Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight

Neurology Section Member Working BIG against Parkinson's Disease 

Becky G. Farley, PhD, MS, PT

Reviewer, JNPT

 

Neurology Section Member Becky G. Farley, PhD, MS, PT is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Arizona.  She currently is a reviewer for the JNPT.  Dr. Farley is a physical therapist and researcher whose career goals are to translate basic science research from animal models of Parkinson's disease to community-based exercise programs for people with PD that are available at the time of diagnosis.  She hopes to accelerate this process by taking a mulit-level approach that focuses on basic science, clinical science, and community-based program development.  Her involovement in clinical research has provided preliminary evidence that an intensive PD-specific exercise approach (LSVT® BIG and LOUD) is a rehabilitation tool to not only improve function, but to also restore function to compromised basal ganglia circuitry in early PD.  

Dr. Farley is a leader in her community and has chaired the development of an educational and wellness resource program with the local Arizona chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association (http://www.azapda.org/) called "Power over Parkinson's".  Since 2005, the "Power over Parkinson's" program has become an official benefit of "El Tour de Tucson", the largest perimeter bicycle ride in the US (http://www.perimeterbicyling.com/).  Cyclists can join the "Power over Parkinson's" team and bicycle on November 22, 2008 around the perimeter of Tucson, Arizona or chose the "Indoor El Tour" opton and ride a stationary bicycle for "minutes not miles" ANYWHERE on the planet (www.bike4pd.org)!

     Training for the El Tour de Tucson.  From left to right: Dr. Farley, Sharon Kha, Cynthia Holmes , and Linda and Bob Epstein.        

 

Dr. Becky Farley's comments on the value of Neurology Section membership:

The neurology section website is one of the best I have seen!  It provides an infrastructure for research and clinical networking and the interactive components may help define the critical clinical assumptions we need to guide future hypothesis-based research.  I love the topics and cases of the month sections and the quick access to slides and educational materials from workshops you miss!

 

The Section would like to extend a special thanks to all of the partnering organizations that have joined in to make the organization an invaluable resource for information, tools, and support for the population we serve.