Bas Bloem receives Tom Isaacs Award for effort to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s

2 October 2018

Bas Bloem receives the Tom Isaacs award 2018. Andel Research Institute and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust awarded Bloem, together with Simon Stott, as scientists who strive to improve the lives of people with Parkinson's.

Bas Bloem is the co-founder and medical director of Parkinson Center Nijmegen and co-director of ParkinsonNet. ParkinsonNet provides patients across the Netherlands increased access to Parkinson’s experts via the Internet and in person, making it easier for patients to get the care they need. Currently, ParkinsonNet links together 70 professional networks across the country.

Professor Patrik Brundin, Associate Director of Research at VARI and Tom Isaacs Award judging panellist: "Dr. Bloem is deeply committed to collaborating closely with people with Parkinson’s in all aspects of his work - a fact that was important to Tom and that should be a shining example to us all. Through his efforts with ParkinsonNet, people with Parkinson’s in the Netherlands and a growing number of other countries are able to much more easily access specialised care needed to ensure quality of life."

Cambridge

Stott is a research associate in the lab of Dr. Roger Barker at Cambridge Center for Brain Repair in the United Kingdom and is an active member of the Parkinson’s Research Advocacy Group. Since 2015, Stott has run Science of Parkinson’s, a website dedicated to translating the complex science behind the disease and new breakthroughs into an accessible, patient-friendly format.
 
Both recipients are tireless advocates for the Parkinson’s community, whose inclusive work and extensive outreach helps shrink the gap between scientists and patients.
The award will be presented on 27th September at the annual Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s and Rallying to the Challenge meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tom Isaacs

The Tom Isaacs award was established in memory of Trust co-founder and champion of the Parkinson’s community Tom Isaacs.
Isaacs passed away in May 2017. In the spirit of his ethos, recipients of the award must have had a significant impact on the lives of people with Parkinson’s and/or involved people with Parkinson’s in a participatory way in their work.