Like many of his supporters, I’m celebrating Michael J. Fox’s return to television. As the CEO of his Foundation, though, I know his new show is not cause to ease the pedal off of Parkinson’s research.

I wrote an op-ed for Scientific American that calls my peers to task—urging them to continue pursuing the leads we have and to think creatively and collaboratively about how we can expand our existing strategies to speed research toward a cure.

One of the main points of the piece is that we need to work more and work better with our research volunteers. Keeping courageous patients and controls in mind when designing, implementing and closing studies can only increase participation and advance therapeutic development.

Michael J. Fox is fiercely optimistic, and I’m so glad to see him back on the screen. His attitude is infectious, and we hope it will inspire researchers to find a way to return every Parkinson’s patient to a career they love — or better yet, never leave it in the first place.  

Read the op-ed at ScientificAmerican.com and learn more about studies that you can participate in on Fox Trial Finder.