“The Tao, or road through Parkinson’s, starts off unwanted and unexpected. Given no roadmap, it is up to each of us to chart our own journey. My path, has been illuminated by the energy and spirit of my fellow advocates, who collectively contribute towards the cure with their wisdom and patient experience, while living each day at its best…”
Kevin was diagnosed in 2009 with early-onset Parkinson's disease at age 48. A lifetime executive and consultant in the biopharma industry, his career pivoted, when he joined the executive recruiting firm, Russell Reynolds Associates and became a partner and head of the North American Life Science practice. After his diagnosis, he pivoted again to create his passion track in patient engagement.
Throughout Kevin’s professional and Parkinson’s experience, he has observed the traits of leadership and has been impressed with patients who take an active role in their own disease course. This leadership can take many forms, including participating in clinical trials, influencing Parkinson’s health policy, embracing patient organizations, and educating all in the Parkinson’s ecosystem by sharing the patient lived experience. In his own advocacy he targets all these.
Kevin is a Board Member and frequent content presenter for the Davis Phinney Foundation. He is a research advocate with the Parkinson’s Foundation, and a patient advisor to the Critical Path for Parkinson’s. He currently serves on the Lived X Council of the National Academy of Science, Medicine and Technology, the steering committees for the FNIH Accelerated Medicines Program (AMP-PDRD) and the PSG clinical trial, Low Dose Carbon Monoxide Therapeutic Efficacy (LoCaMoTE-PD which receives research funding from MJFF).
After providing testimony on living with Parkinson’s to the US FDA in 2015, Kevin has evolved as a passionate proponent of patient centricity and patient focused drug development. He provides guidance to numerous industry sponsors and organizations developing new Parkinson’s treatments and best practices in patient engagement.
In addition to joining the MJFF Patient Council, which he considers a great honor, Kevin is an emeritus Community Member of the landmark PPMI biomarker initiative. Inspired by last year’s annual PPMI investigator’s meeting, he published the peer reviewed opinion paper, Parkinson’s Disease: Still Waiting for a Cure.
Kevin earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Michigan. A wannabe athlete, he relocated to Boulder Colorado from San Francisco in 2019 to enhance his Parkinson’s life with all the Rockies has to offer.