The Cork Parkinson’s Association donates €50,000 to the Parkinson’s Disease Research Cluster (PDRC) at University College Cork.

The PDRC, currently chaired by Prof. Suzanne Timmons, works closely with national and local Parkinson’s advocacy groups to establish research priorities, and to ensure that the research designed and conducted by the group is valuable to people living with Parkinson’s.

Currently PDRC members are focusing on topics including potential treatments/cure, diagnostics, medications, life-style factors, self-management, exercise, wearable technology, quality of life and other health outcomes, and health service access and provision.

Since its foundation, the PDRC has built strong relationships with voluntary organisations, including a local advocacy and support group, the Cork Parkinson’s Association (CPA). The CPA is a dynamic and progressive organisation representing people living with Parkinson’s in county Cork. The CPA mission statement is to drive better care, treatments and quality of life for everyone affected by Parkinson’s, by developing a network of local support groups and campaigning for community-based Parkinson’s nurses.

 The €50,000 donation from the CPA to the PDRC reflects the value of meaningful teamwork and alliance amongst those with shared goals, when the patient voice remains central to guiding and informing the process.

This generous donation will seed a number of important future research projects, which will be designed based on the priorities and stated needs of people with Parkinson’s in Cork.

For further information about Parkinson’s disease research and advocacy visit the CPA and PDRC websites.