EmpowerED: Parkinson’s Education & Connection – Greenville, NC
The Education Center at Eastern AHEC, 2600 W Arlington Blvd, Greenville, NC
Saturday, November 7, 2026
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The Parkinson Association of the Carolinas (PAC) invites individuals with Parkinson’s disease, care partners, and family members, for a morning of learning, movement, and community.
The day includes an agenda with presentations to help you learn about community resources and the benefits of physical activity to manage your Parkinson’s disease. We’ll also have lunch and time to visit with our sponors and other vendors.
PLUS! Learn about a new, free yoga for Parkinson’s class coming to Greenville this November!
Sessions will provide you with knowledge and valuable resources to help you live your best with Parkinson’s today.
We can’t wait to meet you!
While the event is FREE to attend, registration is required. The deadline to register is November 3.
Online registration is closed. Please contact the PAC office at (980) 245-2786 to register.
AGENDA
10:00-10:15 AM
Event check-in
Visit with Sponsors and Vendors
10:15-10:35 AM
Welcome
Support at Every Step. Connecting to PAC Resources, Gillian Schultz, PAC Program Director
Learn about the programs, support, and services offered by the Parkinson Association of the Carolinas
10:35-11:00 AM
Use It, Don’t Lose It! Why Physical Therapy and Exercise Matter in Parkinson’s Disease
Amy Wedge, PT, DPT, NCS
Movement is medicine, especially when living with Parkinson’s disease. This session will explore how physical therapy and exercise can help people with Parkinson’s maintain strength, improve balance and mobility, reduce fall risk, and promote independence.
11:00-11:25 AM
Musically Speaking: Music Therapy and Community Music Support Health
Virginia Driscoll, PhD, MT-BC, Dexter Poindexter
We’ll learn about music therapy literature for people with Parkinson’s, the rationale and use of Music Therapy for individuals with Parkinson’s and their care partners, and how we use music in a community group. There will be experiential opportunity from the community music group and answer questions regarding how much can be beneficial.
11:25-11:50 AM
Visit with Sponsors and Vendors
11:50-12:10 PM
Partnering with Poise: Caring for the Care Partner
Monika Gross, BFA, MAmSAT, MSME/T, Nina Reed, MEd
The Poise Project offers in person and online workshops that focus on your well-being, personal needs, and safety as a care partner. This program will provide an enjoyable and safe setting for care partners to take away practical strategies to support your physical and emotional wellbeing, both right now and for the rest of your life.
12:10-12:30 PM
Your Partner in Wellness: Programs & Services at ECU Health
Kiara Robins, EDD, MS, ACSM-CEP
Discover how the programs and the ECU Health and Wellness Center, including Rock Steady Boxing, support physical activity, functional independence, and overall well-being.
12:30-1:00 PM
Lunch and Commmunity Connection
Online registration is closed. Please contact the PAC office at (980) 245-2786 to register.
About Our Speakers
Virginia (Ginny) Driscoll, PhD, MT-BC is board-certified music therapist and associate professor of music therapy at East Carolina University. She has experience providing music therapy for individuals across the lifespan. Her research interests include working with adults and children with hearing loss, children with speech-language delays, empowering individuals through music, and supporting students in undergraduate research.
Monika Gross, BFA, MAmSAT, MSME/T is an Alexander technique specialist with forty years of teaching experience. She is Executive Director of The Poise Project, a nonprofit with the mission of helping the public maintain poise, dignity, and personal growth throughout all stages and challenges of life using the principles of Alexander technique (AT). AT is well established in performing arts programs to train professional performers how to skillfully manage stressful circumstances, reduce anxiety, avoid injury and musculoskeletal pain, and increase overall functioning and performance. The Poise Project has adapted AT principles into programs designed for care partners and people living with chronic conditions. Monika has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented research at over fifty international conferences.
Dexter Poindexter is a music therapy intern at the Music Therapy Clinic at ECU where he is completing his education and training to be eligible for board-certification. Dexter was one of the students who helped establish the Parkinson’s Community Music Group at ECU and leads the music groups weekly.
Nina Reed, MEd lives in the Greenville NC area. She is a Peer Instructor for delivering The Poise Project’s “Partnering with Poise” courses. She holds a Master of Education degree focused on Educational and Instructional Technology, and she has extensive background in early childhood education. After moving to North Carolina in 2018 to care for her mother who was living with a diagnosis of dementia and end stage renal disease, Nina participated in The Poise Project’s “Partnering with Poise” course for family care partners of people living with long-term needs. She found the AT principles to be extremely valuable to her personally as a family care partner, and The Poise Project approach to be innovative. She is enthusiastic about being a collaborator and team member/advocate.
Kiara Robins, EdD, MS, ACSM-CEP is an Exercise Physiologist and Supervisor of Exercise at the ECU Health Wellness Center located in Greenville, NC, where she oversees exercise programming, fitness services and specializedwellness activities. She holds a Doctorate in Kinesiology and a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and isan ACSM certifi ed Clinical Exercise Physiologist. She also serves as an instructor in higher education,teaching courses in exercise science and wellness. As a Rock Steady Boxing Head Coach, Dr. Robins ispassionate about helping individuals living with Parkinson’s disease improve their quality-of-life throughexercise, movement and community support. Her work focuses on making evidence-based exerciseaccessible to individuals of all ages and abilities.
Amy Wedge, PT, DPT, NCS is a Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy at East Carolina University, where she also serves as the Residency Program Coordinator for the ECU Health Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency Program. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Northeastern University and is a Board-Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. She also holds certifications in LSVT BIG® and PWR!Moves®, two evidence-based exercise approaches for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. With more than 15 years of clinical experience specializing in Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Wedge is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and clinical practice. She has secured over $30,000 in grant funding to develop and expand community-based exercise programs for individuals with Parkinson’s disease in Eastern North Carolina. Her clinical and research interests focus on translating evidence-based interventions into practice to improve walking and balance, reduce fall risk, and promote long-term independence for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.
Thank you to our Sponsors who have made this event possible
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