Speaker Series -  Finding your Balance: Strategies for Weight Management in Parkinson's Disease , Part Two

May 14, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

• How to Identify and modify eating behaviors that impact weight
• Understand and manage appetite changes associated with Parkinson's
• Learn strategies for meal planning to support optimal nourishment

About Kelly Morrow, MS, RDN, FAND

Kelly is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been on the faculty at Bastyr University since 2002 where she has supervised clinical rotations at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health and taught in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science. She started her career over 20 years ago working at the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Center at Evergreen Hospital in Washington State and currently supports Parkinson’s patients in meeting their nutrition needs at Seattle Integrative Medicine. Kelly is an affiliate dietitian with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Washington, is a past Chair of Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a Co- Editor of Krause and Mahan’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process textbook.

As a nutrition educator, Kelly helps people learn about how food affects health. As a nutrition counselor, she helps people with motivation and making sustainable changes while supporting personal preferences, lifestyle, and culture. Kelly uses an integrative, body positive, and non-diet approach.

Speaker Series - Preventing Freezing of Gait using Wearable Robotics in Parkinson's Disease

June 11, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

We are honored to have three esteemed researchers presenting on Gait dysfunction. 

• Understand how Freezing of Gait impacts movement and walking in PD
• Explore the potential of next-generation wearable robotics to improve Freezing of Gait in people with PD. 
• Learn about ways to help us develop impactful solutions aimed at preventing Freezing of Gait using wearable robotics

About the Presenters

Franchino Porciuncula, PT, DScPT, EdD is a Research Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at Boston University.  Trained as a physical therapist and as a rehabilitation scientist, Dr. Porciuncula’s research focuses  on developing rehabilitation/exercise interventions by targeting biomechanical, cognitive, and behavioral processes of gait dysfunction. His research includes the development of wearable technologies through robotics and digital health solutions to promote sustainable and impactful outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (PD), stroke, and other movement disorders. 

Nicholas Wendel, PT, DPT, NCS: Nick is a physical therapist at the Center for Neurorehabilitation where he provides patient care and participates in research and education activities with persons with Parkinson disease and related movement disorders. Prior to joining the Center for Neurorehabilitation, he was a senior physical therapist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital where he provided physical therapy to patients with various neurologic conditions including Parkinson Disease, stroke, concussion, multiple sclerosis and individuals with balance dysfunction. 

Christina Lee, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow in bioengineering at the Harvard Biodesign Lab. She received her Ph.D. in 2023 from The University of Michigan and her B.S. and M.S. in 2018 from Northwestern University, in biomedical engineering. Her research interests lie in understanding how individuals with neuromuscular impairment interact with assistive devices through the investigation of fundamental biomechanics and performance-related measures during device use in the lab and in the community.