Helen Bronte-Stewart, M.D., MSE (Organizer)
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Director Stanford Movement Disorders Center
Director Stanford Human Motor Control and Balance Laboratory

Dr. Bronte-Stewart received a Master of Science in Bioengineering and her MD degree from University of Pennsylvania Schools of Engineering and Medicine respectively. Dr. Bronte-Stewart did her internship in medicine and a residency in neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed post-doctoral fellowships in movement disorders in single unit electrophysicology and motor control with Dr. Stephen Lisberger, at the University of California, San Francisco. Her expertise in single neuronal electrophysicology in primates has been transferred to the operating room where she performs the intra-operative microelectrode mapping of basal ganglia nuclei during deep brain stimulations (DBS) procedures for the treatment of patients with Movement Disorders. Dr. Bronte-Stewart's research focus is on elucidating the mechanisms of abnormal brain activity that contribute to abnormal movement and balance disorders in Parkinson's disease, tremor and dystonia. She has developed new technology to measure human motor control such as a MIDI keyboard, which has been developed by Intel's division of Healthcare Technology. In the Stanford Human Motor Control & Balance laboratory, Dr. Bronte-Stewart and her colleagues are investing the effects of interventions such as DBS and/or exercise on specific aspects of balance and upper extremity movement in Parkinson's disease. In the operating room, she and her colleagues record electrical signals directly from the human brain and have demonstrated that DBS suppresses an abnormal rhythm in the brain and may act like a brain pacemaker. Dr. Bronte-Stewart's passion for understanding how the brain controls movement comes from a background in classical and modern dance.

Anne L. Friedlander, Ph.D.

She is a Senior Research Scholar and Director of the Major Project on Mobility at the Stanford Center on Longevity (SCL). Within the SCL, she is developing innovative strategies to enhance mobility and function throughout the lifespan and promote collaborative efforts between academic research and industry. Friedlander has broad research experience in the areas of enhancing human mobility and performance, environmental physiology and using physical activity as a means to reduce risk for disease. At the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, she is currently the Director of the Exercise Physiology Lab in the Clinical Studies Unit and previously served as the Associate Director for Education of the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center. Friedlander is also a Consulting Professor in the Stanford Program in Human Biology where she teaches several classes in topics of applied physiology and agile aging. As co-director of the Human Performance track with Human Biology, she has worked to develop new classes that expand opportunities for students interested in human function, wellness and medicine. Dr. Friedlander received a BA from Wesleyan University, a Master's and PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and conducted her postdoctoral training in the Division of Endocrinology, Geriatrics and Metabolism at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Frank M. Longo, M.D., Ph.D.
George and Lucy Becker Professor
Chairman, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Stanford University

Dr. Longo received his MD in 1981 and PhD in Neurosciences in 1983 from UC San Diego. Following an internship in medicine at NYU, he trained as a resident and a fellow in neurology at University of California, San Francisco. As a faculty member at UCSF he led the development of the first West Coast site in the U.S. to offer DNA testing for Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, the creation of a national referral center for deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and contributed to the development of programs in dementia and epilepsy. At UCSF he became professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurology and in 2001 was recruited to be chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. At UNC, Dr. Longo launched programs for Alzheimer's disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. In 2006, Dr. Longo became chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford where he is focused on building and expanding programs in neurology including Alzheimer's research and clinical programs. With support from Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association, the NIH and the American Federation for Aging Research, his group is developing novel treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

John Ratey, M.D.

Dr. John Ratey has a distinguished career in psychiatry, research, and education. He has an ongoing practice and is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard University. Dr. Ratey directed the program for residents and medical students there for ten years.

We all know that exercise is good for us, and yet we all are too aware of the obesity crisis in our country. But there are far more benefits to exercise than keeping the fat at bay.

What John Ratey has done with his compelling book-Spark, the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain-is to pull together the critical information from literally thousands of recent research studies regarding the effect of exercise on our neurophysiology.

.that is, he shows in his book exactly how when we exercise, when we regularly and intentionally stress our bodies through physical activity, we naturally create chemicals and grow neurological structures that allow us to be the best thinkers and creators, the most emotionally balanced and socially adept community members, and the most gracefully aging human beings that we can be.

This means a lot for our educational system, for our communities, for our future. If we can embrace and value exercise as a fundamental component of daily life, our nation will be the better for it.

Dr. Ratey is very committed to seeing that our youth become as fit as they can be through regular physical activity.

Davis Phinney
Former Professional Cyclist and Founder, Davis Phinney Foundation

As a winner of the Olympic Bronze and Tour de France stages, Davis Phinney has celebrated the most victories of any cyclist in American history. After his retirement from cycling, Davis' career continued as a well-known sportscaster for ABC, CBS, NBC, and OLN. In 2000, after years of feeling not quite right, and an almost endless round of tests, Davis was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson's disease. Realizing that there are ways to improve the quality of his day to day living, Davis started the Davis Phinney Foundation as a way to promote and fund innovative research that demonstrates the effects and importance of exercise, speech and other elements that are critical to the quality of life. Today Davis continues to celebrate the victories in his life and inspires people living with PD with his attitude and belief that there are things- big and small- that all of us can do to improve our lives today.

John Argue

John Argue is an actor, director, and theater arts teacher who has lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1960. He has taught drama, movement, and voice at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and the American Conservatory Theater. In 1970 he founded his own theater studio, where he produced original plays and pioneered advanced techniques for actor training. He has also worked as a drama therapist with children and adults.

Since 1985, Mr. Argue has been teaching movement and voice for people with Parkinson's disease. His approach reflects his extensive training in yoga, tai chi, dance, and drama. Techniques of The John Argue MethodT are presented in the book Parkinson's Disease and The Art of Moving and its Video Companion in VHS or DVD. The book has sold more than 30,000 copies, the video more than 3,000.

Mr. Argue is a frequent speaker at symposia and conferences for healthcare professionals, fitness and exercise teachers, and individuals and families whose lives are affected by Parkinson's disease. He has been invited to 42 cities nationwide.

Damara Ganley

Damara Ganley is a dancer who has enjoyed working with many San Francisco based companies and artists. She is currently performing with Project Bandaloop and The Joe Goode Performance Group . She graduated from UCSC with degrees in Anthropology, Women's Studies and Theatre Arts. Over the past year she has had the honor of developing and teaching dance classes for people with Parkinson's under the mentorship of the originators of these classes David Leventhal and and John Heginbotham, both dancers in the Mark Morris Dance company, and Olie Westheimer of the Brooklyn Parkinson's Group. Damara is grateful to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale where she teaches these classes on a weekly basis.

Tim Seiwerath

Tim Seiwerath left a career in architecture to pursue his great interest in shaping consciousness by shaping the architecture of the body. On setting out to teach, Tim knew he wanted to bring the joy of yoga to people who might feel they don't have access to the practice because they don't look like the models on the covers of yoga magazines. To that end, he started the Yoga for People with Parkinson's program at Northwest Hospital, and is currently expanding it to Group Health Cooperative and Swedish Hospitals in Seattle, Washington. Tim spent the last several years adapting traditional yoga poses to be useful for people with Parkinson's and is collecting those poses in a book and DVD. He is a Registered Yoga Teacher and also a Certified Acroyoga Teacher (a practice that combines acrobatics, yoga and Thai massage), and his main teachers are Kathleen Hunt, Lux, and the ineffable Dharma Mittra.

Marilyn Basham

Marilyn Basham, registered Physical Therapist, has over 25 years of experience in caring for patients with neurological diseases. She holds certifications in Proprioceptive Neurological Facilitation (PNF) and Neurological Development Technique (NDT), and is a registered Yoga Instructor. Ms. Basham has several years experience working specifically with patients having Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. Ms. Basham also serves as the Outreach Coordinator for patient education at the Parkinson's Institute.