🌟 Celebrating Research Success in Our Region!
Two Newcastle University PhD students win prizes for their Parkinson’s work
Left: Emma Packer,
PhD Student, Translational and Clinical Institute, Newcastle University
Right: Florence Gerakios, PhD Student and Clinical Trials Associate, Translational and Clinical Institute, Newcastle University
We’re delighted to share some brilliant news from our local Parkinson’s research community. Two of our PhD students at Newcastle University — Emma Packer and Florence Gerakios — have both won awards for presenting their exciting research to audiences in the UK and Europe!
These achievements highlight not only the quality of Parkinson’s research happening in the North East, but also the clear and passionate way our researchers are sharing their work with the community. Some of you may remember meeting Emma and Florence when they joined us as table speakers at our Darlington 2024 Research Day, where they gave fantastic summaries of their projects and sparked brilliant discussions throughout the day.
🏆 Emma Packer — Winner of the Public Vote at the INSIGHTS Public Lecture Series
Emma Packer — Winner of the Public Vote at the INSIGHTS Faculty of Medcal Sciences Postgraduate Public Lecture Speaking Prize
Emma, a PhD student in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University, recently took home the Winner of the Public Vote award at an INSIGHTS Public Lecture event after delivering a fantastic talk titled:
“Every dose and every step: Exploring the effect of medication on everyday walking in people with Parkinson’s”
Her research explores how Parkinson’s medication affects real-world walking, not just what is measured in a clinic. She uses sensors and digital tools to understand how mobility changes across the whole day — something that could help improve medication timing and everyday independence in the future.
Emma’s award is a brilliant reflection of both the importance of her research and her ability to communicate it clearly and confidently to the public.
🥇 Florence Gerakios — Best Oral Presentation Award in Hamberg
Florence Gerakios — Winner of the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 20th European Delirium Association Conference 2025in Hamberg
Florence, also a PhD student at Newcastle University, travelled to Germany to present her work at the 20th European Delirium Association Conference 2025 in Hamberg — and was awarded Best Oral Presentation!
She gave two talks titled:
“The phenomenology of delirium in Parkinson’s and older adults: a comparative study” and “Beyond motor subtypes: distinct symptom clusters of delirium in Parkinson’s disease and older adults”
Delirium is a serious but often treatable condition that can suddenly start in someone who is unwell. Florence’s research is helping us better understand what delirium looks like in people with Parkinson’s, how it may differ from delirium in other older adults, and how clinicians can recognise and treat it earlier. This is especially important because delirium can be distressing for individuals and families and is often missed until it becomes more severe. This can have a serious impact on how well someone with Parkinson’s can recover from illness and whether they need increased care after leaving hospital, such as 24-hour home or nursing care.
💬 Why this matters for people with Parkinson’s
Both Emma’s and Florence’s projects focus on real-life situations, with real potential to improve lives:
🧍 Emma: Supporting mobility and independence in day-to-day life
🏥 Florence: Improving hospital care and recovery during illness
This is exactly the kind of research that NEC-RIG is passionate about — work that listens to the community and aims to make a genuine difference.
đź‘Ź A huge well done!
We are immensely proud of Emma and Florence — for the quality of their work, their recent achievements, and their commitment to improving life for people affected by Parkinson’s.
We look forward to seeing how their projects develop and to welcoming them back to future NEC-RIG events where more of you can hear from them directly!
