2023 Presenters
Getting the Most Out of your Neurologist Visit
Maria De León, MD
Board Certified Movement Disorders Specialist, Neurologist, Avid Research Advocate
Nacogdoches, TX
María L. De León, MD, is a fellowship-trained movement disorder specialist and an avid research advocate. Over the last decade, she has spent most of it her time championing women’s issues and setting the ground for an understanding of gender differences in neurological diseases, particularly that of PD, while attempting to decrease the disparity in healthcare treatment among minorities through her work with various national and international organizations like World Parkinson’s Coalition. She has been instrumental in developing the ‘Women & PD initiative.” She has collaborated with numerous researchers and Pharma industry campaigns to improve treatment, foster education, and better living with Parkinson’s. Notably, working with researchers on the Early PD- pro Project to identify pre-clinical and early symptoms of PD. She has also worked with Dr. Mata, Dr. Shilpa, Cleveland Clinic, and Parkinson’s Foundation and PDGeneration project helping to design a questionnaire to address gender-specific questions. This research has now been published. Maria wrote the first book addressing gender issues (women) in PD. She has authored two other bilingual books and several other publications and is often cited in Brain and Life magazine. She is a renowned international patient, caregiver, and MDS speaker. Aside from her work with women and PD, she works closely with the Hispanic Parkinson’s community in the US and abroad, helping to create ambassadors/promotors throughout Latin America and Spain through her work with Give for a Smile and Parkinson’s foundation. She has received numerous awards and accolades, such as the Public Policy award (2021) through the MJFOX Public Policy Forum, and was named a finalist twice as Healthcare Collaborator Champion in 2022.
Sleep Disturbances and Fatigue in Parkinson’s
Richard B. Dewey, Jr., MD, FAAN, FANA
Board Certified Movement Disorders Specialist, Neurologist, Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
Boca Raton, FL
Richard B. Dewey, Jr., MD, recently retired from his position as Professor in the Department of Neurology and Director of the Clinical Center for Movement Disorders at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He has now joined the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in Boca Raton, Florida, where he sees patients interested in receiving state-of-the-art care for their movement disorder in a setting where they can participate in cutting-edge clinical trials.
Dr. Dewey earned his medical degree with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he was named a President’s Scholar and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society in his junior year. He completed his neurology residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, and his fellowship in movement disorders at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Dewey is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and an elected Fellow of the American Neurological Association.
He has received several notable honors throughout his medical career, including America’s Top Physicians, Best Doctors in America, Texas Super Doctors, Guide to America’s Top Physicians, D Magazine Best Doctors in Dallas, HealthGrades Five-Star Doctor, and US News and World Report Top Doctors.
Dr. Dewey has been an invited speaker participating in over 100 lectures and presentations on an international, national, regional, and local level. He has authored over 75 articles for major neurology journals. Dr. Dewey is a skilled clinician who manages all aspects of Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism, and he performs botulinum toxin injections for a wide range of movement disorders.
Navigating A Safe Hospitalization with Parkinson’s
Drew Falconer, MD
Movement Disorders Specialist, Neurologist, Associate Professor of Neurology at the UVA School of Medicine, Director of the Inova Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders Center
Fairfax, VA
Dr. Drew Falconer is board certified in neurology and is a fellowship-trained movement disorders specialist. He is the Director of the Inova Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center. He specializes in the advanced care of patients with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, Huntington’s disease, tic disorders, and other movement disorders. He is uniquely qualified in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and botulinum toxin injections. Dr. Falconer speaks nationally on various topics in Movement Disorders and is a respected national educator in Parkinson’s Disease and DBS.
Non-Motor Challenges in PD: Mental Health & Psychosis
David Whitney, MD
Board-Certified Movement Disorders Specialist, Neurologist, Inova Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center
Fairfax, VA
Dr. David Whitney is a board-certified neurologist and fellowship-trained movement disorders specialist with the Inova Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Before joining Inova, he completed movement disorders fellowship training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and a general neurology residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Dr. Whitney specializes in the management of Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, ataxia, tic disorders, and other movement disorders. He has specialized training in botulinum toxin injections and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders.
After seeing firsthand the profound impact that quality care combined with the latest in pharmacologic and technological interventions can have on patients with neurologic disorders, Dr. Whitney became interested in neurology and movement disorders as his chief medical interest. His goal is to work alongside his patients and their families to restore and maintain quality of life and stay at the forefront of developments in the field.
Sponsored Presentation by Supernus
Understanding OFF Episodes and Dyskinesia in Parkinson’s Disease
Robert Hauser, MD, MBA
Professor of Neurology Director, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
Dr. Robert Hauser is a Professor of Neurology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, Florida. He serves as Director of the USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, a Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence.
Dr. Hauser completed a fellowship in Movement Disorders at the University of South Florida and became Center Director in 1994. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and is one of the world’s most cited Parkinson’s Disease investigators. He is the Past Chairman of the Interventional Neurology Section of the American Academy of Neurology, has served on the executive committee of the Parkinson Study Group, and was a member of the steering committee for the NIH-sponsored Neuroprotective Exploratory Trials in Parkinson’s Disease program (NET-PD). Dr. Hauser frequently lectures at scientific meetings around the world.
Dr. Hauser’s primary research interest is the development of new medical and surgical treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He has extensive expertise in clinical trial design and execution. The outcome measures he developed have become the gold standard for use in clinical trials. Dr. Hauser maintains an active clinical practice and has been voted a Top Doctor by his peers every year since 1993.
Integrative Care Approach to Chronic Pain
Apurva Zawar, DPT, PMP®
Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist, Founder, BeyondRehab
Seattle, WA
Dr. Apurva Zawar, PT, DPT is a passionate neurologic physical therapist, educator, and mentor. She owns and practices at BeyondRehab, a digital Neuro-Rehab & Wellness clinic covering California, Massachusetts, Florida and Washington.
Additionally, she is a board certified geriatric clinical specialist with expertise in managing movement disorders & persistent pain care. She received her Master’s from MGH IHP and Doctor of Physical Therapy from Neuro Recovery Training Institute. She has worked across various rehab settings in the US with highly expert multi-disciplinary teams in treating neurological conditions.
Her primary focus of work involves serving and managing complex care conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Dystonia, Functional movement disorder and Chronic Pain through an integrative care approach. She strives to provide an intensive, total body approach to fitness, rehabilitation and wellness. You can learn more about her practice at beyondrehab.health.