Integrating Whole-Person Care: Mindfulness and Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease and Caregiving

Event Date: February 4th, 2025

Jojo Kwok, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN

Integrating Whole-Person Care: Mindfulness and Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease and Caregiving

Event Details

Integrating Whole-Person Care: Mindfulness and Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease and Caregiving

JoJo Kwok, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong 
Associate Director, Centre of Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong 

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am ET

Online via Zoom

Cost: Free. CME credit available. Please email your name, degree title and institution if applicable to [email protected] during the event to claim credit.

Description:

Dr. Kwok’s presentation will explore the comprehensive approach of managing Parkinson’s disease and its caregiving aspects by incorporating mindfulness as a core component. She will present research that she and her research team has conducted on Parkinson’s disease, caregiving, and community-based research, investigating the connections between mindfulness, stress, inflammatory markers, immune markers, and the gut microbiome. Dr. Kwok will also outline development process of a mindfulness-based lifestyle modification program that leverages digital health strategies. Dr. Kwok’s presentation will also address the current and future implications of incorporating mind-body model into healthcare practice.

Speaker Bio:

JoJo Kwok, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN is a Visiting Research Scholar at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Kwok’s research focuses on neurology care, behavioral science, and rehabilitation medicine, with a particular emphasis on compassionate-based care models for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Published in peer-reviewed journals like JAMA Neurology and Lancet Health Longevity, her work has shaped community-based neurology care programs through collaborations with significant non-governmental organizations. Dr. Kwok is currently investigating the effects and gut-brain mechanisms of various mindfulness-based modalities for stress management, gait, balance, and sleep disturbances in PD patients.
She is dedicated to equipping her peers and students with the intellectual and psychological tools needed to provide holistic care in this challenging field. In recognition to her research achievement and contribution to the nursing profession, Dr. Kwok has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2024.