition.
"The Parkinson's Disease Society has actively
been promoting research, care and support for
people with Parkinson's for 37 years and I am
determined to build on this and help increase
awareness of the organisation and the issues
affecting those with the condition."
As part of his new role Steve will be continuing
the work that the Society has begun on the National
Service Framework (NSF), as well as the National
Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
On October 8, 2005 the Broesler
School of Irish Dance held a Treble
Reel for Charity in Carmel, NY at their
annual feisanna. The proceeds of this event went
toward Parkinson's disease research with the
Parkinson's
Unity Walk as the benefactor.
Over 100 Irish dancers ages 5-18 years old participated
in this event. The amount raised by the Broesler
School was $815.00 The goal of this event was
to raise money but also to increase awareness
of Parkinson's disease and educate others of
the need for research.
Dancers and other interested parties received
a red tulip pin
with advocacy information. The red tulip pins
explained how the red tulip is the world symbol
of hope in finding a cure for Parkinson's disease
and included other educational information. These
pins were created and donated by a grant, shipped
free of charge from H Lundbeck A/S., pharmaceutical
company in Denmark and obtained with the help
of the European Parkinson's Disease Association.
Other advocacy information was also in the feis
journal which was obtained by over 800 people.
Dancers who won the various treble reel competitions
received in lieu of a trophy a bouquet of red
tulips. The Broesler School donated money that
they would have spent on trophies to the cause
as well.
The Broesler School chose Parkinson's disease
research as a cause to support because some dancers
parents have been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's
disease. The Broesler School wanted to show their
support and raise funds and awareness for this
worthy cause.
On October 3rd 2005, our friend and colleague
William (Bill) Koller, died unexpectedly.
Bill was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July
12th 1945. He graduated from Marquette University
High School and completed a BS at Marquette University
in 1968. At Northwestern University in Chicago,
he received a Master of Science in Pharmacology
in 1971 and a PhD in Pharmacology in 1974. He
graduated in Medicine in 1976.
He completed his internship and residency at
the Rush Presbyterian St Lukes Medical Centre
in Chicago. He held positions at the Rush Medical
College, University of Illinois and the Loyola
University.
From 1987 to 1999 during some of his most productive
years, he was Professor and Chairman of Neurology
at the University of Kansas Medical Centre. Under
his leadership, it became a world renowned centre
for movement disorders in general and, essential
tremor, in particular.
In 1999, he was "headhunted" and moved
to the University of Miami and became the National
Research Director for the National Parkinsons
Foundation. An objective of this move he told
me was to set up a world centre for Parkinson's
disease and related disorders, including essential
tremor. However with the lack of appropriate
funding, in 2002 he moved to New York and became
the Director of the Movement Disorder clinical
programme at Mount Sinai Medical Centre.
His final move was to the University of North
Carolina with the objective of developing the
movement disorder service. He spoke to me about
this at dinner six weeks ago and his enthusiasm
for his new post, was "palpable". He
brought vigour and energy to his movement disorder
colleagues and had laid the foundation for a
superb clinical and research programme to extend
over the next decade. He had been a member of
the Working
Group on Parkinson's Disease since it was
formed by the World Health Organisation in May
1997.
To his colleagues, Bill was a world renowned
neurologist specialising in Parkinsons Disease,
Essential Tremor and related disorders. He published
over 70 peer reviewed manuscripts, over 160 review
papers and multiple books. He was a Fellow of
the American Academy of Neurology, Treasurer
of the Movement Disorder Society (1999-2000).
He was an Executive Board Member of the PD Study
Group (1996-1999), President of MOVE (2001-2002),
founding member of the Tremor Research Group
and founder of the International Tremor Foundation.
A recent workshop in the US on essential tremor
funded by the Institute of Health USA was dedicated
to the memory of Bill Koller.
I know Bill would want to be remembered as much
for his caring, his clinical skills and his relationships
with his patients (many of whom became his friends),
as much as for his world international academic
achievements. Bill represented the best of American
Neurology and was able to combine the wisdom
and kindliness of the good physician with the
focus, and directness, of the researcher.
Those that knew Bill will remember him for his
sense of humour, his warmth, his youthful enthusiasm
and his love of life. I never saw Bill without
a smile on his face and however serious the situation
was, there was always a sparkle in his eye. He
could bring levity to almost any scenario when
it was appropriate.
I worked with him, drunk with him and fished
with him. It is with a heavy heart that I now
find myself in the position of writing an obituary
for him.
Those in the Tremor Foundation have lost a mentor
and friend.
He is survived by his wife Vicky Royse Koller
and his three sons, Todd (27), Chad (21) and
Kyle (16). Our thoughts and sympathy are with
them at this time.
3rd Annual Young-Onset Parkinson Network Conference
available on webcast
The 3rd Annual Young-Onset Parkinson Network
Conference which took place in Phoenix, Arizona,
this past July is now available for viewing as
a webcast.
Webcastings technology enables hundreds if not
thousands of others to "attend" the
Conference through internet communications, thereby
extending the reach of the Conference presentations
to those that were unable to travel to Phoenix.
Webcasting allows attendees to view important
parts of presentations multiple times, and enables
NPF Chapters, support groups, families affected
by Parkinson disease, and others literally the
world over to use the Conference as a "learning
series" to host viewings of different segments
of the Conference.
The IPA was co-founded in 1993 by Mr Itzhak Mehrez, Mr Raphi Medan and the Neurologist Dr Nir Giladi and Itzhak Mehrez was chairman of the Israel Parkinson Association for ten years.
During his chairmanship, he expanded the Association from a single local branch, set up in the Haifa – Krayot area, to a national association of thirteen active branches and with three more in the process of being established.
He was awarded with the Minister of Labor and Welfare Shield of honor for excellence in the field of self-help groups for the year 2001 and winner of the prize for Volunteer for Year in 2004.
He came into contact with the Israel Parkinson Association, then in its early stages, through a support group organized by the Parkinson Clinic of the Zvulun Medical Center of the General Health Fund.
“
Attending the support group changed everything. From being supported I turned into the one giving support. I began working to help the patients. As a result of the group, I myself became stronger
”
That's the way Itzhak was describing his attraction to the voluntary work for the Israel Parkinson Association. And what a monumental work it was!
Physical activity was one aspect Itzhak pursued "religiously". All his life he was active in sport. He was a professional swimmer, a goalkeeper for the national Israeli water-volley ball team, he played basketball for the Maccabi Haifa National league established the Kiryat Bialik branch of Maccabi and trained youth teams in basketball.
“
Activity in general and mental activity especially, keeps the patient’s condition from deteriorating
”
He ran the affairs of the association from home as the IPA have no rented offices and all the staff work on voluntary basis, so the Mehrez family served as a listening ear for all the members of the association.
Itzhak had a long career of public service and youth guidance behind him. While he held a job at the Israel Electricity Company, he was a sports instructor for youth groups and organized holiday camps for them. He managed the cultural center of Kiryat Bialik, which was full of life and action. For two years he was assigned to Uruguay as an envoy of the immigration Department of the Jewish Agency.
Itzhak’s dream was to establish a home of holistic therapy for Parkinson’s patients assigned there. It should have included therapeutic balancing by expert neurologists together with a staff of paramedics, psychological and social support, occupational therapy, art therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, proper dieting, breathing and relaxation methods and more.
Itzhak was married to Yehudit. He was father of two children and grandfather of five grandchildren and two adopted grandchildren.
The World Parkinson Congress announces its current
list of financial supporters and Organizational
Partners for the World Parkinson Congress.
The EPDA is one of more than 30 Organizational
Partners (OP) from eleven countries. The list
of growing OPs includes nonprofit organizations
and professional associations working directly
or indirectly with Parkinson’s disease.
The World Parkinson Congress, Inc. is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to providing an international
forum for the best scientific discoveries,
medical practices and caregiver initiatives
related to Parkinson's disease.
The Congress will present four days of an
intense program that will look more closely
at cutting edge science, public policy, best
practices in care delivery and quality of
life topics that all relate to Parkinson’s
disease. By bringing physicians, scientists,
allied health professionals, caregivers and
people with Parkinson's disease together,
it is the intention and hope to create a worldwide
dialogue that will help expedite the discovery
of a cure and best treatment practices for
this devastating disease.
For a copy of the Press Release,
please click here.
July 2004
Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden has accepted
to be patron of The Research Foundation of the
Swedish Parkinson's Disease Association.
In order to support swedish clinical Parkinson
research, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden
has accepted to be patron of The Research Foundation
of the Swedish Parkinson's Disease Association.
Throughout the years, the research proposals
submitted to the Research Foundation have
been evaluated by the Scientific Advisory
Board (SAB), with nationally and internationally
recognized experts from different University
Medical Centres in Sweden. Every year, the
SAB evaluate a large amount of proposals and
the Foundation grant money for research at
a total value of about SEK 2 000 000:- per
year. One area of priority has recently been
stem cells research.
The Research Foundation of the Swedish
Parkinson's Disease Association
Nybrokajen 7, 3 tr, S-111 48
Launch
of the Red Tulip as the Worldwide Symbol of Parkinson's
Disease at the 9th World PD Day Conference in
Luxembourg
