About | Who we are

We are a group of people, affected directly or indirectly by Parkinson’s:

  • We have to deal with the effects of the disease on a daily basis.
  • The life of carers is heavily influenced by our varying needs.

That’s why we are interested in all possibilities to stop or slow down the progression of the illness and – moreover – never give up the hope that research will come up with a cure for Parkinson’s.

We are located in the Dundee area including Tayside, Fife, Stirling, Perth and Kinross and open to anyone interested in research related to Parkinson’s. With a world class laboratory at Dundee University and the Dundee-Edinburgh Parkinson’s Research Initiative we have first-hand access to the researchers and their results. This allows us to inform our members quickly about new developments. And we are able to support clinical trials by distributing the information to our members.

There are also close links to other RIGs, especially the Edinburgh Research Interest Group: ERIG

DRIG Steering Group

DRIG has a steering group responsible for the overall program and direction of the group. This includes helping to organise activities and events more locally. The Group has close links to the Parkinsons UK local Area Development Managers (ADM), Volunteer Coordinators (VC), and the newly formed Local Development Teams (LDT).

The Steering Group:

  • meets quarterly in Dundee at the MRC PPUU, or at the Improvement Academy at Ninewells Hospital.
  • comprises of people with Parkinson’s (PwP), their family members and research scientists, who, together, will decide, amend or add plans for the DRIG for each year. Each Group member will be recognised as a volunteer with the Parkinson’s UK Research Team. The tenure is ideally for a minimum of 2 years but of course dependent on the interest of each member.
  • meetings will be open for new people to attend if interested in joining the group.

The People, the Steering Group

Chairperson: Marc van Grieken

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Secretary: Jo Goodburn and Brendan Hawdon

Events Co-ordinator: Andy Howden

Members:

Pierre Descartes

Janet Kerr

Chloe Macmillan, PUK

John Minhinick

Liz Nash, PUK

Ron Page

Esther Sammler

Supporters:

Christine Descartes

Sue Harley

Charles McGourty

Janet Niven

Wilma Page

Werner Remmele

Dorothy Roth

Michael Roth

Lindsay Roy

Billy Webster