Parkinson’s squarely in sights of new UTAS medical resource

UTAS is helping lead the fight against the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, by launching a free online resource to empower the millions of people living with Parkinson’s.

Michael Katz, Professor Michele Callisaya, Professor Jane Alty, and Dr Richard Balanson at the launch of the UTAS Parkinson’s MOOC. Picture: Peter W. Allen

The University of Tasmania is helping lead the fight against the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, by launching a free online resource to empower millions of people across the globe living with Parkinson’s.

Jointly developed by the University’s Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, and the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, the massive open online course (MOOC) includes information on symptoms, medicines, and strategies for living with Parkinson’s, as well as first-person accounts from people affected by the disease.

Project co-leader, Professor Jane Alty, said that with the prevalence of Parkinson’s doubling in the past 20 years, it was vital reliable and holistic information was available to patients, carers, and medical practitioners.

Professor Jane Alty. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“While there is a lot of information around about Parkinson’s, it’s not available in a clearly structured manner, nor in a format that has proven to improve knowledge and understanding in an engaging and easy to digest way,” Professor Alty said.

“Drawing on the proven expertise that the University of Tasmania has built in developing MOOCs, this resource will improve understanding and awareness of this important condition, nationally as well as globally.”

Menzies’ Professor of Physiotherapy and project co-leader, Michele Callisaya, said she had drawn on both her professional expertise, and own experiences as a person living with Parkinson’s, to help build the MOOC.

Prof Callisaya said the resource not only delivered important information about the disease, but also tackled some common misconceptions.

“For example, most think that the symptoms just involve changes in movement, while the reality is that changes in the brain can start many years before movement abnormalities emerge, and that early symptoms can include fatigue, loss of sense of smell, problems with sleep and anxiety,” she said.

The UTAS MOOC was funded through a $250,000 contribution from the Parkinson’s Research Foundation, and its venture philanthropy partner, Miriax.

PRF founder, Michael Katz, said the course was his foundation’s starting point to beat

Parkinson’s altogether, by bringing together a global community focused on developing new approaches to risk reduction and treatment.

“From my own experience of being impacted by Parkinson’s, the MOOC is a much-needed resource for those living with Parkinson’s and all those people around them and having seen the information in development I am convinced it will help change the lives of many,” Mr Katz said.

Originally published as Parkinson’s squarely in sights of new UTAS medical resource