Ending Parkinson’’s Disease: A Prescription for Action

Four top experts provide a plan to help prevent the Parkinson's pandemic, improve care and treatment, and end the silence associated with this devastating disease
Brain diseases are now the world's leading source of disability. The fastest growing of these is Parkinson's: the number of people with Parkinson's doubled to over 6 million over the last 25 years and is projected to double again by 2040. Harmful pesticides known to cause Parkinson's proliferate, many people remain undiagnosed and untreated, research funding stagnates, and the most effective treatment is now a half century old.
In Ending Parkinson's Disease, four leading doctors and advocates offer a bold but actionable pact to prevent, advocate for, care for, and treat one of the great health challenges of our time. This is a critical guide for anyone who has or could be touched by this disease.

Ray Dorsey is the David M. Levy Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester, where he directs the Center for Health + Technology. For the past decade, he has pioneered technology to care for individuals with and measure the features of Parkinson’s disease. His research has been published in the leading neurology, medical, and economic journals and been featured on NPR and in The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Previously, Ray directed the Parkinson’s disease division at Johns Hopkins Medicine and consulted for McKinsey & Company.
Todd Sherer, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research. Trained as a neuroscientist, he is responsible for the Foundation’s overall scientific and fundraising direction to speed treatment breakthroughs and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University investigating the role of environmental factors in Parkinson’s, Todd joined the Foundation’s staff in 2004 and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2011.
Michael S. Okun is the Chair and the Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida. Michael is one of the world’s leading Parkinson’s disease researchers who has advanced surgical treatments. Michael is the National Medical Director of the Parkinson’s Foundation, the country’s largest Parkinson’s disease patient and advocacy group. Michael is a prolific writer with over 500 publications and the author of the book, Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Better Life, that has been translated into 20 languages and is a bestseller for patients and families.
Bastiaan Bloem is a Professor of Neurology and the Medical Director at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. In 2004, with Dr. Marten Munneke, Bas created ParkinsonNet, the largest integrated care program for Parkinson’s patients. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, and has been a featured speaker at leading patient, academic, and health conferences globally.