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Come along to find out the latest research about Parkinson's disease in New Zealand.

Parkinson’s in New Zealand Today

Just in time for Parkinson's Awareness Day, we'll be releasing current numbers of how many people have Parkinson's disease in New Zealand, and how this has been changing over the past 15 years. We will also describe how these people are distributed by age, gender, and geography, and what this can potentially tell us about the disease process and the implications for future research.

Our speakers

Dr Michael MacAskill - Dr Michael MacAskill. Michael initially trained in experimental psychology at the University of Canterbury. He then moved to the University of Otago in Christchurch, where he did a PhD in medicine. This focussed on the impact of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s, on the control of eye movements. As the Research Director at NZBRI, he now takes an overall role in managing the scientific activities of the Institute, while maintaining a variety of research interests in Parkinson’s and in the development of scientific software.

Dr Daniel Myall - Daniel initially trained as a mathematician and then did a PhD in Medicine. He is now a biostatistician with a primary research focus on the epidemiology of Parkinson's disease. Working closely with Dr Toni Pitcher, he provided the first ever national estimates for the prevalence and incidence of Parkinson's disease in New Zealand. When not data modelling, he enjoys slowly converting his 10 acre block in North Canterbury to a forest.

About the New Zealand Brain Research Institute

Based in Christchurch, the New Zealand Brain Research Institute improves brain-health through research, education and clinical practice. Our work includes:

• Research into the effects and treatments for New Zealand’s most common brain disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and multiple sclerosis;
• Fostering promising, young, graduate students to train as researchers;
• Hosting neurology clinics for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s, as well as for cognitive problems (e.g. dementia and mild cognitive impairment); and
• Educating the wider community about brain-health and research outcomes.