Welcome to the first issue for 2025 of Moving Along, and a warm welcome to our new Editor, Dr. Katarzyna Smilowska, from Sosnowiec, Poland. Dr Smilovska brings her expertise as a clinician and researcher, but also as an extremely active member of MDS known to many, including being a member of the Moving Along Editorial Board since 2019, and we look forward to her contributions in her new role.
An important forthcoming event is World Parkinson's Day on April 11. Please join MDS and the global Parkinson’s community in raising awareness for Parkinson's disease.
This year, the Society’s focus is uplifting the patient community. We will share videos from people with PD about the positive impacts their care teams have made that we can all learn from, as well as elevate posts from our partnering advocacy and support organizations.
You can help by sharing about your local advocacy groups, distributing informative content, and uplifting the community’s voices using #worldparkinsonsday. MDS has a variety of informative social media graphics you can use to get started.
To get more involved in advancing the science and care of Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, please join us at the next International Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA this October 5-9. Registration is now open.
This year will be a special one, as MDS marks its 40-year anniversary. We will be reflecting on the impact we have made together as a Society over these past 40 years.
MDS has undoubtedly shaped the field and made Movement Disorders into the subspecialty it is today, unifying our understanding and descriptions of phenomenology, founding the first video journal, and inspiring forthcoming generations of specialists.
These were no small tasks. Right now, there are nearly 1,500 people in leadership positions across MDS groups, with thousands more volunteers across working strategically to advance the MDS mission. And we only continue to grow. In just the last year, we have convened new initiatives to address global equity, help educate and collaborate with our members on research methodology, and give patients and carers a formal voice in our mission.
These are troubling times for many in our world, with major impacts on many of our members and our patients as a global organization. The MDS Leadership are well aware of and remain watchful for how we can help our members and patients, focusing on our missions of education, research, and health advocacy.
It’s been an incredible 40 years, and we should all be proud of the contribution that we have made to the advancement of Parkinson's disease and movement disorders globally, thanks to the valuable work you all contribute to the Society and other collaborative organizations.
We have helped shine a light onto many aspects of our field, but there is much, much more to do. Thank you for your support of MDS and please continue to be part of our joint efforts to improve the lives of our patients and carers. Onwards and upwards!