Hey y’all! My name is Kelsey Smetanin, and I am new to the B4PD community but wanted to briefly introduce myself! I was a PD care partner along with my mom for 12 years, and my dad was himself a fighter for 12 years. Upon his diagnosis, I became very interested in PD and neuroscience in high school, leading me to get both my Bachelor’s degree (Centre College, 2023) and Master’s degree (University of Louisville, 2026) in neuroscience.

 

My master’s thesis and graduate work in the lab was actually with PD patients experiencing apathy prior to and after DBS (deep brain stimulation) surgery, and how we as a care team can best address and mitigate that important (and often overlooked) aspect of PD.

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With my educational background, as well as my involvement and knowledge of the PD community, I am extremely honored to join the B4PD team in helping to deliver the best and most up-to-date educational resources, assisting with classes, prospective grant writing efforts, and helping to strengthen our connections with local therapists and physicians. I will be helping mostly with the non-profit branch of our program, but you will also see me helping out in classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

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I love you all so much, I love your tenacity, and I am honored to be fighting alongside each and every one of you! The miracle truly is in the movement, and you all inspire me every day to do what I do. It’s never a job when it is this fun!