A team of Ithaca College students took first place in the annual Interprofessional Community Case Event by designing a support app for caregivers of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, highlighting the power of collaboration across health disciplines.
The students—seniors Isabella Macro, Isabelle Magre, Kerry O’Brien, and Liam Whelan—developed Navigate PD, a comprehensive app designed to help caregivers manage daily responsibilities and connect with resources. The app features six key tabs, including home exercises, a personal calendar, a community events board, a discussion forum, a research library, and a helpline directory.
Held by the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, the event challenges students from different majors to tackle real-world health care problems through a fictional case. This year’s focus was the often-overlooked burden on Parkinson’s caregivers and how to better support them with practical tools.
“It was refreshing to work with people who had an accumulation of different knowledge. It enabled us to create something that none of us could on our own,” said O’Brien, a health sciences major who contributed an exercise tab based on her clinical training.
Macro, who studies speech-language pathology and audiology, proposed including research on treatments like LSVT LOUD. “The caregiver-centered focus of this case was unique,” she said. “My speech pathology studies taught me about the importance of LSVT, so I suggested we include some of the forthcoming research in that tab.”
The students also leaned on personal experiences. Whelan, majoring in exercise science, had a family member with Parkinson’s and emphasized the importance of a daily calendar feature. Magre, a health sciences major with volunteer experience at Cayuga Health, suggested the community calendar to combat social isolation.
The interdisciplinary format proved to be more than just an academic exercise—it was professional preparation. “In the healthcare field, not everyone you collaborate with is going to have the same major as you did,” said O’Brien. “So being able to understand their perspective will be critical.”
“This was one of my favorite academic experiences at Ithaca College,” said Whelan. “The hands-on collaboration we did is going to be invaluable when we’re working professionally.”
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