Dr. Padma Mahant Interview on Medscape’s Hear from Her Podcast
Dr. Padma Mahant, Director of Medical Affairs at CND Life Sciences and Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Arizona, was featured on Medscape Education’s award-winning podcast series on women in healthcare leadership, Hear from Her, moderated by Sara Thorpe, MPH. In the episode titled, “Shifting the Paradigm: A New Era for Parkinson’s Care,” Dr. Mahant joined Dr. Indira Subramanian, Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles, to discuss their careers in clinical movement disorder neurology, perspectives on the current state of Parkinson’s care, and how their patients continue to inspire them.
The discussion highlighted long-standing difficulties and roadblocks faced by patients in their individual journeys with Parkinson’s. One key gap was the delay in treatment initiation, leaving patients at risk for progression. Although early initiation of treatment can significantly slow Parkinson’s progression, misdiagnosis and delayed disease recognition remain common. Care disparities were also discussed, calling attention to the importance of recognizing that women more frequently present with unique, non-motor symptoms that are often overlooked. As practicing movement disorder specialists, Dr. Mahant and Dr. Subramanian both championed the need to move beyond a “cookie-cutter” approach to Parkinson’s care. To achieve this, they emphasized the importance of increasing inclusion of women in clinical research and embracing a compassionate, integrative care model that is patient-centric.
Dr. Mahant and Dr. Subramanian also underscored how specialty care and strategic use of diagnostic tests can help achieve earlier, accurate diagnoses. The markedly increasing incidence of Parkinson’s disease from 60,000 per year to 90,000 per year, along with a shortage in specialty careproviders, with fewer than 700 movement-disorder specialists in the US, emphasizes the urgent need for accessible and reliable diagnostics to improve outcomes earlier in the disease. With options like the Syn-One Test, clinicians have an in-office, minimally invasive test available to help identify Parkinson’s at earlier stages of disease progression, supporting earlier treatment and increasing the potential for better outcomes.
Pearson C., Hartzman A. Munevar D. et al. Care access and utilization among Medicare beneficiaries living with Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinsons Dis. 9, 108 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-023-00523-y
