The World Parkinson Congress’s purpose is to engage and draw upon resources from the domestic and international Parkinson’s communities to create a venue for discussing and learning about:
 basic scientific research that is helping to advance our understanding of the origins and development of the disease itself,
 translational and clinical science that will help slow the progression of the disease and ease its impact on those with Parkinson's models of care delivery that assure the best possible quality of life for people with Parkinson's, their families and caregivers,
 national and international approaches to curing Parkinson's -- including government, professional societies and voluntary associations representing people with Parkinson’s and families -- that can help build a sustained worldwide effort to better understand, combat and ultimately conquer Parkinson's disease.
A Congress like No Other
The World Parkinson Congress is the only international meeting of its kind, and the only place where cross-pollination of the entire spectrum of Parkinson’s disease – researchers, clinicians, people with Parkinson’s, allied health professionals and care partners -- come together.
Designed to be inspiring and rejuvenating, the WPC provides an opportunity for people with
Parkinson’s the world over, to meet and share their experiences. It is also an opportunity for scientists working on basic science in the lab to meet the people who will ultimately benefit from their efforts.
The Congress invites a high level of participation; with fully one-third of the attendees being people with Parkinson’s and care partners who helped design the meeting. In addition, a sliding scale of fees means people who might not be able to afford to attend can apply for a scholarship, funded in part by generous donations from other people who have registered for
Congress. In this way, delegates who can afford to, fund other delegates who are unable to pay.
The 2013 scholarship continues to grow, but at five weeks before the WPC, the fund totalled
$15,000.
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The Congress presents the hottest topics in Basic Science and Clinical Care with expert leaders putting forward their most exciting new work. The WPC 2006 and WPC 2010 were the first global congresses where the full Parkinson’s community could mix and learn from each other.
New ideas, new connections and a renewed inspiration came from these two Congresses. WPC
2013 promises to be most exciting. The people, who are conducting the studies, designing the research, present their findings. While we don’t anticipate announcing a cure at the WPC in
2013, we do anticipate that one of the faculty attending will be the one to do so in the future.
“This Congress attracts the best and brightest in their fields. Anyone attending could be sitting next to the researcher who has chosen to dedicate his/her life to working on Parkinson’s disease and it could well be this individual who will unlock the next step to finding a cure,” says
Pollard.
Scientific Presentations:
Parkinson’s experts will lead a variety of Plenary Sessions, Round table discussions and workshops on everything from Protein Misfolding and Prion Disease, to Non-Motor manifestations of the disease, the role of aging and neuro-degeneration, to early indicators, from self-management, to new genes and risk factors, from young onset to the role of complementary therapies including music, exercise, and dance.
Abstracts and Posters
The WPC will showcase almost 600 poster presentations in the Exhibit Hall. Each person who submitted an Abstract or Poster will present during lunch hour on the Wednesday and
Thursday. Twenty percent of the presentations will be the focus of a Guided Poster Tour to take place on Wednesday or Thursday evening and led by experts in their field – internationally renowned scientists including Drs. Anthony Lang, Bastiaan Bloem, Etienne Hirsch, Ted Dawson,
Daniel Weintraub, Louis Tan and Laura Marsh.
Creating a Global Community
The World Parkinson Congress has more than 160 partners from 44 countries on six continents which enables Congress to reach a diverse audience. From Tunisia to New Zealand, Uruguay to
Canada, organizations that represent people with Parkinson’s, doctors, researchers and all other health professionals help to publicize the meeting and support it. Organizations come from a wide range of countries and include: Malaysia, Albania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Australia, Chile, the U. S. and Argentina.
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Making lasting connections is vital to the ongoing success of the WPC. This year, the WPC offered a Buddies Program where Canadians with Parkinson’s were matched with others with
Parkinson’s from countries around the world. Participants number 180. The Buddies will meet at Congress for the first time but have been communicating electronically for the past months leading up to Congress.
The Parkinson’s Quilt & Creativity
The Parkinson’s Quilt, with panels designed by 600 people from 14 countries is the largest quilt ever created to raise awareness about Parkinson’s. It debuted in Glasgow, Scotland in 2010 and will be on display again in Montreal.
The Renewal Room
The Renewal Room is a place for rejuvenation offering instruction in Tai Chi, Yoga, Dance,
Creativity, Laughter, Music and other strategies for coping with Parkinson’s disease. Offered in
French and English, sessions are designed by people with Parkinson’s and specialists in their specific fields. Voice therapy, clay therapy, and meringue classes are a few of the activities offered.
Performance and Film
New for WPC 2013 is a Performance and film room where conference attendees can watch the play, Alan Parkinson's Project, or take in a documentary film.
Delegates surveyed from past Congresses comment:
“This disease makes me feel totally alone. When I come together with the global Parkinson’s community I feel supported. When I meet the next generation of scientists who are going to cure this disease – young, smart and going places, it makes me feel less alone. It gives me hope”.
“This meeting is not just about finding a cure,” said Pat Davies, WPC Board Member and person living with Parkinson’s. “It’s about improving quality of life for people living with this disease”.
Past Congresses:
Washington D.C., USA, 2006
Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 2010
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About the World Parkinson Coalition
The World Parkinson Coalition Inc. is a New York-based charitable organization dedicated to providing an international forum for the latest scientific discoveries, medical practices and caregiver initiatives related to Parkinson's disease. By bringing physicians, scientists, allied health professionals, caregivers and people with Parkinson's together, WPC Inc. hopes to create a worldwide dialogue to expedite the discovery of a cure and best treatment practices for this devastating disease. For more information: www.worldpdcongress.org
PARKINSON SOCIETY CANADA Hosts the World at WPC 2013
Parkinson Society Canada is the national voice of Canadians living with Parkinson’s disease. A charitable organization founded in 1965, its vision is a better life with a brighter future for
Canadians living with Parkinson’s today, a world without Parkinson’s tomorrow. Parkinson
Society Canada, with a network of partners including Parkinson Society Québec, funds discovery research and provides education, support, and advocacy on behalf of over 100,000 Canadians living with Parkinson’s. For more information: www.parkinson.ca
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Contact:
Catherine Pouliot catherine.pouliot@edelman.com
O: 514-315-1986
C: 514-817-9741
Manon Desrosiers manon.desrosiers@edelman.com
O: 514-315-1971
C: 514-224-5444
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