Momentum: Philanthropy in Motion is a collection of stories highlighting how philanthropy is driving progress and innovation all across our campus. It’s a celebration of those who believe in a better world – and who choose to invest in making it real.

It was Bob Lyons’ birthday, just two years after he had retired from his faculty position at UD, and he was sitting in a neurologist’s office, trying to process what he’d just heard. He could only wonder, “What’s going on?”

Lyons had Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s, often called PD, is a neurodegenerative disease in which brain cells that produce dopamine are damaged or die. PD affects motor and non-motor systems, resulting in symptoms including tremors, balance problems, slowed movements, depression, loss of smell and more. While the disease isn’t fatal, it results in a diminished quality of life, and there’s currently no cure.

Once the initial shock had worn off, Lyons spent some time stewing over it and trying to rationalize it away. (Days he didn’t have any symptoms meant he didn’t really have Parkinson’s, right?) 

He confided his diagnosis to a handful of people, including former colleague Dan Sarkissian, associate vice president of development. Sarkissian told Lyons about the Parkinson’s research happening at UD, and, as a former professor in UD’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, he was intrigued and eager to get involved.

“Before I retired, I conducted research with graduate students at several universities,” Lyons said. “However, now I was no longer a principal investigator. Instead, I was a research participant from an entirely different vantage point, which I found to be fascinating and eye opening. It’s truly a bonus getting to know the faculty, staff and grad students involved in this PD research, and I felt honored to be included. They are all top notch!”

One of those people is Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology Chris Knight, co-director of the Motor Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Lab at UD. Knight’s work investigates how the nervous system controls powerful muscle contractions and fast movements, as well as how they’re affected by Parkinson’s, aging and exercise.

One of Knight’s ongoing projects is an experimental exercise program called Speed Geezer. Participants engage in high intensity interval training on stationary recumbent bicycles for 30 minutes twice a week, alternating between bursts of intense pedaling and brief recovery periods. 

Speed Geezer has been a hit: there’s a sense of camaraderie among patients and researchers, it’s a great way to exercise and alleviate PD symptoms, there’s minimal fall risk and participants’ mobility tends to improve or not decline over time. For countless Parkinson’s patients and older adults throughout the Delaware Valley, the program is life changing.

If it weren’t for a generous donation from UD alumna Jodi Cianci, AS88, and her husband, Chris Cianci, Knight’s research might not have focused on PD at all, though.

In 2011, Jodi Cianci was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and she and her husband were eager to find ways to manage the effects without using traditional medications. After reading a study from the Cleveland Clinic that concluded pedaling a bicycle multiple times a week could help reduce symptoms, Jodi Cianci started taking spin classes. Less than two months later, Chris Cianci saw noticeable improvement in his wife’s fine motor skills.

The Ciancis later founded Shake It Off, Inc., a nonprofit that advocates for the importance of PD patients exercising. The couple was excited when they heard about Knight’s interest in exercise therapy for Parkinson’s and arranged a time to meet him. At the end of their first visit, the Ciancis gave Knight a check, already convinced his budding research would be invaluable. 

“At the time, I was wondering if I could handle a research agenda that involved a population with such complexity because no two people with Parkinson’s disease are the same,” Knight said. “I was concerned because I didn’t think our environment could handle not just the size of the clinical population, but also exercise intervention studies, which are very intensive in time, resources and expertise. When Jodi and Chris shared their story, that’s when I made up my mind that we would take the risk and see where this goes. I wouldn’t be doing Parkinson’s-related research today if it wasn’t for their support.”

For more than a decade, Shake It Off has helped fund research projects, graduate students in Knight’s lab and data collection from patients outside of Newark. The Ciancis’ support has also allowed Knight to continue to develop innovative initiatives like Speed Geezer.

“Dr. Knight has made tremendous strides,” said Jodi Cianci. “Over the years, I’ve adjusted my workout routine based on his research. His findings give hope to Parkinson’s patients for better quality of life.”

As Knight’s work has grown, so, too, has support. The power of collective giving from individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s have helped Knight further delve into areas that are not often researched.