History and Founders

The World Parkinson's Education Program was founded in 2008 by a Canadian Neurologist, Dr. A. Q. Rana, not only a clinician and researcher but also an advocate for patients as well as caregivers, leader in health education, and a reformer. Dr. Rana's objectives for the World Parkinson's Education Program were enhancing knowledge by imparting education about various aspects of Parkinson’s disease. Knowing more about one’s medical condition helps in increasing compliance, improving understanding and patient satisfaction leading to better quality of life of patients and caregivers.The scope of the World Parkinson's Education Program was expanded in 2012 to include other services such as Fall Prevention Campaign, medical services, healthcare supplies and enhancing education by lectures, as well as social media and providing multilingual Parkinson's literature. The name of this program was changed to reflect this addition to the World Parkinson's Program.  

Dr. Rana completed his neurology residency at the New Jersey Neurosciences Institute, USA, where he trained under Dr. Arthur S. Walters, an authority in Restless Legs Syndrome.  For further training in the field of Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders Dr. Rana undertook a clinical fellowship at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Rana was honored with the Wayne Hening Award for his research on Parkinson's disease and Restless Legs Syndrome. He was also awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) of the United Kingdom.  Dr. Rana developed many educational programs for Parkinson's disease including,

1. Journey with Parkinson's: A series of educational seminars for patients, families, and caregivers.
2. A Comprehensive Approach to Parkinson's: An educational lecture series for medical and healthcare professionals.
3. Frequently Asked Questions About Parkinson's disease: This is a series of thirteen different brochures about various aspects of Parkinson’s disease, which has been translated in many different languages and used in various countries around the world.

Dr. A. Q. Rana has written the following books:

1. A Synopsis of Neurological Emergencies: A practical guide to Neurological Emergencies for physicians.
2. An Aid to Neuro-ophthalmology: A review manual of Neuro-ophthalmology for physicians.
3. An Introduction to Essential Tremor: A guide to various aspects of the most common movement disorder “Essential Tremor" for physicians.
4. "50 Ways Parkinson's Could Affect You": A collection of various symptoms and complications of Parkinson's disease, written in simplified language for individuals without medical background.
5. What is Parkinson's disease in Arabic: A handbook about various aspects of Parkinson's disease in question & answer format in Arabic language for patients.

Dr.A.Q. Rana also served as an Editor of the following books:

1. Etiology and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease:
   A book for physicians discussing etiology and pathophysiology of  Parkinson's disease  published by Intech Open Access Publishing
2. Symptoms of Parkinson's dsease: A book for physicians discussing various symptoms of Parkinson's disease  published by Intech Open Access Publishing
3. Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkinson's dsease: A book for physicians discussing updates in diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease  published by Intech Open Access Publishing
4. Dr.A.Q.Rana is also the Editor –in-chief and founding editor of  Journal of Parkinsonism and Restless Legs Syndrome