Events

Updates in Movement Disorders/Parkinson’s Disease Research at MUSC Dr. Christine Cooper is a board-certified neurologist with a specialty in Movement Disorders. Dr. Cooper received her medical degree from the University of Florida with honors in clinical research. She went on to complete her neurology residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard University, followed by a fellowship in movement disorders at Pennsylvania Hospital/University of Pennsylvania. Clinically, Dr. Cooper sees patients with all Movement Disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Multiple System Atrophy, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Corticobasal Syndrome, tremor, dystonia, dyskinesia, ataxia, tics, and chorea. As part of the treatments offered, Dr. Cooper performs botulinum toxin injections for Movement Disorders patients, as well as pre- and post- care for surgical therapies such as Deep Brain Stimulation and Focused Ultrasound.  Dr. Cooper is director of the MUSC Neurology Clinical Trials Unit, which provides opportunities for South Carolina patients to participate in the latest industry and foundation-sponsored research to evaluate the latest diagnostic tests, medications, and therapies. In addition, Dr. Cooper’s own research lab is focused on evaluating diagnostic biomarkers, neuroimaging markers, and novel noninvasive neuromodulation techniques to improve the understanding of Movement Disorders.  We will discuss ongoing and upcoming research for Parkinson’s disease and Movement […]

Date: Friday, September 4, 2026 – REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 31, 2026 Time: 11 AM to 1 PM – LUNCH IS PROVIDED What Is Health? is an educational wellness talk that explores the true meaning of health beyond simply the absence of disease. Participants will learn about the vital role of the nervous system, what it controls throughout the body, and how neurologically based chiropractic care supports optimal nervous system function. The presentation also discusses the potential impact of chiropractic care for individuals living with Parkinson's disease, supported by current understanding of nervous system health. The session concludes with my personal journey of living with chronic illness and how chiropractic care became an important part of my health and healing, offering both education and hope for those seeking a proactive approach to wellness. Lunch will be provided. Our speaker is Haley Heskett: Haley is the Operations Manager and Community Outreach Director for MaxLiving Chiropractic in Columbia, South Carolina. Over the past five years, she has served in multiple leadership roles within the organization, beginning at the corporate level where she assisted in training new doctors and supporting the opening of chiropractic offices across the country. For the past two years, […]

This presentation will cover a very important topic: preventing skin infections and cellulitis. Abrasions, cuts, or other trauma to the skin can lead to infections, cellulitis, and even sepsis. It is important to understand proper care when this occurs so that infections can be avoided. People with movement disorders like Parkinson’s Disease are at risk of falling and their skin being cut or scraped, these injuries can become infected. There are ways to easily mitigate the chance of infection from skin pathology, which we will cover today. When you have a chronic or progressive illness, being admitted to a healthcare facility, a hospital or rehabilitation facility, isn’t unusual. This puts you at risk for developing healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), most frequently, infections such as MRSA and C. difficile. Will Harmon is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina. He has been practicing physical therapy for 25 years. He and his son Kirk, also a DPT, own and operate Trek Physical Therapy & Assistive Applied Sciences in Irmo, SC. In his spare time, he is a car and truck enthusiast, a nature lover, and resides in Lexington […]

In Gale Bostick’s talk, we will cover generally: • What is a Care Manager? • Is a Care Manager and a Case Manager the same? • How do I choose a qualified Care Manager? • What are the benefits of having a Care Manager? We will also address your questions including some common ones such as: • Aging in Place! How do we do that? • How to advocate: it doesn’t have to be YOU every time! • Dementia and Parkinson’s Gale has been in the social work profession for over 45 years serving the Midlands and surrounding areas in South Carolina. She has vast experience with geriatric and special needs populations. She is a past board member of a local crisis intervention and referral agency. She has also served as a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem with SC VAGAL and CASA. She is a past Adjunct instructor at Columbia College teaching a mandatory course on Death and Dying.  Gale received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and her Graduate degree from San Francisco University. She is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of South Carolina and an active member of the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA), […]

We are happy to announce that we have been able to reschedule our July speaker who had to cancel due to a family emergency and arrange a special meeting on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The topic of the new technology, Adaptive DBS, is especially interesting to many of us. Same location and time as usual: Lexington Medical Park I, 2728 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29169 – 3 PM MEDTRONIC  LEADING THE WAY IN DBS    For the one million people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the United States, Medtronic, a global leader in healthcare technology, proudly announces FDA approval of BrainSense™ Adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) and BrainSense™ Electrode Identifier (EI).    Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been transforming the lives of people with Parkinson's and other neurological disorders for more than 30 years. DBS is similar to a cardiac pacemaker, but for the brain. It uses a surgically implanted neurostimulator via a minimally invasive procedure to transmit electrical signals to specific parts of the brain affected by debilitating neurological disorders. Now Medtronic has enhanced its Percept™ DBS neurostimulators with exclusive BrainSense™ Adaptive technology, introducing aDBS for people living with Parkinson's. This feature personalizes therapy based on a patient's brain activity in real time – both in clinical settings and […]

Dr. Fahd Amjad is Chief of Neurology at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center. He also serves as Co-Director of the Huntington Disease Care, Education, and Research Center at Georgetown. Dr. Amjad earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship training in neurology and movement disorders at Georgetown. Board certified in neurology, Dr. Amjad specializes in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, and neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. He has served as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials, including studies on levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel and treatments for tardive dyskinesia. Dr. Amjad is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Movement Disorder Society, and the Parkinson Study Group, and frequently collaborates with pharmaceutical companies as a speaker and consultant. The key take aways from the speaker and presentation will be: Understand the benefits and limitations of immediate release carbidopa/levadopa (IR CD/LD) Discuss what makes Crexont different from other forms of oral carbidopa/levadopa Learn how Crexont may help you get more "Good On" time with less frequent dosing compared to immediate release carbidopa/levadopa (IR CD/LD) Discover resources to help you start treatment […]

The Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group has a long tradition of welcoming everyone to our Holiday/Christmas Party instead of having a regular meeting in December. This year the event will be on December 20th, our normal meeting day, from 3 PM to 5 PM, in the Auditorium at Lexington Medical Park I, our normal meeting location: 2728 Sunset Blvd. West Columbia, SC 29169 We will enjoy music courtesy of Bob Michalski, “Bob the Sax Man” – check out his website: https://bobthesaxman.com/ We will have special refreshments! And we will have several door prizes to give away, so be sure you get a door prize ticket when you arrive! If you know of a business that might like to donate a door prize, please let them know we welcome donations, and they should attach a business card to their door prize donation. Several of our volunteers are available to pick up door prizes if needed. Contact us to arrange pick up: (803) 335-4247, or contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org Bring your family and anyone else who supports and helps you, or who has an interest in Parkinson’s Disease. We have invited our symposium sponsors and several of our speakers, as well. This is a great time […]