Is there a role for the microbiome-gut-brain axis in Essential Tremor?
The subject of a gut-brain connection has come up in several of our recent meetings, so we’re excited to announce that it will be addressed at our October 5th meeting. Join us as Integrative Medicine specialist Dr. Eric Secor, ND, PhD, MPH, MS, LAc, Dipl Ac., NCAAOM explores this subject with us!
Be sure to save the date in your calendar and stay tuned for additional info, including our October meeting location.
Saturday, April 6, 2024
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The Hospital of Central Connecticut
100 Grand Street
New Britain, CT 06050
Non-motor Symptoms in Essential Tremor
presented by Maria L. Moro-de-Casillas, MD
Maria Moro-de-Casillas, MD is a Movement Disorder Specialist Neurologist with extensive training and experience. She attended medical school at Anahuac University in Mexico City, Mexico. Her Neurology Residence was at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland Ohio ..and her Movement Disorders Fellowship was at memorial hospital of Rhode Island, Brown University, RI. Dr. Moro’s current practice is with Hartford HealthCare’s Chase Family Movement Disorders Center Mystic CT office.
At this meeting, Dr. Moro will update us on recent scientific interest and findings in symptoms other than tremor in patients with essential tremor.
Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than
5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3rd!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below:
The CT Essential Tremor Support Group is sponsored by:
Saturday, February 3, 2024
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The Association Between Essential Tremor & Parkinsonism
presented by
Movement Disorders Neurologist Elena Bortan, MD
Meeting Location:
Hartford HealthCare Movement Disorders Center Conference Room
280 South Main Street, Cheshire, CT 06410
In her presentation, Dr. Bortan will address and update us on the following questions:
Neurologist Elena Bortan is a movement disorders specialist with the Ayer Neuroscience Institute Chase Family Movement Disorders Center. She came to Hartford HealthCare from Middlesex Hospital, where she worked for almost a decade.
Dr. Bortan 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.
Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than 7:00 p.m.
on Wednesday, January 31st!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below:
The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by
Saturday, December 2, 2023
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
A Family Approach to Living Well
with Illness and Disability Management
presented by Joan Monin, PhD
Associate Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Yale School of Public Health
Meeting Location:
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Memorial Conference Room
540 Litchfield Street, Torrington, CT 06790
Professor Monin’s research examines how emotional processes affect health in older adult relationships. Her research combines survey methods and laboratory experiments to understand the mechanisms (e.g. emotional contagion, cardiovascular reactivity) and moderators (gender, individual differences in attachment) involved in these processes. Currently, her research focuses on understanding how caregivers and care recipients support one another in the context of early stage dementia.
After completing her BA in Psychology at the University of Rochester, Dr. Monin received both an MS in Psychology and a PhD in Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Research. She has received numerous international, national, and regional professional honors and recognitions, including:
Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than
5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29th!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below:
The CT Essential Tremor Support Group is sponsored by:
Although our in-person (only) location is to be determined, we’re excited to have scheduled Joan Monin, PhD, to present at our December 2nd meeting! An Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health, Dr. Monin’s work focuses on caregiving and health and how people and families cope with health challenges like ET.
Please be sure to add our December meeting to your calendar and to stay tuned for more details.
Saturday, October 7, 2023
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The Current State of Clinical Therapeutic Trials for Essential Tremor
presented by Duarte Machado, MD
Director of Program Excellence and Recognition
Hartford HealthCare’s Chase Family Movement Disorders Center
Meeting Location:
Hartford HealthCare Movement Disorders Center Conference Room
280 South Main Street, Cheshire, CT 06410
The objective of this presentation will be to understand the progress in research treatments for essential tremor. This will include a review of the basic science and proof of concept of therapeutics for ET, status of ongoing clinical trials, and potential future outcomes of these trials.
Dr. Duarte Machado, whom we’re fortunate to have as volunteer Medical Director for our CT Essential Tremor Support Group, is a Neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Dr. Machado attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, followed by:
He is a member of several Professional Organizations:
Dr. Machado’s areas of interest include Ataxia, Blepharospasm, Choreas, Cognitive Disorders, Deep Brain Stimulation, Dementia, Dystonia, Essential Tremor, Facial Spasms, Gait Disorders, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, Huntington Disease, Hyperkinetic Movement Disorders, Movement Disorders, Myoclonus, Neurosciences, Parkinsonisms, Parkinson’s Disease, Restless Leg Syndrome, Spasmodic Torticollis, Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Stiff Person Syndrome, Tardive Dyskinesia, Tics and Tourette Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, and Tremors.
Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than
5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4th!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below:
The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by
Saturday, August 5, 2023
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
via Zoom
Five Important Questions in the Medical Management of ET
presented by Ana Vives-Rodriguez, MD
Movement Disorders and Cognitive-Behavioral Neurologist, Yale
Medicine Assistant Professor of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine
At this meeting Dr. Vives-Rodriguez will review essential questions such as:
Dr. Vives-Rodriguez is a movement disorders and cognitive-behavioral neurologist at Yale Medicine. She cares for patients with various movement disorders such as essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, tics, and dystonia. She also specializes in treating patients with memory and other cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementias.
Dr. Vives-Rodriguez grew up and completed her medical and residency training in Costa Rica, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Costa Rica. She spent time prior to her fellowship as an attending physician in neurology at the Max Peralta Hospital in Cartago, Costa Rica. In 2018, she completed a 2-year subspecialty training in movement disorders at Yale New Haven Hospital. After her fellowship at Yale and motivated by a further understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, she pursued training in cognitive behavioral neurology in Boston.
She then completed 3 years of subspecialty training in cognitive behavioral neurology at Boston University/VA Medical Center. During her training, Dr. Vives-Rodriguez focused on translational and clinical neuroscience research of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Wilson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease focusing on structural and functional brain changes and their relation to clinical manifestations.
Dr. Vives-Rodriguez is particularly interested in the behavioral and cognitive aspects of movement disorders and early diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders.
Inquiries are invited! Registration is required
no later than noon on Wednesday, August 2nd!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below:
The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by
The next regularly scheduled CT Essential Tremor Support Group meeting is set for 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3rd. Our speakers and program will be announced shortly.. but we do hope you’ll save the date and plan to join us!
A note concerning our meetings: Because of our large attendance, we need to convene in hospital conference rooms.. so until our Connecticut hospitals re-open their facilities to large outside groups, we’ll continue to meet via Zoom. That being said, please know that we’re anxious to meet in person again and will continue to monitor the situation so we can make that happen as soon as possible. Although Zoom is a viable option for many of us, we sorely miss those of our long-term members who, for various reasons, don’t participate electronically.
The next regularly scheduled CT Essential Tremor Support Group meeting is set for 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 6th. Our speakers and program will be announced shortly.. but we do hope you’ll save the date and plan to join us!
Saturday, June 4, 2022
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Essential Tremor
presented by Duarte Machado, MD
Co-Director of Hartford HealthCare’s
Chase Family Movement Disorders Center
~and~
Mindfully Stress-Less
presented by Sharon Gutterman, PhD
Mindful Wow!
Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Essential Tremor
At this meeting, Dr. Machado will review the safety and efficacy of botulinum toxin treatment, starting with a brief summary of this topic and followed by new data since the topic was last reviewed by our group over three years ago (in April, 2019).
Dr. Duarte Machado, who we’re fortunate to have as volunteer Medical Director for our CT Essential Tremor Support Group, is a Neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders.
Co-Director of Hartford HealthCare’s Ayer Neuroscience Institute Chase Family Movement Disorders Center, Dr. Machado is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. After completing his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Dr. Machado attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, followed by an Internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital; Internal Medicine and Residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital; Neurology and a Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine; Movement Disorders.
He is a member of several Professional Organizations:
Dr. Machado’s areas of interest include:
~then~
Mindfully Stress-Less!
Stop! What are you thinking right now? Dwelling on past regrets or worrying about the future? Research findings suggest that living mindfully in the present moment can be an antidote to stress and anxiety (both of which we in the ET Community know will negatively impact our tremor!), as well as a tool for cultivating health benefits. In our time together, we will take a look at foundational principles of mindfulness, practice meditation, explore truisms about the human condition, experience the triangle of awareness, and welcome new ways to surf the waves of life’s challenges.
Dr. Sharon Gutterman’s academic background includes a Ph.D. in medical education, Masters degrees in counseling and adult educational program development, and a Bachelor’s degree with honors in psychology.
Her training in mindfulness includes an intensive mindfulness-based stress reduction group training program taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli. Completing the Practicum at The Center for Mindfulness at The University of Massachusetts Medical Center, her teaching has been greatly influenced by attending numerous workshops and retreats taught by inspiring teachers.
Dr. Gutterman’s advanced certificates include:
You can learn more about Dr. Gutterman and her practice on her website: www.mindfulwow.com/
Inquiries are invited!
Registration is required no later than noon on Wednesday, June 1st!
To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.
The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by
CT Essential Tremor Support Group 