Laura,

Thanks for your inquiry. Parkinson’s Disease Online Research (www.pdonlineresearch.org) is currently going through a transition as part of a larger effort to consolidate all of the various MJFF web properties into one website www.michaeljfox.org. We will be hosting a centralized hub of resources and materials for the scientific community (but available for viewing by anyone) on the new redesigned MJFF website. Watch for the new MJFF website launch by the end of May.

You may be aware that we launched a blog (blog.michaeljfox.org) where we regularly offer commentary on PD research updates and findings as well as MJFF activities and patient stories. (When you go to the blog notice there are tabs that help filter blog posts by interests). This is where we serve up regular insights on PD science. Another resource that you may find useful is our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/michaeljfoxfoundation).

As we assessed PDOR we found while some scientists were active, much of the dialogue was generated by MJFF staff. We realized that the cost of supporting the standalone site wasn’t worth the payoff. We will be working to establish forums for researchers, clinicians and students on LinkedIn where they can network, collaborate and host scientific discussions. This community on LinkedIn is intended for scientific interactions, job postings, etc. and will require approved membership (although our intention is to permit any interested non-soliciting party to join).

Hope this helps clear up the mystery

Debi