VOLUME 29, ISSUE 2 • JUNE 2025. Full issue »
Since its inception in 2022, the MDS Train the Trainer (TTT) Program has been dedicated to training and empowering allied health clinicians working in the field of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders through expert-led education and mentorship. After the intensive in-person training session, attendees return to their home countries to disseminate their knowledge to colleagues, sharing medical expertise and insights in their native languages within the cultural and clinical contexts of their respective regions.
This year’s session in the Pan American Section was on the scenic campus of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) in Brazil, led by physiotherapist Tamine Capato, PT, PhD, and speech-language pathologist Maira Rozenfeld Olchik, SLP, PhD. The training brought together a dynamic cohort of trainees and faculty from across the Pan American region, with participants representing Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Panama, the United States, and Venezuela.
Throughout the three-day event, attendees engaged in a multidimensional educational experience that included lectures in nursing, speech-language pathology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, covering topics ranging from comprehensive clinical examination and differential diagnosis to the development of multidisciplinary treatment plans and palliative care. There was also an opportunity for participants to conduct live interdisciplinary clinical assessments with local individuals living with Parkinson’s, followed by team-based discussions of complex clinical cases.
The final day of the program featured sessions on emerging technologies in movement disorders, including the growing role of artificial intelligence in enhancing care delivery. This was followed by a practical session led by course directors, offering a step-by-step roadmap for trainees to organize and implement Train the Trainer educational programs in their respective home countries.
“This experience reinforced the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the importance of bringing specialized care closer to those who need it most,” said Brazilian occupational therapist Fábio Galvão, who has already led a program based on his TTT training in Macaíba, Brazil.
The 2025 session in São Paulo marks another milestone in the growth of the Train the Trainer initiative, which has now reached more than 1,000 allied health clinicians worldwide. These programs ensure that clinically relevant, high-quality education is delivered in local languages, grounded in regional practice realities, and responsive to the evolving needs of healthcare professionals internationally.
Similar programs were offered in the African and European regions.
Learn more about the MDS Train the Trainer (TTT) Program:
Faculty
Tamine Capato, PT, PhD, Brazil, Co-director
Maira Rozenfeld Olchik, SLP, PhD, Brazil Co-director
Artur F. Schumacher Schuh, MD, PhD, Brazil
Clynton Correa, PT PhD, Brazil
Lisa Warren, OTR, USA
Yu-Yan.Poon, RN, Canada
John Dean, MA, CCC-SLP, USA
Trainees
Andressa Behenck Dellai, Brazil
Fábio Ricardo de Oliveira Galvão, Brazil
Helen Meira Cavalcanti,Brazil
Jennifer Pizarro, Chile
Myriam Scaffa, Argentina
Martha Suárez Torres, Venezuela
Nevenka Angel, Chile
Nicole Herndon, USA
Nathalia Moreno Bacca, Colombia
Tatiana B. Cedeño Quiel, Panama
Also pictured: Emily Linzmeyer, PAS Regional Program Manager; Annette M. Schott, Director of Education, International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Using his TTT training, Brazilian occupational therapist Fábio Galvão presents a local educational program to other allied professionals in his home country.
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