March is Essential Tremor Month!

In December 2010, the United States House of Representatives formally passed House Resolution (H.RES.) 1264 officially designating March as National Essential Tremor Awareness Month. This resolution was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 56 Representatives.

This year, Governor Ned Lamont recognized the impact of Essential Tremor and the work of the International Essential Tremor Foundation by honoring my request and officially proclaiming March 2022 as Essential Tremor Awareness Month in the State of Connecticut:

Essential Tremor Awareness Month - Mar 2022 _v4

Mark Your Calendar for Our December Meeting!

Our next Essential Tremor Support Group meeting is scheduled for 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4th. As much as we’d love to meet in person, we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and will likely meet via Zoom. Our speaker and topic will be announced shortly… but we do hope you’ll save the date and plan to join us!

Our Next Virtual Meeting is October 2nd. Please Join Us!

Saturday, October 2, 2021
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting via Zoom

Diagnosis and Management of Essential Tremor:
The Method to the Madness!

presented by Movement Disorders Specialist Dr. Benjamin Dorfman

You won’t want to miss this presentation and discussion of how a movement disorders specialist determines that a patient has essential tremor vs other related issues, and how a course of treatment is determined!

Dr. Benjamin Dorfman is a board-certified movement disorders specialist at the Chase Family Movement Disorders Center, part of Hartford HealthCare. His areas of interest include Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, deep brain stimulation, dystonia, facial spasm, spasticity, botulinum toxin injections, restless legs syndrome, gait disorders, myoclonus, tardive dyskinesia, and tics.

Dr. Dorfman received his medical degree from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, followed by neurology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York and a movement disorders fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, New York. He has authored numerous publications on movement disorders and has a special interest in education.

A member of the American Academy of Neurology and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society, Dr. Dorfman lives in West Hartford, Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than noon on Wednesday, September 29th!

To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.

The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by

IETF logo tagline 10162012

Join Us for Our August 7th Virtual ET Support Group Meeting!

Saturday, August 7, 2021
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting via Zoom

Medications for Essential Tremor
presented by Movement Disorders Specialist Sulada Kanchana, M.D., Ph.D.

At this virtual meeting, Dr. Kanchana will review and discuss treatment options for the medical management of Essential Tremor.

Su Kanchana, M.D., Ph.D., a movement disorders specialist, is Director of Program Expansion & Outreach for Hartford HealthCare’s Chase Family Movement Disorder Center. She has special interests in Parkinson’s disease, Tremors, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), and Botulinum toxin therapy.

Before joining Hartford HealthCare, Dr. Kanchana was Co-Director of the Movement Disorders Program at SUNY Update Medical Center, Director of the Deep Brain Stimulation Program at Northwell Health in Long Island, Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Reading Hospital and Medical Center, and Co-Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Lehigh Neurology in Allentown, PA. While a member of the Movement and Inherited Neurological Disorders at the University of Rochester Medical Center, she was the founder and advisor of the Twin Tiers Parkinson Group in Big Flats, NY.

Dr. Kanchana earned Masters and Doctoral Degrees in biology and a Doctoral of Medicine at Wayne State University and School of Medicine. She completed a neurology residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a fellowship in movement disorders at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than noon on Wednesday, August 4th!

To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.

The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by

IETF logo tagline 10162012

Please Join Us on June 5th for Our Next Virtual Meeting!

Saturday, June 5, 2021
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting via Zoom

Neuropsychological Features of Essential Tremor
presented by Neuropsychologist Michelle Bobulinski Ph.D.

Over the past decade, there has been increasing evidence that Essential Tremor is associated with various non-motor clinical manifestations, including cognitive symptoms and neuropsychiatric symptoms or disorders, particularly involving depressed mood and anxiety. The reported prevalence estimates of neuropsychological symptoms varies, to some degree, in available literature, but overall it is suggested that mild-moderate cognitive deficits may be observed in approximately 50% of individuals diagnosed with ET. Research also demonstrates anxiety and depression are both more common in ET patients compared to normal controls. Individuals with ET report significant decline in the independent performance of both routine physical (e.g. self-care) and more complex activities of daily living, which may be a function of both motor and non-motor symptoms.

At this virtual meeting, Dr. Bobulinski will discuss the neuropsychological symptoms of ET and the importance of monitoring them as part of the clinical course.

Michelle Bobulinski, Ph.D., earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Bucknell University. After receiving graduate degrees at the University of Denver in Clinical/Counseling Psychology and at New York University in Psychology, Dr. Bobulinski completed an Internship in Clinical Psychology with a Specialty in Neuropsychology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and a Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at Yale University School of Medicine.

Currently working with Hartford HealthCare’s Ayer Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Bobulinski’s areas of interest include Neuropsychology, Movement Disorders, Neurologic and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Cognition/Neurocognitive Changes, Cognitive Assessment, Deep Brain Stimulation, and Behavioral Health.

A Licensed Psychologist in both CT and NY, she is a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, the New York Neuropsychology Group, the Connecticut Neuropsychology Society, and is a Research Associate Member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than noon on Wednesday, June 2nd!

To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.

The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by

IETF logo tagline 10162012

Save the Date!

Whether it’s to be in person or via Zoom …unfortunately that is still the question! It’s most likely to be another Zoom event for us, but in either case, we do hope you’ll plan to join us from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 5th for our next CT Essential Tremor Support Group meeting. Details will be announced shortly.

Please Join Us in Middletown on February 1st!

Saturday, February 1, 2020
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Middlesex Hospital’s Bardenheier Medical Training Center
28 Crescent Street
Middletown, CT 06457

The Association Between Essential Tremor & Parkinsonism
presented by Movement Disorders Specialist Elena Bortan, MD

In her presentation, Dr. Bortan will address the following questions:

  1. Is essential tremor predictive of Parkinson’s disease?
  2. What is epidemiological evidence between essential tremor and other neurodegenerative conditions?

Neurologist Elena Bortan is a movement disorders specialist with the Ayer Neuroscience Institute Chase Family Movement Disorders Center.

Dr. Bortan came to Hartford HealthCare from Middlesex Hospital, where she worked for almost a decade. She earned her medical degree from Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania. She completed a residency in neurology at Tufts New England Medical Center and a fellowship in movement disorders at the Lahey Clinic.

Fluent in English and Romanian, Dr. Bortan’s areas of clinical interest are movement disorders including Parkinsonism, essential tremor and others; botulinum toxin chemodenervation for dystonia blepharospasm and spasticity; deep brain stimulation; and general neurology. She is board-certified in neurology and a member of the American Academy of Neurology and The Movement Disorder Society.

Additionally, Dr. Leo Nguyen’s team at Five Microns plans to give us a 10-minute video presentation on Tremelo, which uses vibration control techniques to steady a tremoring arm. Dr. Nguyen is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at California State University, Fresno.

Registration is requested – Inquiries are invited!

To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.
Click here for driving directions and parking information.

The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored byIETF logo tagline 10162012

DRIVING & PARKING:

Parking:

  • Free on-site parking is available.

Directions:

FROM NORTH (HARTFORD)

Take I-91 South to Exit 22S, Route 9 South. Follow Route 9 through Middletown. Take Exit 13, Route 17. Continue straight to the intersection with Route 17, South Main Street. At the light, turn right onto South Main Street. Follow South Main Street to the intersection with Crescent Street. Turn right onto Crescent Street. The entrance to the hospital and the Emergency Department are on Crescent Street.

FROM SOUTH (MERIDEN)

Take I-91 or Wilbur Cross Parkway to Route 691 East. Follow Route 691 (becomes Route 66) to Main Street, Middletown. Turn right onto Main Street. Continue down Main Street to the intersection with Pleasant Street. Turn right onto Pleasant Street, then bear left at the next light onto South Main Street. Turn left onto Crescent Street. The entrance to the hospital and the Emergency Department are on Crescent Street.

FROM WEST

Take I-84 to Route 691 East. Follow Route 691 (becomes Route 66) to Main Street, Middletown. Turn right onto Main Street. Continue down Main Street to the intersection with Pleasant Street. Turn right onto Pleasant Street, then bear left at the next light onto South Main Street. Turn left onto Crescent Street. The entrance to the hospital and the Emergency Department are on Crescent Street.

FROM NEW YORK/NEW HAVEN

Take I-95 to I-91 North. Change to Route 9 South toward Cromwell/Middletown. In Middletown, take Exit 13. Continue straight to the intersection with Route 17, South Main Street. At the light, turn right onto South Main Street. Follow South Main Street to the intersection with Crescent Street. Turn right onto Crescent Street. The entrance to the hospital and the Emergency Department are on Crescent Street.

Save the Date!

Our next meeting is scheduled for 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 7th, at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport. The speaker and topic will be announced shortly… but please save the date on your calendar!

Mark your calendar for our next meeting!

You won’t want to miss our next Essential Tremor Support Group meeting. It’s scheduled for Saturday, October 5th, at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. Be sure you save the date on your calendar!

IETF is coming to Connecticut!

The International Essential Tremor Foundation has announced dates for their 2019 Essential Tremor Education Forums… and they’re coming to Hartford on Saturday, June 1st! You won’t want to miss this exciting event, so be sure to mark your calendars and bookmark this site for details to be announced shortly!