As a physician, I have focused my efforts on changing healthcare delivery at my clinic and on local and national outreach to better meet the needs of patients with neurologic disease. Individuals with a chronic neurologic illness face more than just the realities of their disease due to the daily challenges of living with physical, cognitive and emotional disability. Through leadership, research, education and program development, I have made direct changes in care delivery for people with Parkinson’s disease. In collaboration with multiple regional and national organizations, we have shifted the care focus from one of treating the disease to a patient centered model with focus on quality of life, interdisciplinary care and self-care management. Under my leadership, the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Center in Kirkland WA, is a recognized national leader in healthcare by the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) and was designated a National Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Care. To support this work, I partnered with the NPF on a national training program focused on interdisciplinary team care for Parkinson’s disease. To date, nearly 1,200 people have been trained and have developed their own interdisciplinary care programs as a result.
My recent endeavors have focused on broader and more efficient ways to bring quality care to our communities. I spearheaded and now coordinate The National Parkinson’s Care Consortium. This online working group links 13 major clinical centers throughout the US and Canada in an effort to redefine best care practices by sharing individual program models, experiences, outcomes and clinical care. This consortium is undertaking research projects addressing problematic areas of healthcare delivery.
I became medical director of the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation in 2009. During my first year of service, I have developed an online Wellness Center, a one-of-a-kind program designed to enhance wellness and create a sense of community for a population that often lives in fear of disease progression, physical disability and social and community isolation. A focus on wellness in the face of a progressive physical disability is a conceptual shift for the Parkinson’s community with the goal to empower and offer hope to both individuals and families touched by the disease.
The ocean brings a feeling of fondness or connection. There are many reasons for this, first and foremost the memories of vacationing with my family on the shores of Maine. The beauty of the ocean can bring families and relationships together and reminds me of what is precious in life. The changing tides are also a reminder that life is always in flux and change is not something to be afraid of but to understand, respect and embrace.
I wish to eliminate the stigma that is present for people with a progressive disability. This stigma goes beyond our societal bias against people with disability. If you live with a progressive disorder, the focus – whether that of your doctor, healthcare system, or society - is on the future progression of the disease and the poorer physical function it will bring. Under this mindset, wellness and disease cannot coexist. Through enhanced awareness and education, we can eliminate the stigma of progressive disease and help people with Parkinson’s redefine their sense of wellness, bringing forth a new definition of what it means to be well in the present.
I wish to capitalize on the combined strength of the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation and my clinical leadership and expertise to affect this change. The significance of the NWPF’s online Wellness Center is its ability to reach people who have become reclusive as a result of their symptoms and to serve communities in rural and remote areas where access to care is limited. Our Wellness Center will focus on offering hope, inspiration and self-care support. The ultimate goal is to create a community where members support one another and access is open to all regardless of geography or disability.
Monique Giroux, MD, received her medical degree from Ohio State University, medical training in Neurology from Yale and advanced fellowship training in movement disorders from Emory University. She is currently studying holistic medicine as a clinical fellow in Integrated Medicine at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Giroux serves as medical director of the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Care Center in Kirkland, WA. She developed this comprehensive care center in collaboration with the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation in 2000. The center is nationally recognized as one of 28 national centers of excellence for Parkinson’s care. She has published numerous articles and is engaged in research in the areas of health promotion, hope and wellness in progressive disease and interdisciplinary care management.
Dr. Giroux’s focus on interdisciplinary care and wellness is exemplified through her collaborative work with many organizations including the Michael J Fox Foundation, Davis Phinney Foundation, American Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and the National Parkinson’s Foundation. She has enhanced the life of many with Parkinson’s through her work in these collaborations. She is currently leading an exciting new nationwide initiative with the National Parkinson’s Foundation, The Parkinson’s Care Consortium, designed to bring together national experts in the spirit of collaboration and innovation to meet the care needs of our community. She is a national speaker on issues related to wellness, comprehensive care, quality of life, and chronic disease management and serves as medical faculty for the NPF Allied Team Training Program, which is now in its eighth year and has trained over 1,200 professionals nationally. In addition, she coauthored and partnered with the Davis Phinney Foundation on the Parkinson’s care book “Every Victory Counts: Essential information and inspiration for a lifetime of wellness with Parkinson’s disease.”
