Jo-Anne Lazarus, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was formerly Professor of Kinesiology at the University and has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience in motor control and movement disorders.
Dr. Lazarus' research combined with her own diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers a unique perspective to the Parkinson’s community. For instance, she recently presented two papers at the International Congress on Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Chicago 2008 and also been active in the community by supporting others living with Parkinson's
Following Dr. Lazarus' doctoral research and six years prior to her diagnosis in 1998, she published her first paper on "Interlimb Coordination in Parkinson’s Disease.” She is currently engaged as both researcher and subject in exploring a range of techniques aimed at activating dormant neurons in the area of the brain known as the basal ganglia. Her approach, which she describes as “use it or lose it,” differs from that of many researchers who have been seeking ways to enhance movement by bypassing affected pathways (i.e., using the cerebellar circuity).
Coupled with fMRI, she is exploring both internal (effortful movements) and external stimulation (acupuncture) for their potential to engage the basal ganglia circuitry. Preliminary evidence from her research suggests that "effort" or "drive" helps to normalize the pattern of brain activation during simple tapping movements.
Since her diagnosis, Dr. Lazarus has been active in awareness-raising efforts by providing information, insight and support to people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She began an early-onset Parkinson’s disease mini-support group and has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association. She “would like to advocate, in particular, for people who are newly diagnosed with PD to assist in making their transition to life with PD as transparent and non-invasive as possible.” She resides in Madison, Wisconsin.
In spring 2006, PDF launched the People with Parkinson's Advisory Council (PPAC) to provide the patient perspective to our program development and priority setting. See the full list of current PPAC members here.
