IRON MOUNTAIN — Michigan Parkinson Foundation CEO Mary Sue Lanigan will visit the Iron Mountain area in September to attend the Parkinson Society of Dickinson County sponsored Symposium on Sept. 22. The second annual Parkinson’s Disease symposium will be held at Bay College West Campus and features David Zid as the keynote speaker. Lanigan will open the session with a greeting from the foundation and will inform participants of the benefits the foundation has available for Parkinson Disease patients.

Lanigan has just completed her first year as chief executive officer of the Michigan Parkinson Foundation following Debra Orloff who retired after many years as CEO. Lanigan comes from the Arthritis Foundation where she was director of development for 15 years. Her responsibilities included patient education program development, strategic planning, budget preparation, staff development, and revenue generation. She has 29 years of experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors. Her experience includes sales, marketing and community health program development. Earlier in her career, she was a patient educator at Cleveland Clinic and Public Education Manager at the Diabetes Association in Cleveland, Ohio. We feel particularly honored to have her come here to be a part of the symposium to share her concerns of people living with Parkinson’s disease, and to hear of the challenges faced daily by those who are diagnosed with PD. Mary Sue will speak of the Foundation’s work for Parkinson’s disease patients and she will also be a part of the Q and A panel to answer participants questions. She welcomes comments, suggestions, and questions, not only at the symposium but in her office. She can be reached at 248-433-1011.

“Together we can make a difference in the lives of the 35,000 people in Michigan living with Parkinson Disease,” she said.

The symposium will be held on Sept. 22 at Bay College West Campus in Iron Mountain from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST and is free to all participants. Displays and personnel from various health service agencies will be available for participant’s information. Lunch and snacks will be available, a breakout room will be designated for care partners to share their concerns, and a quiet area will be designated if participants need to rest. Volunteers will be on hand to assist anyone who needs help with walkers, etc. Registration to attend the symposium can be done by calling Pauline at 906-774-0332 before Sept. 12. Walk-ins and late registrants will be accommodated only if space permits.