By Katrina Long with contributions from Luis Arabit

While April is celebrated as Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, it is also Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Awareness Month. The Parkinson’s Foundation sponsored a Moving Day Walk, which is a nationwide grassroots campaign that “spotlights PD on a national level and gives the chance to raise awareness and funds in our own community”. Dr. Katrina Long, OT Assistant Professor, organized a team (called “Occupational Therapy Department- SJSU”) to represent the OT profession and the SJSU OT department at this event, held April 15, 2023. The event was a great opportunity to advocate and support the PD community as well as showcase the valuable role OT plays in the lives of people living with PD. The walk raised nearly $700, all going toward  “continuing to improve the quality of care for those living with Parkinson’s disease”. Dr. Long was joined by OT students and faculty both in person and virtually. In addition, Dr. Long was interviewed live on air by CBS News on April 26, where she highlighted Parkinson’s disease month and the role of Occupational Therapy (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrgHl6uJzb1/?igshid=ZWIzMWE5ZmU3Zg==). Congratulations!