Stanford PD Community Blog

In early April 2026, the Davis Phinney Foundation’s (DPF) annual “Emerging Therapies for Parkinson’s” webinar featured Dr. Michael Okun, movement disorder neurologist at the University of Florida, and Dr. Soania Mathur, a retired family physician and person living with Parkinson’s. The webinar covered the latest PD research, trials, and advances in prevention, symptomatic treatment, and disease-modifying therapies. The speakers also addressed the challenge of evaluating claims circulating on social media.  Read the notes prepared by our Stanford Parkinson’s Community Outreach team.

At the end of May 2026, Stanford Medicine hosted a webinar titled “Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders: Outreach, Access, and Education,” bringing together neurologists and other healthcare professionals to address the diagnosis and multidisciplinary management of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD)/corticobasal syndrome (CBS). This webinar was continuing medical education for physicians and other healthcare providers.

In May 2026, The Caring Neurologist podcast series featured an episode on swallowing difficulties in Parkinson’s disease. Sandeep Thakkar, DO, a movement disorder specialist in Southern California, talks about why swallowing problems occur, how to recognize early warning signs, and practical strategies for patients and families to maintain safety and quality of life. Swallowing difficulties are often overlooked in conversations about Parkinson’s but can have serious, even life-threatening consequences if missed.