We have a number of subject matter experts on staff who can speak both to the experience of being a Parkinson’s patient and about the latest in research and treatment modalities in managing symptoms.
To connect with one of our experts or for any media inquiry, please contact Cathe Schwartz, CEO, at (216) 342-4966 or [email protected].
Karen Jaffe, MD, Co-Founder and Board Member
Dr. Karen Jaffe is an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2007. Since her retirement from medicine in 2013, she focuses her time working on local and national Parkinson’s advocacy issues. For this work, she has received the Red Cross Heroes Award, The Irene Zehman Award for Volunteerism, the World Parkinson’s Program Community Service Award and University Hospitals Neurological Institute Champions for Parkinson’s Award.
She is a member of the Michael J Fox Foundation Patient Council serving as a liaison between the Parkinson’s community and the research community for the purpose of advancing a cure.
Dr. Jaffe and her husband created the foundation Shaking With Laughter that has raised almost $1 million for Parkinson’s research. In addition to her role as an InMotion founder, along with four other like-minded individuals, Dr. Jaffe very much sees herself as part of the InMotion community, one that is fighting a disease with grit and determination. Dr. Jaffe attended Kenyon College and Wright State University School of Medicine before completing her residency in obstetrics-gynecology at University Hospitals of Cleveland.
David E. Riley, MD, Co-Founder and Board Member Emeritus
Dr. David Riley has been active in the field of Movement Disorders for over 30 years, an experience that led him to help found InMotion. He retired as director of the Movement Disorders Center at University Hospitals in Cleveland in 2013 and as Professor in the Department of Neurology of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 2014.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Riley received his M.D. from McGill University School of Medicine. Following a fellowship in Movement Disorders at Toronto Western Hospital under Dr. Tony Lang, Dr. Riley returned to Cleveland in 1988 to establish Cleveland’s first Movement Disorders Clinic at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.
Ben Rossi, Co-Founder and Chief Program Officer
Ben Rossi is one of the founders of InMotion and serves as its Chief Program Officer. He brings over 20 years of fitness teaching and coaching experience, is an ACE Fitness Trainer and a qualified community exercise instructor for Parkinson’s patients.
Ben has created multiple exercise and measurement programs for Parkinson’s disease clients, with data from these programs shared in global research. He is actively involved with the World Parkinson Congress, the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Ohio Parkinson Foundation Northeast Region.
Cathe Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer
Cathe Schwartz is a visionary leader who brings to InMotion deep experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. In her role as InMotion’s chief executive officer, she has overall strategic and operational responsibility for staff, programs, expansion and mission execution. She joined InMotion in 2018.
Cathe’s career has spanned both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She has served as a development professional in higher education, advocacy, and arts organizations and for 10 years ran a family-owned healthcare publishing business. A resident of Beachwood, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado.