The 60-year-old Canadian is well known for his roles in Family Ties and Back to the Future, but he is just as well known for his establishment of the Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF), which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's.
Fox was 29 when diagnosed with the disease in 1991.
"Parkinson's patients are the experts on what we have," he said.
"We have a responsibility as patients to share our experience - what works for us, what we respond to, what we can contribute to research."
With that in mind, MJFF has given Otago physiotherapy researchers Prof Leigh Hale and Dr Paulo Henrique Silva Pelicioni $504,000 - the largest sum the foundation has given the university - to work with Māori and Pacific people with Parkinson’s, and find out how to improve the quality of care for those affected.
The foundation aims to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in Parkinson’s disease research.
Dr Pelicioni said he had noticed ethnicity was often left out of Parkinson’s research in New Zealand and when it was included, very few participants identified as Māori or Pacific.
"This research is important because if we don’t understand how the disease progresses in Māori and Pacific populations, it will be very hard to provide the right services for them.
"Once we find this out, we can move on to what we can do next."
Otago Māori and Pacific student researchers and research assistants have been sought to undertake aspects of the project.
Associate Dean Māori Katrina Bryant said the research involved working with both Māori and Pacific communities, identifying the specific experiences of living with Parkinson’s disease within each community.
She said the research would be conducted using Kaupapa Māori philosophies and the Fonofale model.
"Kaupapa Māori research aims to contribute towards positive change.
"That means it’s more time-consuming but is more meaningful research, rather than adding to the plethora of getting an idea but not a solution.
"It doesn’t just end in that identification that Māori aren’t engaging with the health system.
"You don’t just stop at the negative deficit model. You’re identifying issues and you’re doing something about it."
