particularly the "harm reduction" treatment concept that can apply to anyone, regardless of his or her commitment to ab- stinence. The SAF position at the medical school, with its dual roles of support for individuals with substance abuse and other impairment issues and promotion of wellness and mental health, provided the ideal opportunity to blend her two inter- ests and to explore arts-based approaches to wellness promo- tion, she says. through the arts," Dr. Lee explains. sponsored by the Department of Dance at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts. serendipitously during Dr. Lee's last few weeks a nonprofit arts organization that provides free visual arts instruction to underserved youths in grades 612. Cynthia Weiss, Marwen's director of education, knew Julia Ritter--chair and artistic director of the dance department at Mason Gross--and, understanding Dr. Lee's interest in com- bining arts and health care, suggested she reach out when she joined the medical school faculty. Dr. Lee acted on that sug- department, which resulted in two programs that are just the beginning of a collaborative effort between the two schools. Stress through Movement," addressed a range of factors influencing spinal health, including social and psychological factors, as well as strength, balance, and stability. Led by dancer and movement educator Eric Franklin, founder of the international Franklin Method, the workshop took a practi- cal approach to incorporating daily movement and exercise to benefit spinal health. techniques in dealing with Parkinson's disease. Titled "Parkinson's and Dance: Moving Theory and Practice Forward," the two-day initiative, aimed at patients and fam- experts from different areas of expertise, including James M. Tepper, PhD, distinguished professor of neuroscience, Rutgers Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, whose research has provided insight into the molecular implications of Parkinson's; Pamela Quinn, a professional dancer who developed a renowned movement therapy pro- gram for individuals with Parkinson's; David Leventhal, pro- gram director and one of the founding teachers of the Mark Morris Dance Group's Dance for PD program, a collabora- tion with the Brooklyn Parkinson Group; and guest lecturers from the medical community. gravity when you're going to move them, or talk to them about how they are going to place their weight if you are try- ing to move someone's body who's bigger than yours," Ritter explains. "These are all helpful skills and could prevent care- givers from getting injured." Reap the Benefits fact that dance and movement therapy are having an being of people who are living with Parkinson's, says Ritter: "It's important, whether they're physical therapists, doctors, occupational therapists, or nurses, for them to hear the inter- section of discourse that goes on between the medical side, the research side, and the dance side, and also to hear the tes- timonials of the people with Parkinson's who can speak to the impact of movement practices on their Parkinson's." age of increasingly sedentary lifestyles. In addition, they can |