Parkinson's Information Service (PINS)
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- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the comfort of your own home
Our Work
The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) is a leading national presence in Parkinson’s disease research, education and public advocacy. We are working for the nearly one million people in the US who live with Parkinson’s by funding promising scientific research to find the causes of and a cure for Parkinson's while supporting people with Parkinson’s, their families and caregivers through educational programs and support services. Since its founding in 1957, PDF has funded over $70 million worth of scientific research in Parkinson’s disease, supporting the work of leading scientists throughout the world.
Research
A central element in winning the fight against Parkinson’s disease (PD) is funding research of the highest caliber. At PDF, we support promising Parkinson’s science in four distinct ways:
- Funding leading Parkinson’s disease research centers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Cornell Weill Medical Center in New York City.
- Encouraging promising young investigators to devote their talents to the study of Parkinson’s through mentored fellowships, training opportunities and career development grants.
- Funding talented independent investigators through our International Research Grants Program (IRGP).
- Collaborating with other organizations on innovative projects, such as roundtable discussions that explore novel areas of Parkinson’s research, including quality of life.
Education
The mission of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation is not only to pursue the cure for Parkinson’s but also to provide assistance to the people who live with the disease. In pursuit of this second goal, PDF has developed several programs dedicated to providing education and support to people with Parkinson’s, their families, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
- Providing information and education to people with Parkinson's and their families. Through our Parkinson’s Information Service (PINS), a “one-stop shop” for the Parkinson’s disease community, our team of information specialists can answer questions about Parkinson’s via our toll-free helpline, (800) 457-6676, and our “Ask the Expert” web service. PINS also offers an extensive line of informational print and video materials through our website.
- Raising public awareness of clinical trials. In collaboration with other patient advocacy organizations, PDF leads PDtrials, an awareness and education campaign designed to raise awareness of clinical trials of potential Parkinson’s disease treatments.
- Exploring issues relating to the quality of life among people who live with Parkinson’s that include sponsoring research on related issues and collecting and disseminating information on community resources.
- Leading the 2006 World Parkinson Congress, an event which brought together over 3,000scientists, researchers, people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers, members of the media and industry representatives in an international forum to discuss the best scientific discoveries, medical practices and caregiver initiatives.
Advocacy
For more than a decade, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation has assumed the role of public advocate on behalf of, and in collaboration with, people with Parkinson’s, their families and caregivers.
- Advocating for the interests of the Parkinson’s community with government, primarily by providing significant financial and other support to the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN).
- Working, under the umbrella of our Advancing Parkinson’s Therapies Initiative, to bring better therapies to market more quickly by supporting advocates in their individual efforts to influence change and by facilitating conversations with researchers on clinical trial outcomes.
- Launching the People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council, in spring 2006, to provide the patient perspective to our program development and priority setting.
- Reaching out to media on healthcare issues and helping to position the interests of the Parkinson’s community front and center on these and related issues.
- Leading the formation of the New Yorkers for the Advancement of Medical Research (NYAMR), a coalition of New York State-based disease advocacy groups, university research centers and biotech industry leaders. This organization led the successful charge to secure state support for scientific research involving embryonic stem cells and other DNA therapies. On April 1, 2007, state leaders committed a total of $600 million to support this initiative.
To learn more about PDF and our programs, please download our 2007 Annual Report.
For more information about PDF, please contact us at (800) 457-6676 or info@pdf.org
