Science, Stories, and Shared Power: The World Parkinson’s Congress Gets it Right

I had the pleasure of talking with Eli Pollard, Executive Director of the World Parkinson’s Congress (WPC), on Your Daily Dose of Dopamine. If you haven’t seen the interview yet, you can watch it here:

What struck me most wasn’t just the breadth of topics we covered, but the genuine heart behind the WPC mission, and what that means for people living with Parkinson’s (PD), researchers, clinicians, care partners, advocates, and artists alike.

When the first World Parkinson’s Congress launched in 2006 in Washington, D.C., it was a bold experiment: bring together everyone affected by Parkinson’s. Many conferences put the main spotlight on scientists and researchers. WPC features scientists, clinicians, wellness & exercise speciailists, artists, people living with the disease and their loved ones learning and interacting with each other. 

Eli shared how tenuous those early years were. Over time, the WPC has become more than a conference; it is a community, a space where the entire Parkinson’s world convenes every three years to share breakthroughs, struggles, hopes, creativity, and strategies. 

It’s a structural commitment that changes how people experience Parkinson’s events. Panel discussions, poster sessions, exercise classes, creative workshops, and breakout groups are designed so that lived experience informs scientific priorities, and scientific discoveries are accessible to everyone.

Creativity Isn’t “Nice to Have”, It’s Central to living well

One of the parts of our conversation I keep returning to is how much emphasis Eli and the WPC place on creativity as part of quality of life with Parkinson’s.

At WPC 2026, creative projects like the Red Thread Project, which invites people in the PD community to contribute art, photography, and personal storytelling, aren’t sidebar events; they’re woven into the fabric of the Congress as a celebration of expression and transformation. 

Creativity connects people to joy, meaning, and community in ways clinical measures can’t capture. Whether someone expresses themselves through art, music, movement, writing, improvisation, or film, creative engagement is a powerful form of discovery and well-being.

Why This Matters for Boys of Summer: Third Base

The premiere of Boys of Summer: Third Base at WPC 2026 feels especially fitting because of all this.

The Boys of Summer films have always been about more than a road trip or athletic milestones. They are about connection, resilience, artful storytelling, family, and finding light in the midst of challenge. These are values that echo in the very essence of what the WPC stands for: a global community choosing to live fully with Parkinson’s, not merely endure it.

What Stays with Me: 

• Vision rooted in connection: Eli reminded me that progress happens when minds and hearts align—when lived experience informs science and science listens back.

• Creativity as resilience: It was inspiring to hear how creative expression isn’t an afterthought but central to the WPC ethos.

• A gathering for all: Whether you’re newly diagnosed, decades into your PD journey, a clinician, scientist, or caregiver, WPC invites you in—not as a spectator, but as a fellow traveler.

I hope you enjoy the conversation I had with Eli and that I’ll see you in Phoenix in May 2026.