April, 2026
Watched for details on location and date

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Our 2025 Education Symposium

Living Well with PD Education Symposium
Thursday, April 24, 2025
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Hilton Naples, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL 34103. 
Registration: $75 (includes program and lunch)
VIP Registration: $125 (includes an invitation to Faculty reception on Wednesday evening, preferred seating, program, and lunch)
Please see the above note regarding space availability. To register contact Sally Watts at:
​ swatts@parkinsonassociationswfl.org
​​REGISTRATION CLOSES APRIL 1, 2025
The symposium brings together leading experts in the field of Parkinson’s Disease research and treatment to help persons with PD to live well. The program is open to persons with PD, their family members, care partners, and the medical community.

Sponsorship opportunities are available.
​Click for a Printable Sponsor Benefit PDF
Please contact Mary C. Schoeffel at 239-417-3465 or at MSchoeffel@ParkinsonAssociationSWFL.org for more information.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The main ballroom for the LWWPD Education Symposium is at full capacity! To accommodate more attendees, we’ve partnered with the Hilton to offer overflow rooms for up to 70 people. The event proceedings will be live-streamed to these rooms, ensuring you don’t miss a moment. You'll still have opportunities to connect with sponsors and speakers during breaks and enjoy a delicious lunch provided by the Hilton. To secure your spot, please contact the office to register directly. reservation@parkinsonassociationswfl.org or call 239-417-3465

Scroll down to learn more about the speakers ▽

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Our 2025 Education Symposium Speakers

Rebecca Gilbert, MD, PhD
Chief Mission Officer at American Parkinson Disease Association

George Mandybur, MD
Neurosurgeon - Lee Physician Group’s Neurosurgery Program

Ihtsham ul Haq, MD, FAAN
​Professor of Neurology, Chief, Movement Disorders Division, University of Miami Health Systems 

Adolfo Ramirez-Zamora, MD
Professor of Neurology
University of Florida
Chief of Neurology Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases

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2025 Topics

• Rebecca Gilbert, MD, PhD - Starting the Conversation: Sexuality and Parkinson’s disease
• George Mandybur, MD & Ihtsham ul Haq, MD, FAAN - Panel - Deep Brain Stimulation​
• Adolfo Ramirez-Zamora, MD - The Road Ahead: Emerging Strategies to Slow Parkinson's Disease Progression 

Scroll down to learn more ▽

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Generously Sponsored by

Sustainer Sponsor

Ambassador Sponsors

Advocate Sponsors

American Parkinson's Disease Association
​Aqualane Research
Arden Courts Promedica Memory Care
​BrightStar Care
Heart, Body & Mind Home Care
​Lee Health
​Parkinson's Foundation
RehabWorks Physical Therapy

Scroll down to learn more ▽

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More on our Speakers

​Rebecca Gilbert, MD, PhD
Chief Mission Officer at American Parkinson's Disease Associate and a Movement disorders neurologist at Bellevue Hospital Center.

De. Gilbert received her MD at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a PhD in Cell Biology and Genetics at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences. She then completed her Neurology Residency and Movement Disorders Fellowship training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Before joining APDA, she was an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, NYU Langone Medical Center where she saw Movement disorders patients at both NYU and Bellevue Hospital Center, initiated and directed the NYU Movement Disorders Fellowship, participated in clinical trials and other research initiatives for Parkinson’s disease and lectured widely on Parkinson’s disease.
 
Rebecca Gilbert joined APDA in 2018, first as Chief Scientific Officer, and more recently as Chief Mission Officer. She plays a key role in developing APDA’s long-term mission strategy, oversees APDA’s research portfolio, and provides medical and clinical expertise to support APDA programming and educational content.

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Scroll down to learn more ▽

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George Mandybur, MD
Neurosurgeon - Lee Physician Group’s Neurosurgery Program

Dr. George Mandybur is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in treating Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, epilepsy, and brain and spinal tumors.

A recent transplant to Florida from Ohio, Dr Mandybur was recruited to Lee Health in 2022 to develop a functional neurosurgical program focusing on Movement disorders, epilepsy, and surgical pain management. Presently having a multidisciplinary approach to the selection and performing DBS surgeries. As of this writing he has performed over 60 DBS surgeries at Lee Health since starting the program in July of 2023.

He came from The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Mayfield Clinic where he served as director of the stereotactic and functional program and was one of the founding members of the Gardner Center for Movement disorders associated with the University of Cincinnati.
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There he served as professor of neurosurgery practicing for nearly 18 years, teaching residents and fellows.
Before that he was at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where he also was the professor and director of Functional Neurosurgery. There he had the good fortune to work with the world-famous Dr Orlando Andy who was one of the pioneers in early surgery for movement disorders.

He originally trained at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California where he was part of the early resurgence of surgery for Parkinson’s disease with the reintroduction of the Pallidotomy with the late Dr Robert Iacono.
In all he has published many articles, book chapters and given many lectures both local and international.

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Scroll down to learn more ▽

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About Dr Ihtsham ul Haq MD, FAAN 
Division Chief of Movement Disorders at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Associate Director of the Evelyn-McKnight Brain Institute, and holds the Cornfeld-Hurowitz Endowed Chair in Movement Disorders.

Dr. Haq graduated from Columbia University with degrees in Bioengineering and in Philosophy, completed his residency training at Georgetown, and his fellowship training at the University of Florida. He took his current position in 2020, and over the last five years has grown the movement team at Miami to 9 clinical faculty and more than 50 affiliated staff, including social workers, psychologists, therapists, and dieticians, across seven clinics in South Florida, currently serving more than 3000 unique patients with PD a year. Under his leadership, the research enterprise has also grown to 30 studies and 9 full-time research staff, including trials of disease-modifying medications, genetically targeted therapies, and stem cell implantation.
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His overall research interest has been in understanding and improving the care of patients with movement disorders, with a focus on technology and brain circuitry, partnering with foundations, industry, and government to bring better treatments to patients. He has published 3 book chapters and 63 peer-reviewed research articles.
 Ihtsham ul Haq MD FAAN

• Professor and Division Chief of Movement Disorders
• Department of Neurology
• Associate Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
• Cornfeld-Hurowitz Endowed Chair in Movement Disorders
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• UM American Parkinson's Disease Association Information and Referral Center
• UM Cure PSP Center of Care
• UM HDSA Huntington Disease Center of Excellence
• UM NAF Ataxia Center of Excellence
• UM Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence
• UM Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance Care Partner
• UM Tourette Association of America's Center of Excellence
• UM Wilson Disease Center of Excellence

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Scroll down to learn more ▽

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Adolfo Ramirez-Zamora, MD
Professor of Neurology, Program Director and Division Chief of Movement Disorders at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida
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Dr. Ramirez is professor of neurology, as well as the program director and division chief of movement disorders at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida. The Fixel Institute is part of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and the McKnight Brain Institute at UF. Prior to joining UF, he practiced neurology at the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Albany Medical Center, where he served as an associate professor of neurology and the Philly E. Dake endowed chair in movement disorders.
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Dr. Ramirez completed his neurology residency at Loyola University Chicago, followed by a fellowship in movement disorders at the University of California San Francisco. His unique areas of expertise encompass management of the entire spectrum of movement disorders, cerebellar ataxias and the use of botulinum toxin injections, along with deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of movement disorders.
 
Research interests include exploring novel therapeutic modalities and neuromodulation techniques in the field of movement disorders. Dr. Ramirez serves on the leadership of the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Hispanic Parkinson’s Advisory Council, as well as the steering committee of the Parkinson’s Outcomes Project. He also served as a member of the Diversity Leadership Program and Science Committee at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and I am an active member of the Ataxia Foundation, the Movement Disorders Society, the Parkinson Study Group, and the Huntington Study Group.

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Photos from our 2024 LWWPD Education Symposium