Michael S. Okun, M.D. is internationally celebrated as both a neurologist and a leading researcher. He has often been referred to as, "the voice of the Parkinson's disease patient." He was honored at the White House in 2015 as a Champion of Change for Parkinson's disease. He has an international following on the National Parkinson Foundation's Ask the Doctor web-forum and he is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida Health Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. His many books and internet blog posts are brimming with up-to date and extremely practical information. This book is the sequel to his runaway bestseller, Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life, which was translated into over 20 languages. Dr. Okun is well known for infusing his readers with positivity and optimism. In his latest book he reveals the breakthroughs in Parkinson's disease that will pave the road to meaningful progress. In this book he reviews all of the recent breakthrough ideas and therapies in Parkinson's disease, and he reviews the knowledge gained which is extending far beyond a single drug or stem cell. He paints the broader and more exciting picture and reviews the portfolio of breakthroughs spanning drug, cell, vaccine, device, genetics, care, and behavior. He believes that patients and families with personal investments in Parkinson's disease should be informed and updated about all of these potential breakthrough therapies. This book informs, educates, and will inspire Parkinson's disease patients, family members, as well as health care professionals and scientists. As Dr. Okun points out, we will journey toward better treatments -- and one day a cure.
Author Biography:
Michael S. Okun, MD, also author of the Parkinson bestseller, Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life, is considered a world's authority on Parkinson's disease treatment, and his publications provide a voice and an outlet to empower people living all over the world. He is currently Administrative Director and Co-director of the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. The center he runs is unique in that it is comprised of over 45 interdisciplinary faculty members from diverse areas, all of whom are dedicated to care, outreach, education and research. Dr. Okun has been dedicated to this interdisciplinary care concept, and since his appointment as the National Medical Director for the National Parkinson Foundation in 2006, he has worked with the 43 international NPF centers of excellence to help foster the best possible environments for care, research and outreach in Parkinson disease, dystonia, Tourette, and movement disorders. Dr. Okun has been supported by grants from the National Parkinson Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Parkinson Alliance, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research, and he currently runs the online international "Ask The Expert" forums, on the National Parkinson Foundation website. The forum is a free service that answers questions from every continent (except Antartica) and has over 10,000 postings in the last 3 years alone. Dr. Okun has dedicated much of his career to the development of care centers for people suffering with movement disorders, but has also has enjoyed a prolific research career exploring non-motor basal ganglia brain features, and he has participated in pioneering studies exploring the cognitive, behavioral, and mood effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Dr. Okun holds the Adelaide Lackner Professorship in Neurology, has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, is a published poet (Lessons From the Bedside, 1995, available at Amazon.com), and has served as a reviewer for more than 25 major medical journals including JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has been invited to speak about Parkinson disease and movement disorders at the White House and all over the world. His published works can be found in many sources and many languages and in such places as the New England Journal of Medicine and on the patient forums and blogs at the National Parkinson Foundation and at http: //www.parkinsonsecrets.com
