(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
Professor Roger Barker
WPC 2023 Opening Ceremony
Tomas Gisby Performance
Bike to Barcelona / Tour de Parkinson
2,600 delegates including Researchers, Doctors, Clinicians, People with Parkinson's, Care Partners and more convened at Opening Ceremony of WPC 2023
There is no other international meeting like the WPC, which brings all Parkinson's stakeholders together for discussion, education, and building collaboration.” - Elizabeth "Eli" PollardBARCELONA, SPAIN, July 5, 2023/einpresswire.com / -- world parkinson coalition® welcomes over 2,600 people from 73 countries around the world who have come together under one roof, representing the international Parkinson's community to share their knowledge, experiences, resources and the latest research on Parkinson's disease.
The 6th World Parkinson Congress (WPC 2023) commenced on Tuesday, July 4th at the Barcelona International Convention Center with delegates representing more than 900 Medical Doctors and Researchers, 450 Registered Nurses, Rehabilitation Therapists and other clinicians, 685 People living with Parkinson's and 260 Care Partners and family members.
Planning for this event began back in 2020 with 115 Volunteer Committee members, 13 Parkinson Ambassadors and eight Science Ambassadors.“The support from the Parkinson's community is what makes this inclusive scientific Congress so special,” said Elizabeth Pollard,“There is no other international meeting like the WPC, which brings all Parkinson's stakeholders together for discussion, education, and building collaboration.
The week of the WPC kicked off with the arrival of 60 cyclists on Sunday, June 2, from around Europe who cycled collectively 3,000 km to Barcelona for the WPC as part of the tour de parkinson. Monday, June 3 the WPC Leadership Forum welcomed 130 Parkinson's nonprofit leaders from 20 countries to to discuss best practices and work together to find solutions to end stigma around Parkinson's. July 4 began with a full day of pre-congress educational courses with the evening holding the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was an inspirational event showcasing the power of the human spirit and the resilience of the Parkinson's community with stories of care partners, people with Parkinson's, and health professionals. The evening opened with a special performance by the WPC Choir, led by WPC Choir Director, Judi Spencer and WPC Assistant Choir Director, Penny Stone. The choir sang the "The Road", written by Janet Shipton, Parkinson's Advocate, from the UK. Janet's song was selected from the popular WPC Song Competition.
WPC Vice President, Roger Barker, emceed the evening, welcoming Keynote speakers, Connie Carpenter Phinney, Co-Founder of the Davis Phinney Foundation and Fulvio Capitanio, Parkinson's Advocate and former WPC Ambassador.
The WPC announced the Grand Prize winner of the Video Competition, Sequoia Lowe for his video Slim Shaky, an original hip-hop song and music video. The People's Choice Award was awarded to Raymond Feeney for the video Ray of Hope, a Story from Peru which is a documentary style film that follows Raymond Feeney, and produced and directed by WPC Ambassador Christine Jeyachandran.
The WPC attendees were serenaded by the beautiful music of Tomas Gisby, Parkinson's Advocate from the UK who played his original music on the saxophone, accompanied by his own musical performance on five other instruments.
More than 30 dancers performed the dance,“Red, Yellow, Black” choreographed by professional dancer and Parkinson Advocate, Pamela Quinn, showcasing the power of movement and importance of exercise on well-being. Professors Marina Romero-Ramos, WPC Program Chair, and Professor Eduardo Tolosa, welcomed guests to their home country and thanked them for their support. The Ceremony ended with a video of Eli Schwarzschild's Parky Raccoon song, one of the Top Twelve videos of the WPC Video Competition and it was followed by a surprise video from Sir Paul McCartney who spoke about his good friend who was diagnosed with Parkinson's and how that diagnosis of his friend impacted him personally.
The World Parkinson Coalition has worked closely with the Catalan Parkinson Association to welcome the 2,600 delegates to Barcelona for this triennial Congress. For more information on the Scientific Program or on-site registration, please visit wpc2023.org.
About the World Parkinson Coalition® and WPC 2023
The World Parkinson Coalition Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides an international forum for learning about the latest scientific discoveries, medical practices, care partner initiatives and advocacy work related to Parkinson's disease. The World Parkinson Coalition® launched the first Congress in 2006 to provide a space for the global Parkinson's community of researchers, clinicians, health care professionals, people with Parkinson's and their care partners to meet in person, network and to share advances in Parkinson's research, improve understanding and promote advocacy worldwide, and to potentially shape future research, treatment and care.
From its modest beginning to nearly 17,000 delegates who have participated in the previous Congresses, the WPC 2023 is expected to attract about 4,000 delegates. To learn more about the 6th World Parkinson Congress, please visit:
### Julie Winn
World Parkinson Coalition
+1 802-578-1704
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