Hear, Here, Parkinson’s! Podcast

WPC Music Director Judi Spencer and musician Tomas Gisby—both members of the WPC 2026 Music and Creativity Committee—join Hear, Here Parkinson’s Podcast host and WPC Executive Director Eli Pollard for an engaging conversation about the role of music at the World Parkinson Congress. They share personal reflections from attending multiple Congresses and explore how music and creativity help connect and inspire the global Parkinson’s community.

John Cryan, Professor & Chair of the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience at University College Cork, Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland, and bestselling author, joins WPC 2026 Ambassador Tony Wilkinson (Ireland) for a bonus episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson Podcast. Prof. Cryan discusses his research at UCC, the link between microbiome science and Parkinson’s, and his appearance in the Netflix documentary Hack Your Health. Enjoy this special bonus episode from Ireland.

Dr. Mayela Rodriguez Violante from Mexico who is on the WPC 2026 Program Committee joins the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast with WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, and guest host, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador Laura Olmos. 

Leslie Chambers, President & CEO, APDA, WPC Double Platinum Champion partner joins this episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast with host, WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard. 

In this episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast, WPC 2026 Science Ambassador Elena Berti joins hosts Edgar Valdmanis and Eli Pollard to discuss her experience as a caregiver for her father with Parkinson’s, her work as a clinical psychologist, her ongoing PhD studies in neuroscience at Tor Vergata University in Rome, and her research and insights from attending the World Parkinson Congress.

On this episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast, Richelle Flanagan, Founder of My Moves Matter, a Registered Dietitian from Ireland and WPC 2023 Ambassador joins host WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, for a candid conversation on Richelle's Parkinson diagnosis, living with YOPD, Pregnancy and Parkinson's, Women's Parkinson's Project and advocacy work and the transformative experience she had attending The World Parkinson Congress. 

Professor Sarkis Mazmanian joins the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast with hosts WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, and guest host, WPC 2026 Science Ambassador Dr. Roberta Marongiu. 

Professor Sarkis Mazmanian is an American medical microbiologist who has served as a professor at the California Institute of Technology since 2006. He is currently the Luis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering.

Professor Mazmanian will be speaking at a Pre-Congress Course on Advances in Research, Science and Treatment at WPC 2026 focusing on Gut and Immunity in Parkinson's disease: What we know so far f...

In this episode, hosts Edgar Valdmanis, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador, and Eli Pollard, WPC Executive Director, engage in a conversation with WPC 2026 Ambassador Jagdeep Ajula (UK) and WPC Awardee Kabugo Hannington (Uganda).

Hannington received the Robin A. Elliott Award for Outstanding Community Service at the 6th World Parkinson Congress for his exceptional efforts in raising awareness about Parkinson’s disease and fostering community in Uganda.

Jagdeep shares how transformative WPC 2023 was for him and the valuable connections he made during the event.

He also discusses his journey to Uganda, where he met Hannington, and ho...

On this episode of the Hear, Here! Parkinson's Podcast, former WPC President Dr. Jon Stoessl joins hosts Eli Pollard, the WPC Executive Director, and guest co-host Julia Obergasteiger, a WPC 2026 Science Ambassador. Together, they engage in an insightful discussion about his contributions to the Parkinson's community and his experiences at the World Parkinson Congresses, including his time as WPC President.

Dr. A. Jon Stoessl is Professor and immediate past Head (2009-2023) of Neurology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He was previously Director of the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre and Parkinson’s Foundation Centre of Exce...

Naomi Estolas, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador, along with her daughter Ruby Estolas, join the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast with Host WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, and Guest Host, WPC 2026 Ambassador, Margie Zimmerman. They discuss Ruby's viewpoint as a child of someone living with Parkinson's disease, how the WPC experience helped to inspire Naomi's advocacy and creativity in the Parkinson's space. 

Dr. Ray Dorsey is the David M. Levy, Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester and joins the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast to discuss how he is working to identify and eliminate the root causes of Parkinson's disease. He is a co-author of Ending Parkinson's Disease - A Prescription for Action (2020) and co-author of the new book The Parkinson's Plan: A New Path to Prevention and Treatment (2025).

In this episode, podcast hosts welcome WPC Buddies Program Coordinators, Michelle Garratt and Sree Sripathy, to discuss the WPC Buddies Program. Topics include:

What the program entails

Who is eligible to apply

The lasting impact it has had on delegates who attended The World Parkinson Congress

Professor Tilo Kunath from the University of Edinburgh and a former presenter at the World Parkinson Congress, appears on the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast. He shares insights on stem cell research and reflects on the significant impact that the World Parkinson Congresses have had, both for him personally and for the Edinburgh research community and beyond.

On this episode of the Hear, Here Podcast, hosts, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador Edgar Valdmanis and WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, have a wonderful conversation with Parkinson Advocate, Omotola Thomas, MS who is the Founder of Parkinson’s Africa, a WPC Alumni Ambassador, and sits on the WPC Board of Directors. 

Professor Per Borghammer, MD, PhD, DMSc joins the podcast this week with host WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador Edgar Valdmanis. Dr. Per Borghammer presented at the 5th and 6th World Parkinson Congresses. He is currently a senior consultant and Professor in the Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.

In this episode Hear Here Parkinson's podcast host, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador, Edgar Valdmanis is joined by guest host, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador, Monique Bosman as they interview Professor Bas Bloem, who is a Professor of Neurology at Radboud University Medical Center in The Netherlands and who was the WPC 2013 Scientific Co-Chair.

In this episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast, hosts WPC 2026 Ambassador Edgar Valdmanis and WPC Executive Director Eli Pollard take some time to speak with the WPC Alumni Ambassadors and founding members of the cycling to WPC group, Pedal to Phoenix. They speak with Alison Anderson (UK), Rune Vethe (Norway) and Geoff Constable (Australia). 

In this episode we have the opportunity to speak with Chirine Katribe, PhD, from France Parkinson who is also a WPC 2026 Science Ambassador and shares about her own experience attending the WPC 2023 in Barcelona, her own research on Parkinson's, and how Parkinson France continues to create opportunities for their researchers to attend The World Parkinson Congress. 

On today's podcast we are joined by Denise and Bernard Coley who talk about Advocacy & CarePartners during this extra episode for Parkinson's Awareness Month.    

Sara Riggare, MSc, PhD, served as an Ambassador and as faculty for the third World Parkinson Congress in Montreal, Canada and the fourth World Parkinson Congress in Portland, Oregon and Bracelona, Spain.She is also an advisor to the conference Stanford Medicine X and a member of the British Medical Journal’s Patient Panel. She is an actively engaged patient with a vast network across the community and has her own blog www.riggare.se.

On this episode Podcast hosts, WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassador, Edgar Valdmanis, and WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, interview special guest Dr. Michael Okun, a neurologist, neuroscientist, author and Director at The University of Florida Fixel Institute, and National Medical Advisor at the Parkinson's Foundation, as well as WPC 2023 Scientific Program Co-Chair.

Terry Ellis PhD, PT (USA) & Victor McConvey RN (Australia)

WPC 2026 Comprehensive Care Committee Program Co-chairs

Podcast Hosts: WPC 2026 Parkinson Ambassadors Edgar Valdmanis (Norway) & Guest Host, Margie Zimmerman (USA). 

In this episode of the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast, host Edgar Valdmanis is joined by special guest co-host WPC 2026 Science Ambassador Dr. Roberta Marongiu as they interview Podcast guest WPC Program Co-Chair, Malú G Tansey, a Professor of Neurology and the James A. Caplin MD, Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease at Indiana University School of Medicine and Director of Neuroimmunology Research Group & Executive Associate Director of Education at the Stark Neuroscience Research Institute.

On Episode 4, Larry Gifford & Tim Hague Co-Founders of PD Avengers join the Podcast to talk about their advocacy work with PD Avengers and the lasting impact The World Parkinson Congress has had on their lives. 

Researcher, Leonidas Stefanis, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece, was our first speaker to kick off the WPC 2026 Research Spotlight Series this week, talking about Genetic synucleinopathies and Parkinson’s. He joins the Hear, Here Parkinson's Podcast to talk about his role as Chair of the WPC 2026 Program Committee, among other things. Listen now!

This podcast series is made possible with support from BlueRock Therapeutics.

In this episode co-hosts, WPC 2026 Ambassador Edgar Valdmanis and WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard, have a delightful conversation about the impact of the World Parkinson Congress with WPC President, Roger Barker, BA, MBBS, PhD, MRCP, FMedSci who is the Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Honorary Consultant in Neurology at the University of Cambridge.

This podcast series is made possible with support from BlueRock Therapeutics.

Episode 1: An Introduction to Hear, Here, Parkinson’s! podcast with Edgar Valdmanis and WPC Executive Director, Eli Pollard.

This podcast series is made possible with support from BlueRock Therapeutics.