Par-Con 2021 - What will treatment look like in the future?
In our final session of the conference, we’re gazing into a crystal ball to take a look at what Parkinson’s treatment and care may be available in future. Join Chair of the Parkinson’s UK Board of Trustees Gary Shaughnessy, Associate Director of the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network Rowan Waites and Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Honorary Consultant in Neurology Roger Barker to hear their hopes on what the future has in store.
GARY SHAUGHNESSY
Chair of Board of Trustees, Parkinson’s UK
@gshaug7741
I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2015. I became a trustee of Parkinson’s UK in 2018, and then Chair of the Board in October 2019.
I’m passionate about using my voice and experience to raise awareness of Parkinson’s, and improve life for people living with the condition.
My career was in the insurance and financial services industry. I stepped down from my role as CEO of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Zurich Insurance in 2018. I wanted to spend more time with my family, on non-executive roles and my fitness.
Exercise helps me manage my Parkinson’s symptoms. I enjoy combining sport with community engagement to raise funds and awareness for the charity. This has included wing walking, abseiling and running marathons.
ROWAN WATHES
Associate Director of the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network, Parkinson’s UK
@RowanWathes
Dr Rowan Wathes is an experienced clinician-turned-manager, with a keen interest in healthcare strategy and transformation. She is the Associate Director of the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network, a network for health and social care professionals interested in Parkinson’s and people affected by the condition. She is responsible for driving forward the charity's goal of ensuring that everyone with Parkinson’s has access to high quality multi-disciplinary care.
She previously worked at The PSC (formerly known as 2020 Delivery), a specialist management consultancy dedicated to improving public services, where she led their work transforming complex healthcare services and organisations.
Prior to this she was a Specialist Registrar in Clinical Oncology in North-West London. During her clinical training, she gained national policy experience as Clinical Fellow to Dr Kathy McLean, then Medical Director of the Trust Development Authority (now NHS Improvement), through the National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow Scheme.
Rowan holds a Master of Arts in Medical Sciences and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Oxford University. She is a Member of The Royal College of Physicians and has an HBX Credential of Readiness from Harvard Business School.
ROGER BARKER
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Honorary Consultant in Neurology, University of Cambridge and Addenbrookes Hospital
@PDandHDLab
Roger Barker is the Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and Consultant Neurologist at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge. He is a PI in the MRC-Wellcome Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge and Director of the MRC funded UKRMP Stem and Engineered cell hub.
His research seeks to better define the clinical heterogeneity of two common neurodegenerative disorders of the CNS- namely Parkinson’s (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD). This has helped him define the best way by which to take new therapies into the clinic including novel experimental therapeutics such as cell and gene therapies
Further reading: What will treatment look like in the future?
Research blog, “Stem cells: what’s the latest?” / stem-cells-whats-the-latest
Research blog, “Developing a vaccine for Parkinson’s” / vaccines-for-parkinsons
Research blog, “Towards better diagnosis”: / researchers-move-closer-to-a-test-that-can...