VOLUME 29, ISSUE 2 • JUNE 2025. Full issue »
The Asian and Oceanian Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (AOPMC) was in Tokyo, Japan, from March 21-23, 2025, coinciding with the start of the cherry blossom (“sakura”) season in Japan.
The Congress was a great success, judging from the well-executed scientific program and the number of participants (800+) spanning the whole Asian-Oceanian region and beyond (35 countries and territories). A total of 61 faculty led 18 scientific sessions (plenaries, parallels, and workshops), with lively participation and discussion from the floor (even the plenaries were open to Q&As). Highlights included the new plenary session on “Hot Topics in Movement Disorders Research in Asia-Oceania” and the AOPMC Award Lectureships. (The recipients were Professors Louis Tan and Carolyn Sue, for the Philip Thompson and Yoshikuni Mizuno Lectureship Awards, respectively.)
AOPMC Award Lectureships
“Squid Games”-themed video tournament
A “Squid Games”-themed video tournament, emceed by MDS President Victor Fung, Ai Huey Tan, and Priya Jagota, was another major attraction, being highly educational and entertaining. Special mention also to Hugo Morales-Briceno, Jacky Ganguly, Takashi Tsuboi, Gerard Saranza, Jirada Sringean, and Andrea Lau, for helping to vet and edit a large number of case submissions.
The Welcome Ceremony featured the inaugural MDS-AOS Leadership Award to Prof. Nobutaka Hattori, and also celebrated his “official retirement,” with many leaders in the field contributing heartfelt messages and touching videos to Nobu, as he is affectionately known.
AOS Leadership - Chair, Chair-Elect, and Past Chairs, at the Welcome Ceremony, arranged according to “seniority” from right to left, and flanked by the MDS President and President-Elect David Burn)
There was a luncheon organized by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2), which is gratefully acknowledged for providing generous travel grants (in addition to the 23 provided by MDS) to support many participants, particularly from lower-income countries (including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Indonesia) to attend the AOPMC.
luncheon organized by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2)
There was an MDS-AOS Leadership Roundtable, which facilitated interactions and sharing between leaders of the various Affiliate Societies
There was an MDS-AOS Leadership Roundtable, which facilitated interactions and sharing between leaders of the various Affiliate Societies. There was also a Young Members networking event, which was a fun and friendly gathering with drinks on the top floor of the hotel. In conjunction with the last day of the Congress, the 4th MDCP Conference, chaired by Editor Davide Martino, focused on “modern phenomenology” and was also a great success with around 115 participants. The 14th International Symposium of the Asian and Pacific Parkinson’s Association (APPA) was also the last morning, and allowed local patients and families to benefit from the expertise and experience of the international and local faculty.
All of this took place in Keio Plaza Hotel, which was conveniently located and well-appointed. It provided participants with comfortable spaces and fantastic food, including sushi bars. Kudos to the MDS Secretariat for making all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the Congress ran smoothly without any hitches (including the many planning sessions leading up to the Congress, which were usually very early in the morning in USA time!)
This was truly a wonderful event for the “AOS family,” with many precious and unforgettable moments shared. The MDS-AOS leadership thanks the Society for its continued support of this flagship regional event.
MDCP Conference
Young Members networking event on the top floor of the hotel
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