RESEARCH
IN A TIME OF
UNCERTAINTY
on page 5
FOCUS
O N PA R K I N S O N ’ S
Mr. Fox and 200 Parkinson’s
Advocates Go to Washington
by ALLYSE FALCE
In February, more than 200 Parkinson’s patient
and caregiver advocates from 43 states, including
Michael J. Fox, descended on Washington, D.C.
as part of the Foundation’s first Parkinson’s Policy
Forum (formerly known as the Parkinson’s Action
Network, or PAN, Forum). Their purpose: create
and deepen nationwide connections within the
Parkinson’s disease (PD) community, share and
gain insights on policy priorities important to
people with PD, and meet with members of
Congress to speak out on behalf of the estimated
1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s.
In light of policymakers’ ongoing discussions about
health care reform and the national budget, the
meeting was vital and well-timed. Lawmakers have
expressed interest in advancing legislation that
could significantly impact access to care as well as
federal research funding. And already the House
of Representatives has passed a bill to repeal
and reform portions of the Affordable Care Act
(ACA). At the time this newsletter went to press,
news media were reporting that the Senate will
begin the process of drafting its own health care
reform proposal in the coming weeks. Debate on
(continued on page 8)
In This Issue
3 6 10 16
Precision
Medicine and
Parkinson’s Spring/Summer
2017 Research
Briefs Dr. Dolhun Talks
PD: Impulse Control
Disorders Team Fox Q&A
with Olympian Joan
Benoit Samuelson
Spring/Summer 2017
THE FOX