Ray Dorsey, Ted Schettler, and Host Kristin Schafer
An estimated 1.1 million people in the U.S. are currently living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and this number is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Globally, more than 10 million people are estimated to be living with PD, which is now the fastest growing brain disorder in the world.
Science has long linked certain environmental contaminants to increased risk of PD, and some researchers are now making the case that this fast-growing disease may be largely preventable.
This is the case made by the authors of The Parkinson’s Plan. The recently released book documents three types of environmental exposures that research has linked to increased risk of Parkinson’s disease: certain pesticides, the solvent trichloroethylene, and air pollution. The authors reach the hopeful conclusion that by addressing these pollutants, “it may be possible to create a world where Parkinson’s disease is increasingly rare.”
In this CHE Café conversation we will explore new approaches to Parkinson’s disease prevention. We will hear from Dr. Ray Dorsey, a co-author of The Parkinson’s Plan, and Dr. Ted Schettler, longtime researcher of environmental influences on aging and co-creator of Sam’s Story, the Story of Health ebook on environmental drivers of cognitive decline.
Co-presented with the Collaborative for Health and Environment, and hosted by CHE Director Kristin Schafer.
Ray Dorsey, MD
Dr. Ray Dorsey is the director of the Center for the Brain & the Environment at the Attria Health and Research Institute. The center’s mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer’s so that we can prevent them. With his colleagues, he wrote Ending Parkinson’s Disease and the forthcoming The Parkinson’s Plan, which details a new path to preventing and treating this terrible disease. Ray previously directed the Center for Health + Technology at the University of Rochester, chaired the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division at Johns Hopkins, and consulted for McKinsey & Company. In 2015, the White House recognized Ray as a “Champion for Change” for Parkinson’s disease.
Ted Shettler, MD
Ted is science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network (www.sehn.org). He is co-author of Generations at Risk: Reproductive Health and the Environment, In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development, and Environmental Threats to Health Aging. He is also the author of The Ecology of Breast Cancer. He has published a number of articles on related topics in peer-reviewed journals and has served on advisory committees of the US EPA and National Academy of Sciences. He is a founding member of the Collaborative for Health and Environment.
Kristin Schafer
Host
Kristin has over three decades of experience in the field of environmental health and justice. After working as a Communications Specialist at EPA and with World Resources Institute in Washington, DC, she moved back to Northern California where she held various roles—including executive director—over a 25-year tenure with Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America. Throughout her career she’s had a particular focus on children’s health, collaborating with partners to promote protective policies at the state, national, and international levels. Kristin holds a Masters in Social Change and Development from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She serves on the Board of the Coming Clean Collaborative, and loves to bike ride and garden.
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