The Foundation will award up to $50,000 to fund innovative research to help people with Parkinson’s live well
The Foundation will award up to $50,000 to fund innovative research to help people with Parkinson’s live well
Boulder, CO – January 8, 2019 - An active commitment to support and fund research focused on improving the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s is central to advancing the Davis Phinney Foundation’s mission. The Foundation is calling for Letters of Intent from researchers and program directors commencing January 4, 2019 and concluding March 1, 2019.
The Davis Phinney Foundation is committed to funding the most promising research aimed at therapeutics and lifestyle choices that promote living well with Parkinson’s today and every day. The funding priorities identified by the Foundation for the 2019 funding are exercise and nutrition.
“It is widely accepted that certain types of exercise can reduce symptoms and potentially delay progression of Parkinson’s. We are always looking for more data and information around what type of exercise is most effective for people living with Parkinson’s, as well as new technology that might help people with Parkinson’s exercise more safely and effectively,” says Davis Phinney Foundation Research Program Manager, Sara Garvey.
“We added the topic of nutrition this year as well because there is very little scientific data around what kinds of diets and foods are best for people living with Parkinson’s. This is a question we hear from members of our Parkinson’s community all the time, and we are hopeful we will be able to fund research that will start to give them answers and information they can use to live well,” says Garvey.
Since beginning its research funding initiative in 2007, the Foundation has become known for funding innovative studies designed to demonstrate proof of concept, paving the way for larger studies or clinical trials.
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For example, the Foundation has funded initial studies that have established improvement in patient access through telemedicine and efficacy of exercise programs in helping patients with Parkinson’s manage disease symptoms. Most recently, the Foundation funded a study examining the impact of community cycling classes while other funded work is focused on how the community and health care teams can improve exercise support for people living with Parkinson’s over time.
“We focus our funding on quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s because, while we know a cure is critical, we recognize that people need help to live well now,” says Polly Dawkins, Executive Director of the Foundation. “People often live with Parkinson’s for decades. We are focused on ways individuals can improve their lives and stay engaged in the things they love to do.”
Letters of Intent will be accepted through March 1, 2019 at 5pm MST. Invitations to apply will be extended in April with a full application deadline of May 31, 2019, and awards will be announced on August 30, 2019. For more information, visit dpf.org/research.
About the Davis Phinney Foundation: The Davis Phinney Foundation was created in 2004 by Olympic medalist and retired professional cyclist, Davis Phinney, to help people with Parkinson’s live well today. The organization’s focus is to provide programs and resources that offer inspiration, information and tools that enable people living with Parkinson’s to take action that can immediately improve their quality of life. Through The Victory Summit® event series, the Every Victory Counts® manual, intergenerational SidekicksTM program, Ambassador program, funding of quality of life research and extensive online content, the organization impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals each year.
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