Welcome to the Parkinson’s NSW Symposium 2026.

This page has been created for you with an overview of our expert presenters, session times and key event information, all in one place.

We look forward to welcoming you and bringing together people living with Parkinson’s, carers, health professionals, researchers and supporters for a day of learning, connection and shared understanding.

Please use this page as your guide before and during the day.

Event details

Date: Tuesday 31 March 2026

Time: 9:40am – 4:00pm

Venue: Masonic Centre, Sydney

Address: 66 Goulburn Street, Sydney

Check-in opens: 9.15am
Catering: Morning tea, lunch and afternoon coffee/tea break provided

Questions: email: events@parkinsonsnsw.org.au | or call the InfoLine 1800 727 567

What you’ll gain from the day

• Insights from leading Parkinson’s researchers and clinicians
• Practical strategies to support living well with Parkinson’s
• Updates on emerging treatments and innovations
• Opportunities to connect with others across the Parkinson’s community

Program

Throughout the day, you’ll hear from leading experts across research, clinical care and lived experience — from emerging science and digital innovation to practical strategies for living well with Parkinson’s.

Morning

9.15am
Registration and morning tea

9.40am
Welcome and open – Mary Kay Walker, CEO Parkinson’s NSW
Opening remarks – Andy Esteban, Chair Parkinson’s NSW Board
National Parkinson’s Alliance – Richard Wylie, Executive Director, National Parkinson’s Alliance

10.00am
Keynote presentations
ASAP – New International Programs Uncovering the Roots of Parkinson’s
Professor Glenda Halliday
Harnessing Collaboration to Advance New Parkinson’s Therapies and Diagnostics
Professor Grant Dewson

11.00am
Session: Finding Power Within – Living Well with Parkinson’s Disease
Ashley Young

11.30am
Session: Digital Health and VR are Shaping a New World in Allied Health
Craig Hewat

Midday

12.00pm
Session: Innovations in Home-Based Swallowing Management – Introducing BiSSkApp
Colleen Kerr, Christina Samy, Anneke Duyvestyn

12.30pm
Lunch

Afternoon

1.15pm
Session: Dance for Parkinson’s
Dr Erica Rose Jeffrey

1.45pm
Session: Unlocking Precision Brain Health Care with AI
Dr Diana Zhang

2.15pm
Afternoon tea

2.30pm
Discussion Panel: “Power and Proof: Are We Truly Partnering with People Living with Parkinson’s?
Associate Professor Richard Gordon
Dr Diana Zhang
Dr Erica Rose Jeffrey
Susan Mercer, Clinical Nurse Consultant
Craig James, Living with Parkinson’s
Paula Argyropoulos, Living with Parkinson’s
Carol Brazel, Care partner

3.30pm
Wrap Up and Close
Professor Carolyn Sue

Meet the Speakers

Throughout the day, you’ll hear from leading experts across research, clinical care and lived experience – from emerging science and digital innovation to practical strategies for living well with Parkinson’s.

Time	Session	Meet the Speakers
9.15am	Registration and Morning Tea
9.40am	Welcome & Open the 2026 Parkinson’s Symposium	Mary Kay Walker CEO Parkinson’s NSW Mary Kay Walker joined Parkinson’s NSW in 2018 as Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she was responsible for delivering on the organisation’s services-led strategy by driving sustainable financial and operational performance. Mary Kay brought this deep operational knowledge to the position of Chief Executive Officer when appointed recently. Her priorities are contributing to the National Parkinson’s Action Plan and advocacy to NSW Government Ministries and NSW Health. She is also strengthening relationships with researchers, Movement Disorder Specialists, and Parkinson’s nurses across the state.	lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
9.50am	Opening Remarks	Andy Esteban Chair of Parkinson’s NSW Board Andy Esteban was appointed to the Board of Parkinson’s NSW as an Independent Director in March 2023. He was appointed Vice Chair in March 2025 and Chair in November 2025.    He has been in the financial services industry for 45 years – including 21 years as National Manager, Trust Services for Perpetual Trustees, one of Australia’s premier funds management and trustee organisations.
9.55am	National Parkinson’s Alliance	Richard Wylie Executive Director, National Parkinson’s AllianceRichard Wylie is an experienced senior executive leader who is passionate about the ‘for purpose’ sector. He brings significant experience and a passion for driving positive health outcomes for Australians. Richard started his career working at a number of leading Sydney-based advertising agencies, including Young and Rubicam, Lintas and Mojo. Then, co-founded Ursa Communications, an advertising agency that specialised in health communications. Ursa’s blue-chip clients included the Australian Government, Pfizer, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, MLA, Red Cross, and Vision Australia. Following the sale of Ursa to Clemenger Group in 2012, Richard decided to make the jump from ‘for profit’ to ‘for purpose’.
10.00am – 11.00am	ASAP – new international programs uncovering the roots of PD	Professor Glenda Halliday, Neuroscientist, AC FAA, FAHMSProfessor Glenda Halliday is a career neuroscientist specialising in neurodegeneration and a Fellow of the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC).Her research has provided the evidence base for international diagnostic criteria for neurodegenerative diseases. Recognitions include memberships to the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, an Order of Australia, 2022 NSW Scientist of the year, and 2021 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research by the Michael J Fox Foundation, among others.
10.00am-11.00am	Harnessing collaboration to advance new Parkinson’s therapies and diagnostics	Professor Grant Dewson Research Scientist, PhDProfessor Grant Dewson is the Head of WEHI’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre that brings together research labs with Movement Disorders clinicians and a passionate Parkinson’s advocacy team.The goal of the Centre is to undertake multi-disciplinary research to understand the underlying causes of Parkinson’s to enable a precision medicine approach to develop targeted disease-modifying therapies. Grant is a cell biologist with a research focus on cell death mechanisms, mitochondrial function and ubiquitin signalling in disease. His lab’s research aims to understand the coordinated control of these fundamental processes and to exploit this knowledge to develop new drugs that can improve cell survival. His team’s Parkinson’s research has been supported through funding from NHMRC, Parkinson’s Foundation, and MJFF.
11.00am-11.30am	Finding Power Within – Living Well with Parkinson’s Disease	Ashley Young Clinical Neuropsychologist and Generalist PsychologistAshley is dedicated to reminding people of their own internal resourcefulness and authenticity, especially during times of adversity and change (i.e., neurological/medical /mental illness, job loss, relationship breakdown). She works with clients to develop self-awareness and self-insight that facilitates a more compassionate understanding of themselves to achieve a greater level of self-confidence, self-efficacy and autonomy. Ashley is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Generalist Psychologist, having received her Master’s of Clinical Neuropsychology at Macquarie University and was awarded the University Award for Academic Excellence. Her expertise lies in the neuropsychological assessment of adults and older adults across a broad range of neurological, medical, and psychiatric conditions (e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury, FND, dementias, neurodegenerative diseases, depression, PTSD). Ashley also provides general psychological therapy to address mild-moderate mood symptoms, adjustment difficulties, FND and trauma.
11.30am-12.00pm	Digital Health and VR are shaping a new world in Allied Health	Craig Hewat                  Director and Physiotherapist, Engage VR RehabCraig Hewat is a qualified Exercise Physiologist and Physiotherapist and has been working in healthcare for 30+ years across a range of areas. He has extensive experience managing private allied health clinics and has operated numerous clinics both in Sydney and the Hunter region. Craig established Engage VR in November 2019.Engage VR was the first clinic in Australia to formally introduce digital health solutions such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into the healthcare setting and were recently awarded a Federal Grant by the PHN to implement VR Telehealth services into the New England region (specifically Hunter/Central Coast, Tamworth and Armidale).
12.00pm-12.30pm	Innovations in home-based swallowing management – introducing BiSSkApp	Colleen Kerr Clinical Director, Optimal SP, Neurological Speech PathologistColleen Kerr has worked as a Speech Pathologist for forty years with extensive experience in adult communication and swallowing disorders in acute, rehabilitation and community settings. Her interests include Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease and Voice Disorders. Colleen is a registered SPEAK OUT! © Provider and was the first to bring this treatment approach to NSW.Colleen is Clinical Director of Optimal SP and is driven to integrate research findings into clinical practice. In recent years Colleen has worked alongside international research and clinical communities, and in 2025 the OSP team became early adopters of new therapies for management of dysphagia and conversational participation for Australians living with PD.
		Christina Samy Director Optimal SP & Speech PathologistChristina graduated with a Master of Speech and Language Pathology from Macquarie University in 2018. With extensive experience across public and private sectors, she has developed deep expertise in managing complex communication and swallowing needs in a range of populations, and has a strong clinical interest in Parkinson’s Disease, and other related neurodegenerative diseases . As Director of Optimal Speech Pathology, Christina supports service development and contributes to strategic planning to enhance service delivery. She is passionate about evidence-based, person-centred care and works closely with clients and their families to achieve meaningful communication and swallowing outcomes.
		Anneke Duyvestyn Clinical Specialist, Swaltech NZAnneke graduated with First Class Honours in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Canterbury. She has worked across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK as a clinician, clinical lead, and service manager. As Clinical Specialist at Swallowing Technologies, she focuses on using technology to bridge gaps in care and reshape how dysphagia rehab is delivered. She is passionate about redefining high-quality, technology enabled swallowing rehabilitation and partnering with clinicians to drive meaningful improvements in eating and drinking for people living with dysphagia.
12.30pm-1.15pm	LUNCH
1.15pm-1.45pm	Dance for Parkinson’s	Dr Erica Rose Jeffrey PhD, Founding Teacher, Director, Dance for Parkinson’s AustraliaErica Rose Jeffrey PhD believes in the power of movement connected to positive social change. A ‘dance activist’ she seeks to create positive ways of seeing, participating and collaborating in, around, and through dance. Involved in multiple communities, she has worked internationally as a peacebuilder, facilitator, performer, educator, researcher, and arts leader. She is the founding teacher, a director and lead teacher/trainer for Dance for Parkinson’s Australia.
1.45pm-2.15pm	Unlocking Precision Brain Health Care with  AI	Dr Diana Zhang      Founder & CEO, Preview HealthDiana is a multi-award-winning scientist, STEM ambassador, and professional musician. She is the Founder & CEO of Preview Health, an Australian startup that is unlocking precision medicine using AI-powered “molecular fingerprints”. Diana completed her PhD at UNSW Sydney where she investigated the use of machine learning and analytical approaches to improve disease diagnosis. As a Fulbright Scholar, Diana collaborated with Boston University to develop an artificial intelligence tool that can detect Parkinson’s disease from blood analysis with up to 96% accuracy. In 2022, Diana was one of six young Australians invited to present their research at the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany. She has co-authored over a dozen peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific and music psychology journals including Nature Medicine, ACS Central Science, and Psychology of Music.
2.15pm – 2.30pm	Coffee/Tea Break
2.30pm-3.30pm	Discussion Panel Power and Proof: Are We Truly Partnering with People Living with Parkinson’s?	Panel Chair: Associate Professor Richard Gordon PhD DABT, Program Lead, Translational Neuroscience & Therapeutics Program Associate Professor Richard Gordon leads a multi-disciplinary, industry-partnered research program in Translational Neuroscience which aims to develop new treatments and diagnostics for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Dr Gordon’s research program integrates immunology, drug development, pharmacology, metabolomics, and microbial metagenomics to understand and target key pathological mechanisms which drive the onset and progression of these neurodegenerative disorders.  This work combines the discovery of new targets in human patients with mechanistic insights from disease models to develop and test new therapeutic strategies that can be translated towards clinical trials. Panel Members Dr Diana Zhang                      Dr Erica Rose Jeffrey Susan Mercer – CNC Craig James – Living with Parkinson’s Paula Argyropoulos – Living with Parkinson’s Carol Brazel – Care partner
3.30pm-4.00pm	Wrap Up and Close	Professor Carolyn Sue PhD, Founding Teacher, Director, Dance for Parkinson’s AustraliaProfessor Carolyn Sue, AM, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, is appointed to the prestigious Kinghorn Chair of Neurodegeneration at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Professor of Neurology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Director of Neurosciences at Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH). An internationally recognised clinician-scientist, Professor Sue is renowned for her pioneering research in Parkinson’s disease and mitochondrial function, using stem cell models to study mechanisms of neurodegeneration. She was the first female neurologist to be promoted to Professor in Australia, is the Chair of the National Parkinson’s Alliance and is the current President of the Movement Disorder Society of Australia and New Zealand. In 2019, she was made Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and was also awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her services to medicine.

Feedback

We’d love to hear about your experience at the Parkinson’s NSW Symposium.

Your feedback helps us improve future events and continue to deliver meaningful, relevant support for the Parkinson’s community.

National Parkinson’s Action Plan

The National Parkinson’s Action Plan was discussed during the Symposium and was a key area of interest for many attendees.

You can access the full plan here 👉 National Parkinson’s Action Plan