International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

What International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society does

The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) is a nonprofit professional membership society founded in 1985 and headquartered at 555 East Wells Street, Suite 1100, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The society serves more than 12,000 clinicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals dedicated to movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, ataxia, Tourette syndrome, and related conditions. MDS operates across four regional sections covering the Pan American, European, African, and Asian & Oceanian regions, functioning as the global convener and standards-setting body for the field.

MDS's product portfolio is built around four interlocking pillars: (1) proprietary clinical rating scales and outcome assessments (MDS-UPDRS and 20+ related instruments) that require permissions requests and license fees for use in clinical trials and software; (2) two peer-reviewed journals, Movement Disorders and Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, published through Wiley; (3) an annual International Congress (next edition Seoul, October 4-8, 2026) plus regional congresses (AOPMC, PAS); and (4) a digital education and clinical resource platform including the MDSGene Database, Prodromal PD Calculator, Video Case Library, Interactive Cases, MDS Podcast, Education Roadmap, and Moving Along newsletter. The platform runs on Northwoods Titan CMS, with Google Analytics for telemetry and GTranslate for multilingual delivery across 100+ languages.

MDS generates revenue through four streams: recurring membership dues, event registration fees, journal subscription revenue via Wiley, and rating scales licensing to pharmaceutical and academic users. The society is governed by an elected President and Board of Directors with member-elected leadership, and day-to-day operations are managed by Executive Director Jennie Socha and a lean International Secretariat staff of 11-50 employees. The society holds registered trademarks on its name, MDS acronym, logo, congress names, and journal titles, and operates under Wisconsin state law.

Name

International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Legal name

International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Website

https://movementdisorders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MDS is a nonprofit professional society of 12,000+ clinicians and scientists across 140+ countries, advancing Parkinson's and movement disorder care through proprietary rating scales, two Wiley-published journals, annual congresses, and digital clinical education tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership dues providing access to journals, rating scales training, courses, video libraries, and member directory.
2. Event Registration: Registration fees for International Congress, Regional Congresses, and other events including the 2026 International Congress in Seoul.
3. Journal Subscriptions: Access to Movement Disorders and Movement Disorders Clinical Practice journals through Wiley publishing partnership.
4. Rating Scales Licensing: MDS Rating Scales require submission and acceptance of a Permissions Request Form and payment of applicable license fees for clinical trials, training programs, or software integration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MDS provides a professional membership-based platform serving clinicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals specializing in movement disorders. Its core deliverables include access to proprietary MDS Rating Scales / Clinical Outcome Assessments, two peer-reviewed journals published with Wiley, online and live educational courses, an annual International Congress plus regional congresses, and curated research and clinical tools (MDSGene Database, Video Case Library, Prodromal PD Calculator). Membership tiers, journal subscriptions, rating-scale licensing, course fees, and event registration fees constitute the principal revenue-generating offerings.

Product overview

The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) operates a membership-based professional platform providing education, research resources, and networking for movement disorders specialists. The portfolio includes peer-reviewed journals (Movement Disorders, Movement Disorders Clinical Practice), proprietary clinical rating scales requiring licensing, educational courses and tools (MDSGene Database, Video Case Library, Prodromal PD Calculator, Interactive Cases), a podcast series, and annual international/regional congress events. The Society's infrastructure is powered by Northwoods Titan Content Management System, with journals published through Wiley. Member services include a personalized Education Roadmap and Membership Directory, while patient-facing tools include a Movement Disorder Specialist Finder and patient education materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pan American Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (PAS Congress): Regional congress covering the Pan American region with 500+ attendees and 214 abstracts in 2026.
• Asian and Oceanian Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (AOPMC)
• Movement Disorders Journal
• Movement Disorders Clinical Practice
• Moving Along Newsletter

Products and services

• MDS Rating Scales / Clinical Outcome Assessments Access to 20+ proprietary MDS-developed research assessments and scale trainings for movement disorders; licensed for use in clinical trials, training programs, and software integration upon submission of a Permissions Request Form and payment of license fees.
• MDS Membership Annual professional membership delivering access to peer-reviewed journals, MDS Rating Scales training, online courses, the Video Case Library, the Education Roadmap, the MDSGene Database, the Prodromal PD Calculator, the Member Directory, and the global community of 12,000+ movement disorder professionals.
• Movement Disorders Journal Peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of movement disorders research, published by Wiley and owned by MDS.
• Movement Disorders Clinical Practice Peer-reviewed clinical practice journal focused on practical applications in movement disorder care, published by Wiley and owned by MDS.
• MDS Courses Online and live educational courses taught by leading experts, with curriculum tracks, assessment training, and dedicated offerings for industry audiences.
• International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Annual flagship in-person congress bringing together global leaders in movement disorders for education, networking, and knowledge sharing.
• Regional Congresses (AOPMC and PAS) Regional in-person congresses covering Parkinson's disease and movement disorders across the Asian and Oceanian region (AOPMC) and the Pan American region (PAS).
• Industry Opportunities Program Industry partnership program offering sponsorships, exhibits, course packages, assessment training, and rating scale licensing opportunities to commercial and institutional partners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AMDAPPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025AMDAPP (Advanced Movement Disorder Advanced Practice Providers and Advanced Nurses) collaborates with MDS to improve patient care, professional development, and multidisciplinary teamwork in the movement disorder community. The partnership focuses on increasing awareness and recognition of Advanced Practice Providers and Advanced Nurses within the field.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Academy of Neurology (AAN): Large U.S.-based neurological professional society offering continuing education, journals (Neurology), practice guidelines, and an annual meeting that overlaps directly with MDS on movement-disorder content and members.
• European Academy of Neurology (EAN): European neurology society co-hosting joint movement-disorder sessions with MDS at its annual EAN Congress (referenced on MDS.com), with comparable membership, education, and congress models.
• American Neurological Association (ANA): U.S. academic neurology society with a member-driven annual meeting, journal (Annals of Neurology), and career-development programs that compete for the same neurologist audience as MDS.
• Parkinson's Foundation: U.S. nonprofit funding Parkinson's research and patient education; directly relevant comparator as another global Parkinson's-focused nonprofit that runs educational programs and partners with movement-disorder specialists.
• Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: Large Parkinson's research funder that sponsors clinical trials and biomarkers work, intersecting with MDS on rating-scale use, sponsored symposia, and research dissemination.
• American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA): U.S. patient-services and research nonprofit with information & referral networks, a national科研 funding program, and educational resources that mirror parts of MDS's clinician-plus-patient outreach.
• Cure Parkinson's: U.K.-based research charity funding disease-modification trials in Parkinson's; comparable as a movement-disorder-focused nonprofit that invests in clinical research and engages the same specialist community as MDS.

Broad incumbents

• World Federation of Neurology (WFN): Global umbrella for national neurology societies with overlapping international congresses, education programs, and disease-specific working groups (including movement disorders).

Regional players

• European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA): European umbrella for national Parkinson's patient associations, overlapping with MDS on awareness campaigns, policy advocacy, and clinician-patient education in the same region MDS's European Section serves.

Others

• Wiley (journal publishing partner): Publishing partner that distributes Movement Disorders and Movement Disorders Clinical Practice on its online platform — adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competing society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/movedisorder
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeRCH3kEBJ9-TH2VDgWotVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/internationalparkinsonandMDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-parkinson-and-movement-disorder-society/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/movedisorder

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society