Spectrum News: Student-led organization empowers patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Spectrum News recently highlighted the work of Parkinson's Together, a UC student-led nonprofit organization that takes a multidisciplinary approach to meeting the needs of people with Parkinson's disease in the community.
“We’re really excited about this, offering this kind of multidisciplinary, support resources and not trying to duplicate the wonderful resources that already exist, but trying to figure out how we can make them work together,” said Mallika Desai, Parkinson’s Together founder.
The organization began in October 2021 with a core group of students who primarily were studying medicine. But as more students from other areas of study joined, new opportunities for different programs emerged.
“We started volunteering and realized that to make a bigger impact, we needed to think beyond medicine or sitting with a resident,” Desai said. “We needed to expand to involve other disciplines.”
With this collaborative approach, pre-law undergraduate students can research and educate patients on inequities and their legal rights regarding the link between exposure to pesticides and the development of Parkinson’s disease. Pre-medical students are conducting research on topics including how telemedicine and exercise can help manage the disease and improve quality of life.
Engineering students participated in a hackathon this spring to design solutions that optimize patients’ living space and routines that have been altered due to the disease. Political science majors can study and increase advocacy to local, state and federal government officials promoting policies that improve the lives of patients with Parkinson’s.
As the group continues to grow in Cincinnati, there are plans in motion to expand to chapters at universities across the country, starting with a chapter that has opened at Miami University.
Watch the Spectrum News story.
Read more about Parkinson's Together.
Featured photo at top of Mallika Desai. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
Latest UC News
- Pianist, educator and scholar Lynn Worcester Jones joins CCM’s facultyUC College-Conservatory of Music Interim Dean Jonathan Kregor has announced the addition of Lynn Worcester Jones, DMA, to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. Jones is an innovative pianist, educator, writer, speaker, mentor and leader who encourages career preparation and excellence in students. She begins her new role as Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Coordinator of Group Piano at CCM on Aug. 15, 2024.
- Residents concerned about high concentration of low-income housingEfforts to build more affordable housing in Cincinnati have created concerns for residents as low-income housing has been concentrated in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, WCPO reported. Gary Painter, PhD, the academic director of the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business real estate program and a professor of real estate, said a complaint against the city could lead to positive outcomes.
- Is ketamine the answer to treatment-resistant depression?The University of Cincinnati's Stephen Rush joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss the use of ketamine and esketamine to treat treatment-resistant depression.
- Scientists craft bold plan to unlock secrets of RNAUC Vice President for Research Patrick Limbach is a key figure in the National Academies’ massive undertaking to sequence RNA in the next 15 years.
- Fellowship aimed at diversifying the nursing workforce celebrates a meaningful milestoneTo help prepare and expand a nursing workforce that is reflective of and responsive to an increasingly diverse patient population, UC College of Nursing launched its Cultivating Undergraduate Nursing Resilience and Equity (CURE) program in the fall of 2021.
- GE Aerospace expands Next Engineers program for Cincinnati youthGE Aerospace Foundation is investing further in its Next Engineers program, including the Cincinnati location facilitated by the University of Cincinnati, extending the program locally through 2028. Engineering Academy, a three-year engineering education program for high-schoolers, graduated its first cohort of students. Students who complete the program and go on to pursue an engineering degree in college will receive a scholarship.