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Uniting around innovation and advocacy at the 2026 World Parkinson Congress
Tuesday, 16th June 2026
By Vicki Miller, CEO
Last month, I was privileged to travel alongside our Founder Clyde Campbell to attend and present at the 2026 World Parkinson Congress (WPC) in Phoenix.
The 7th WPC was an impactful event that gathered people from the Parkinson’s community alongside leading organisations and researchers from across the globe, with the purpose of sharing insights, experiences and ideas. It is one of the most uplifting and collaborative Parkinson’s conferences internationally, and the Shake It Up team left feeling inspired by all we had heard and shared.
Videos shared from Dame Julie Andrews and Steve Carrell galvanised the attendees with their show of support, while presentations from leading researchers highlighted the key focus areas driving progress.
Below you can find a wrap-up of Shake It Up’s involvement, the key research insights we learned, and the takeaways that motivated and moved us.
Supporting Australian Early-Career Researchers
This year, for the WPC, we once again funded 19 early-career researchers with travel grants to attend and present at the conference. We are passionate about supporting early-career researchers to showcase their work on a global stage, expand their knowledge of Parkinson’s and have opportunities to learn from and network with leading researchers across the world.
Most importantly, it is a chance to speak with people living with Parkinson’s, as well as their carers and family members. In the quest for better, more personalised treatments, this is necessary to build greater understanding of the realities of life with Parkinson’s, and what people in the Parkinson’s community really need.
Driving Advocacy and International Alliances
As a founding member of the National Parkinson’s Alliance (NPA),I presented alongside fellow members Emma Collins from Fight Parkinson’s, and Professor Michele Callisaya.
Our first presentation took place at the Leadership Forum, where hundreds of leaders from Parkinson’s organisations across the globe gathered to talk about pertinent issues affecting our community. We shared the lessons we had gained from establishing the National Parkinson’s Alliance, securing government funding to develop the country’s first National Parkinson’s Action Plan, and what was involved in delivering that plan, from extensive community consultation to cross-industry partnerships.
Connecting with other organisations worldwide to discuss potential international advocacy opportunities and inspire others to explore advocacy in their own countries was extremely valuable. We are excited to see what is next for the Parkinson’s community worldwide as we continue to work together.
In the pre-congress sessions, we also presented on the entire journey of the NPA, from the initial idea to developing the alliance, establishing a governance model, bringing together representatives from across the sector, connecting with research institutes, and collaborating on our shared goal.
Ultimately, the NPA has always been centred around the needs of the Parkinson’s community, and we have always come back to that core mission.
This WPC presentation was an important reminder that the lived experience of people living with Parkinson’s always needs to remain at the forefront of every organisation working within this community.
The Role of Big Data and AI
Hearing from world-leading researchers about their discoveries, theories and ongoing work was inspiring as always. A key theme from the sessions at this year’s conference was the importance of Big Data and AI, and the crucial role this will play in both healthcare and research.
One session, moderated by Diane Stephenson, Executive Director at Critical Path Institute, highlighted how artificial intelligence can be used in the diagnosis and management of Parkinson’s, while exploring the role of big data in improving patient outcomes and personalised care, and power of wearable devices to transform treatment. One simple, but powerful example from speaker Joaquín Vizcarra showed how AI agents could be used to generate questions for healthcare providers ahead of an appointment with a specialist, where it can feel overwhelming to ask and remember the relevant information.
Our partner The Michael J. Fox Foundation notes that Parkinson’s researchers are already using artificial intelligence to drive innovations that are helping uncover new biological patterns, reveal how the disease progresses and identify promising targets for treatment.
The role of AI in enabling huge global datasets will be a significant driver of progress in research and will move the field closer to precision medicine that will fundamentally change how we understand Parkinson’s.
The Impact of Environment on Parkinson’s
Th other key theme was the role of the environment in developing Parkinson’s. Researchers are understanding more about how genetics and environment both play a role in risk factors relating to Parkinson’s disease, and there is still much to learn.
Professor Bas Bloem shared at the conference a fascinating conviction that Parkinson’s is most likely driven by environmental factors that can trigger a genetic variant, rather than being a genetic disease. He notes that ” this largely human-made disease can also be reduced through human intervention”. This is what many current research projects will now focus on, while advocates push to stop use of chemicals that may be contributing to the rise of Parkinson’s, now the fastest growing neurological disorder globally.
Here in Australia, our funded researchers are working hard on this same topic, such as Professor Lezanne Ooi’s work to study how exposure to long-lasting environmental chemicals, such as pesticides and nanoplastics, affect the brain cellsand what role these compounds play as risk factors for Parkinson’s disease.
Clyde Campbell AM Receives Distinguished Collaborative Research Award
The Shake It Up team was proud to watch our Founder Clyde receive the Distinguished Collaborative Research Award on Day 2 of the Congress. This was a recognition of his work over the last 15 years to accelerate high-impact Parkinson’s research through global partnerships, while always embracing a spirit of collaboration and community connection. Clyde was honoured to receive the award from Professor Roger Barker, from the University of Cambridge, and to be recognised alongside the other recipients – M.Maral Mouradian, MD, Kevin McFarthing, PhD, and Jane Alty, MD and Michele Callisaya, PhD from Australia – for their meaningful work to advance research. It was an honour for me to be in the audience to see Clyde receive this award with the Australian contingent cheering him on.
We look forward to continuing to work with our community here in Australia, as well as across the globe, to progress the meaningful conversations started at the Congress. Follow Shake It Up here on LinkedIn to receive notifications about our funded research, national advocacy and insights from the country’s best Parkinson’s researchers.