11th Annual Parkinson Disease Symposium

Dr. Ollesch is a second-year movement disorders fellow at the University of Colorado Department of Neurology. She was born in central Illinois and received her undergraduate degree in religious studies at Mount Vernon, Iowa. She then completed medical school at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois and her residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is currently completing the Advanced Therapies Program within her movement disorders fellowship.

Dr. Forbes is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. She attended medical school at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and obtained her master’s degree in addition to her medical school. She completed her residency in neurology at the University of Colorado. She then completed a two-year fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center (PDMDC)and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Center (PADRECC). She runs the University of Colorado Neurogenetics Clinic. Her research interests include understanding factors that affect the progression of Parkinson’s disease, cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, and understanding the genetic basis of neurological diseases.

Dr. Bayam recently joined the University of Colorado Movement Disorders Center. She earned her MD and PhD at Ankara University in Turley. She completed research fellowships at Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and University of California San Diego. She is committed to research, education, and outreach in the field of Parkinsonian disorders. Her research is focused on sex, gender, ethnicity, and race differences in Parkinsonian disorders and funded by the NIH and Lewy Body Dementia Association.

Gary is a Parkinson’s Foundation Ambassador who has lived with Parkinson’s Disease since 2017. He is a Vietnam Veteran and a retired community manager. Dr. Leffler is a Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Lead Ambassador and care partner to her husband, Gary. She is a retired Clinical Psychologist and Registered Nurse. They will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary later in August.

Dr. Baumgartner is an assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery. He is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders with a focus on deep brain stimulation (DBS). His clinical expertise includes the management of movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonism, tremor, and other movement disorders. His research interest is in non-motor Parkinson disease symptoms, with a particular interest in how these symptoms, with a particular interest in how these symptoms might be affected by advanced therapies, including DBS.

Cory Christiansen, PT, PhD is a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado and a rehabilitation researcher within the VA Easter Colorado Healthcare System. He directs the Interdisciplinary Movement Science Lab on the Anschutz Medical Campus and his research focuses on optimizing rehabilitation older adults with movement dysfunction from a biopsychosocial perspective with a particular emphasis on exercise interventions. He has conducted clinical trials research for the past 17 years, including a primary line of research related to exercise for people with Parkinson disease.