Young Members Group hosts first quarterly town hall

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On March 27, 2026, over 180 Young members attended the first-ever MDS Young Members Group interactive town hall. This quarterly event aims to engage young members and help them become active within the MDS community, highlight and promote MDS activities for this group, and foster the growth and inclusion of young members in the Society.

The topic of the first session was “How to get involved with the MDS” and featured three distinguished faculty members: Prof.Shilpa Chitnis, Chair of the MDS LEAP Program; Dr. Daniel G. Di Luca, former Chair of the Peer Review Mentoring Program; and Prof. Kasia Śmiłowska, Editor-in-Chief of Moving Along. The event was moderated by Vanessa Carvalho, Yasser Mecheri, and Shweta Prasad from the Young Members Group Steering Committee.

In the first 20-minute segment, the faculty shared their personal experiences of how and why they became involved with MDS. Then, a dedicated 30-minute break-out room session allowed attendees to engage directly with faculty and colleagues at similar career stages, with discussions ranging from updates on young member opportunities to open exchanges of ideas and feedback.

The strong turnout for a first-of-its-kind event speaks to the enthusiasm within the early-career community and MDS's growing commitment to nurturing the next generation of movement disorder specialists.

The next town hall will be in June 2026 and will be dedicated to mentorship and collaboration. Join the Young Members Group to join future events.