PMDC’s online CME course expands access to expert Parkinson’s rehabilitation training

By John Battiston 

Each year, the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center (PMDC) offers a continuing medical education (CME) course for clinicians treating Parkinson’s disease. But in 2025, the center took a leap beyond its traditional in-person format, partnering with the Parkinson’s Foundation to deliver the course fully online through the foundation’s Learning Lab platform. 

Leslie Cloud, M.D., director of the Parkinson’s Disease Program at the PMDC, saw the online format as a way to share VCU’s expertise with a global community of health care providers. “We had put together a really nice course that was potentially of interest to people everywhere,” she says. “Instead of doing a live event that would be attended by a small number of people, we could make it accessible all over the world.” 

The resulting program for which Cloud served as the course director, “Updates in Neuro-Rehabilitation for Parkinson’s Disease,” features four modules taught by national experts. Together, they cover the most current, evidence-based approaches to exercise prescription, freezing of gait management, maintenance physical therapy and emerging therapies such as blood flow restriction. Each segment combines accessible, practical instruction with takeaways clinicians can immediately apply. 

Cloud noted that physicians have long been the primary audience for the PMDC’s CME efforts, especially those who care for patients with Parkinson’s disease. For this course, she and her team wanted to target physical therapists, aligning with one of the course’s central messages: Exercise remains the single most powerful intervention for slowing disease progression. 

Beyond exercise, the course also explores practical ways to overcome barriers that often hinder ongoing rehabilitation, especially insurance coverage. “PTs often only get a few weeks with a patient before insurance stops paying for it,” Cloud says. “If they know how to document the patient’s need for continued coverage in a way that is appropriate and compliant, we can hopefully eliminate that barrier.” 

While the material is designed with physical therapists in mind, the lessons extend to “all clinicians who take care of Parkinson’s patients,” Cloud says. “They will be better able to counsel their patients about the importance of exercise and provide optimal overall care.” Ultimately, she hopes the program will help reshape how Parkinson’s care is delivered – not just in specialized centers, but in community clinics around the world. 

“Updates in Neuro-Rehabilitation for Parkinson’s Disease” is free of charge thanks to the PMDC’s partnership with the Parkinson’s Foundation. It is available until August 19, 2026.