“Humans form communities, and from that diversity comes a strength,” a dialogue from one of my favorite television shows that couldn’t be truer. Parkinson’s disease patients and those who support them form a bond that serves as a powerful example of that truth—a community based on empathy, resilience, and shared understanding. One such example is the Buddy Program, a collaboration between UofL Physicians — Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the National Parkinson’s Institute, and Denise Cumberland of the UofL College of Education and Human Development. The Buddy Program pairs up first-year medical students from the University of Louisville School of Medicine with Parkinson’s patients to develop a hands-on relationship and learn to experience what it is like to live every day with the physical and mental challenges of Parkinson’s in hopes of helping them have a better understanding of movement disorders to help treat patients as future physicians.
According to Erika Ganong, Vice President of the National Parkinson’s Institute, “The purpose of the Buddy Program is to educate the future doctors of the world about what Parkinson’s truly is, and also to grow a very in need area of the medical field” citing only 660 movement disorder specialists in the US, currently. According to a recent study, the number of Parkinson’s Disease patients around the world will see an increase of upwards of 25.2 million by the year 2050, making the need for more movement disorder specialists a higher priority as the aging population starts to develop symptoms from the disease.
Two of the students currently in the Buddy Program, Anisha Ajmani and Claire Kennedy, are volunteers in the Buddy Program who have become ambassadors and are talking about their experiences being around someone with the disease. “I think sort of trying to figure out what the best approach is with that was something that I struggled with, but was also, I think, a very meaningful thing to have to mentally work through, of whether I could help her? I could just do all this for her, but like she can do it herself and probably wants to do it for herself,” Claire recalled when she was getting to know her buddy in the program, Linda, while going through a buffet line in a restaurant.
For Anisha, the impact of the program on her has allowed her to fine-tune the way she communicates with her buddy in the program, developing more empathy and better listening skills. Making her aware of how Parkinson’s affects the daily lives of those with the disease. “Throughout the first two years of medical school, you don’t really get a lot of clinical experience,” Anisha states.” This is kind of a great way to be able to speak with patients, learn how their life is outside of the hospital.”
Erika emphasizes that the Buddy Program offers medical students a rare and valuable opportunity to develop skills beyond textbook learning by directly interacting with Parkinson’s patients. While students typically learn about symptoms like gait shuffling or freezing in class, this program allows them to witness and engage with these challenges in real time. “It’s something that you might hear about and might think about, but to actually be there and experience it, it can be very scary. And it’s just something that for these future doctors to experience it early on in their education.”
This hands-on experience not only helps their understanding of the lives of Parkinson’s patients they may someday treat, but also helps people like Claire and Anisha build confidence and empathy—qualities that are often underdeveloped in early medical training. Ultimately, such exposure might even inspire some students to pursue a career in neurology or movement disorders.
Photos courtesy of Erika Ganong
Feature photo credit; Adobe Firefly for Chris Denny
