World Parkinson Coalition names 2026 award recipients

By AI, Created 4:40 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The World Parkinson Coalition has announced the WPC 2026 award winners ahead of the 7th World Parkinson Congress in Phoenix, where the honorees will be recognized May 24-27. The awards spotlight global contributions to Parkinson’s research, care, advocacy and community service.

Why it matters: - The WPC awards highlight people whose work affects Parkinson’s research, care, education, advocacy and support services worldwide. - The 2026 honorees will be recognized at a gathering that draws thousands of delegates working on Parkinson’s disease. - Parkinson’s disease affects more than one million Americans and an estimated 11 million people globally, making progress in care and research a broad public-health issue.

What happened: - The World Parkinson Coalition announced the recipients of the WPC 2026 Awards on May 20, 2026. - Award presentations will take place during the 7th World Parkinson Congress in Phoenix, Arizona, from May 24-27, 2026. - Elizabeth Pollard, executive director of the World Parkinson Coalition, said the organization is honoring an exceptional group whose work continues to move the field forward.

The details: - The WPC Awards were first offered in 2016 to recognize outstanding contributions across the Parkinson’s community. - The program expanded in 2019 into two distinct honors to reflect the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of Parkinson’s work. - The WPC Robin A. Elliott Award for Outstanding Community Service honors individuals whose dedication, leadership, advocacy and innovative work improve life for people living with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners. - The award is named for Robin A. Elliott, former head of the Parkinson’s Foundation and a founding force behind the World Parkinson Coalition. - The Distinguished Collaborative Research Award recognizes researchers and clinicians whose collaborative efforts have advanced understanding of Parkinson’s disease and improved treatment, care and quality of life. - 2026 Robin A. Elliott Award recipients are Davis Phinney; Claudia Martinez, MD; Rabbi Moshe Grushkin; and Bernard Coley and Denise Coley, all from the USA. - 2026 Distinguished Collaborative Research Award recipients are M. Maral Mouradian, MD; Kevin McFarthing, PhD; Clyde Campbell; and Jane Alty, MD and Michele Callisaya, PT, PhD. - Honorees will be recognized alongside thousands of delegates who will share research, clinical advances, advocacy initiatives and lived experiences related to Parkinson’s disease.

Between the lines: - The award structure points to a broader view of Parkinson’s progress, where scientific advances and community support are treated as equally important. - The inclusion of both individual and paired recipients suggests the field increasingly values team-based work and cross-disciplinary collaboration. - The focus on service and research at the same event signals an effort to connect real-world care with scientific development.

What’s next: - The World Parkinson Coalition will present the awards during WPC 2026 in Phoenix later this month. - Delegates at the congress are expected to continue exchanging research, clinical practices, advocacy strategies and caregiver initiatives. - The coalition will keep using its triennial congresses as a forum for collaboration and progress in Parkinson’s research, treatment and care worldwide.

The bottom line: - The 2026 WPC awards put a spotlight on the people driving both scientific progress and day-to-day support for the global Parkinson’s community.