PHILADELPHIA — Matthew B. Stern, MD, director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Pennsylvania Hospital and Professor of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is serving a two-year term as president of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
"More than 50 percent of the world's population of Parkinson's disease patients never get diagnosed or treated, which is perhaps our greatest motivation," said Dr. Stern. "It should be a busy, fun and challenging two years as we work to improve that statistic."
Dr. Stern began his term on June 21, 2013 at the Society's international meetings in Australia. He will oversee three regional sections (Asia-Oceanic, European and Pan-American) and a worldwide educational mission.
"I look forward to continuing to develop programs, such as the telemedicine program working to provide care to previously underserved areas, including sub-Saharan Africa," Dr. Stern noted. "We will launch an expanded educational base and continue educational programs around the world for physicians, physicians-in-training and ancillary health professionals, to reach areas with limited access to quality care of these disorders. "
The International Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Society was founded in 1985 on the initiative of Professors Stanley Fahn and C. David Marsden, whose leadership and vision guided the expansion of clinical expertise and research in this field. This not-for-profit organization merged in 1992 with the International Medical Society for Motor Disturbances. Publication of the journal Movement Disorders began in 1986, and the first International Congress was held in 1990.
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