Endowed Lectureship
The Zoota Family
Leaders in Parkinson’s Disease Speaker Series
presents
Lifestyle Medicine with Parkinson's Disease
Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025 | 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Lecturer
Rachel Dolhun, M.D., DipABLM, is a double-board-certified neurology and lifestyle medicine physician and fellowship-trained movement disorder specialist and the principal medical advisor of The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Rachel Dolhun, M.D., DipABLM, a double-board-certified neurology and lifestyle medicine physician and fellowship-trained movement disorder specialist, joined the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2014 to lead medical communications.
Using her medical expertise and years of clinical training and experience, she creates tools and resources, including the Ask the MD series of blogs and videos and Parkinson’s 360, alongside other in-depth publications, to help people and families navigate their lives with Parkinson’s and understand their critical role in advancing research. She also serves as an expert spokesperson and thought leader, helping to distill complex medical topics for press interviews, global conferences and community events.
Rachel educates and engages the next generation of Parkinson’s doctors through programs designed to stimulate interest in movement disorder careers and fund necessary training.
Rachel graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor's in biology; obtained her medical degree from Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC; and completed her neurology residency and movement disorders fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., before entering private practice in Charlotte, NC.
Rachel thoroughly enjoyed her daily patient encounters but a focus on people and families with Parkinson’s disease and desire to reach the community on a broader scale led her to The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Neurologist and Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Indu Subramanian specializes in movement disorders. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Toronto and directs the Southwest PADRECC (Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers) Center of Excellence in Parkinson Disease at UCLA. She has a keen interest in integrative medicine, particularly yoga and mindfulness, and is board-certified in integrative medicine. She's also passionate about palliative care in Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Subramanian is actively involved in various leadership roles, including co-chairing
the Wellness Task Force
at the Movement Disorders Society and chairing the Movement Disorders Section at the
American Academy of Neurology. Her primary research focuses on the impact of loneliness
on individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
Neurologist and Professor of Neurology at the Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Bastiaan Bloem, MD, received his medical degree, with honors, at Leiden University Medical Centre in 1994. He completed fellowships in movement disorders at the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, CA, and the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
In 2002, Professor Bloem founded the Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders and, together with Dr. Marten Munneke, developed ParkinsonNet International, an innovative care concept for patients with Parkinson’s disease consisting of 70 professional regional networks. Professor Bloem is on the editorial board of leading national and international scientific journals and has over 800 publications to his credit and has served as co-editor in chief of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease since 2020.
Neurologist, Neuroscientist, Author, Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Medical Advisor of the Parkinson’s Foundation
Michael S. Okun obtained his M.D. with honors from the University of Florida. He was movement disorders fellowship trained by Drs. Mahlon DeLong, Jerrold Vitek and Ray Watts at Emory University in Atlanta, GA before moving to co-found the movement disorders program at the University of Florida. He is currently the Adelaide Lackner professor of neurology and executive director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida Health College of Medicine.
Dr. Okun has an active career in research and has been an integral part of some of the pioneering studies exploring the cognitive, behavioral and mood effects of brain stimulation. Since 2005, his laboratory has been working to uncover the electrical brain signals associated with human tic. He has partnered with Drs. Ayse Gunduz and Kelly Foote to develop a first generation of closed loop adaptive deep brain stimulation approaches. He and his group have contributed data to support the FDA approval of several device-related approaches that are now used to treat human disease.
Dr. Okun has served as the national medical director and, most recently, as the medical advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation since 2006. He has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Smallwood Foundation, the Tourette Association of America, the Parkinson Alliance, the Bachmann-Strauss Foundation, the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He was recognized in a 2015 White House ceremony by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Okun holds the Adelaide Lackner Professorship in Neurology and has published over 500 peer reviewed articles. He is a poet (“Lessons From the Bedside,” 1995) and his book, “Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life” has been translated in over 20 languages. His most recent co-authored books include “Ending Parkinson’s Disease” and “Living with Parkinson’s Disease.”
The Zoota Family Leaders in Parkinson’s Disease Speaker Series brings national and international thought leaders to TCU to share the latest research, clinical advances and trends in the global fight against Parkinson’s disease. By engaging the TCU and Dallas-Fort Worth communities, these speakers will elevate our knowledge of Parkinson’s disease and extend our understanding of the global efforts in science and industry aimed to improve the lives of those fighting against it.
Our speaker series is made possible through support from the Zoota family of Fort Worth and hosted by the Endeavor Parkinsonology project of the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences at TCU.