Keynote Presenters
Dr. David VanSickle
MD, PhD, FAANS
Presentation Topic: "Improving Your Quality of Life"
Dr. VanSickle is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery working at South Denver Neurosurgery. A top-ranked Denver neurosurgeon, he specializes in helping patients with Parkinson's and other movement disorders gain years of active, fulfilling life through deep brain stimulation (DBS). Understanding his patients' fears and reluctance of undergoing DBS, he set out to develop a technique that allows patients to remain asleep during the procedure-- which is traditionally performed while the patient is awake. Adding robotic-guidance, Dr. VanSickle now performs Asleep DBS with results that far outperform national averages.
After earning a masters and doctorate in bioengineering, Dr. VanSickle went on to pursue a career in neurosurgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a six year neurosurgery residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. While there, he was named Surgical Intern of the year and later the Neurosurgery Resident of the Year. He also patented a new device to help facilitate epilepsy surgery. Dr. VanSickle has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles on the subjects of scoliosis, surgical interventions, rehabilitation innovations, and more. In addition to being a volunteer Board of Director for the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies, he is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and the American Medical Association (AMA).
Dr. Luisa Solis-Cohen
MD, PhD
Presentation Topic: "Freezing, Off-Time and Dyskinesia" and "Essential Tremors 101"
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Dr. Luisa Solis-Cohen is a a board certified Movement Disorder Neurologist from the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, currently practicing at Colorado Neurodiagnostics in Denver. In addition to being a volunteer Board of Director and member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Parkinson Association of the Rockies, she has presented a "PD 101" course as an educational speaker for the nonprofit organization since 2018. In 2020 she began partnering with Abbott DBS Systems as an investigator in an international study regarding the long-term safety of DBS and is also currently a Community Clinician Participant in a national study with Community Outreach for Palliative Engagement - PD regarding the effectiveness of palliative care training and telemedicine support services. As a movement disorder neurologist, Dr. Solis-Cohen has additional training in Parkinson's Disease and other movement disorders. She has extensive knowledge of PD, therapies and ongoing research. Because of their extensive experience, movement disorders specialists like Dr. Solis-Cohen are most often best equipped to tailor a plan of care for patients of PD.
Dr. Solis-Cohen graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in neurosciences from Brandeis University before receiving her medical degree at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences,
Cynthia S. Kuykendall
Presentation Topic: "Advances in Deep Brain Stimulation and Remote Programming"
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Cynthia Kuykendall has been a passionate and active medical advocate for over 30 years as a pharmaceutical and medical device sales representative and therapy consultant. Since 2009, she has provided surgical and clinical support for implanting and programming DBS systems for Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremors, dystonia and OCD. Through strategic facilitation, she has developed networks across many specialties including neurosurgery, neurology, rehab, physical and occupational therapy, and pharmacy. Since 2015, Cindy has volunteered as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Parkinson Association of the Rockies.
Cindy currently works as a Senior Therapy Manager of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Neuromodulation at Abbot Brain Therapies in Denver. Abbott creates breakthrough medical devices, diagnostic equipment, nutrition and branded generic pharmaceuticals, and other medical products that help people lead healthier lives, including the Abbott Infinity DBS System. DBS therapy is an implanted neurostimulation device that works 24/7 to deliver low-intensity electrical impulses to nerve structures, which helps control PD and essential tremor symptoms. Cindy's experiences and knowledge lends towards her expertise as she presents information regarding the advances in DBS and remote programming at Parkinson's Families' "Moving to Live" fall conference.
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