We are thrilled to announced that, in just over six months since launching at the end of 2023, the Parkinson’s Europe Engagement Network has already surpassed 500 subscribers. This is a huge milestone for us and the European Parkinson’s community, who continue to come together to share resources and knowledge to support the 1.2 million people living with Parkinson’s in Europe, and help shape the future of Parkinson’s care.
We launched the Parkinson’s Engagement Network to help deliver tailor-made opportunities direct to the inboxes of the European Parkinson’s community, including knowledge-building webinars and workshops, the chance to share experiences and opinions in surveys, community-building sports, leisure and creativity activities, and of course the ability to take part in and shape Parkinson’s research trials.
Highlights from the first six months of the Parkinson’s Europe Engagement Network
Since January 2024, our Engagement Network has already shared over 20 opportunities with subscribers.
We’re delighted with the positive feedback we’ve received, from both the professionals submitting opportunities and the participants themselves. Three highlights from this feedback include:
1. The sign-up process is “quick and easy”
In February one of our early subscribers, Veronica from Malta, shared this feedback:
“Signing up to the engagement network was quick and easy. I was able to specify my areas of interest as well as add my contact details. Since I have signed up, the opportunities I have been notified of have been of interest to me and it has been great to receive this information directly in my inbox. I would recommend signing up to the Engagement Network so as not to miss out on any opportunities that may be relevant to you.”
2. Sharing your experiences of Parkinson’s is “rewarding” and “incredibly beneficial in shaping research”
In March, Tanya* from the Netherlands attended a Servier workshop via the Engagement Network, and sent this feedback:
“Being invited to participate as a stakeholder felt valued. The online workshop was clearly prepared, and everyone had a chance to share their thoughts. The feedback I received was positive. It felt good to know my insights as a stakeholder were valued.
“I’m absolutely interested in remaining a member of Parkinson’s Europe’s Engagement Network and getting involved in future activities. Having an engagement network to contribute to is important, and being called upon to use my experience is rewarding.
“The activity was highly relevant to my interests and knowledge. I’m passionate about improving Parkinson related research, and the feedback session directly addressed that. It was also beneficial to connect with others across Europe facing similar challenges.
“Additionally, I strongly believe it’s valuable for Parkinson’s Europe to actively leverage its members’ knowledge base. People with Parkinson’s have a wealth of experience and insights that can be incredibly beneficial in shaping research and initiatives.”
3. As a researcher, it’s “very easy” and “extremely valuable” to share opportunities with our Parkinson’s Engagement Network
Researcher Julia Hirschwald circulated a research project with the Engagement Network in January, and was pleased with how easy it was to submit her project to the network:
“It was very easy. I sent an email to Parkinson’s Europe and received an answer already the following day. I then simply signed up for the Engagement Network, completed a quick form and the team at Parkinson’s Europe did the rest. Having the opportunity to share my research opportunity with Parkinson’s Europe is extremely valuable for me as it can be difficult to reach people living with Parkinson’s online. Therefore, I highly appreciate this opportunity.
“If you are looking for help to reach people living with Parkinson’s then I can highly recommend reaching out to the Parkinson’s Europe Engagement Network. It is very straightforward and the people working for Parkinson’s Europe are extremely friendly and supportive.”
As a next step, we’re committed to take our subscriber base from the hundreds into the thousands as quickly as possible, so we can continue helping the European Parkinson’s community to connect with and benefit each other in new and exciting ways.
Learn more and sign up to the Engagement Network, or find out more about sharing your work with the Engagement Network.
