Case Study: Driving Patient Participation in Parkinson’s Research for The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Partner: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF)

Study Goal: Recruit participants nationwide to complete an at-home smell test (UPSIT) as part of identifying individuals for a landmark Parkinson’s study.

Background & Challenge

The Michael J. Fox Foundation, a global leader in Parkinson’s research, sought to expand recruitment for its Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), the Foundation’s flagship longitudinal study. A critical step involved enrolling participants in an at-home smell test (UPSIT), a scientifically validated early indicator of Parkinson’s risk.

The challenge was twofold:

• Scale, engage tens of thousands of people nationwide from diverse demographics.
• Conversion, guide individuals through a multi-step enrollment process, from awareness to kit completion to eventual in-clinic participation.

Solution

MJFF partnered with ClinicalConnection to launch a coordinated, multi-campaign strategy designed to reach both at-risk populations and healthy volunteers. Leveraging ClinicalConnection’s nationwide patient network and digital outreach capabilities, the campaigns raised awareness, efficiently screened participants, and nurtured qualified individuals toward in-person enrollment.

Results

ClinicalConnection’s recruitment funnel delivered measurable engagement at every step:

• 18,761 landing page hits
• 12,914 eligible after screening
• 5,698 registrations
• 4,028 consented for a smell test
• 2,772 UPSIT kits sent
• 1,499 UPSITs completed
• 211 identified as potentially eligible for clinic
• 40 referred to clinic
• 37 screened in clinic
• 8 fully enrolled into the in-person longitudinal study

Impact

By pairing broad-scale digital recruitment with a structured participant journey, ClinicalConnection helped MJFF achieve a critical milestone, moving thousands of individuals from digital interest to at-home UPSIT completion, and eight participants fully enrolled in the in-person study.

Each enrollment represents years of high-value longitudinal research, accelerating the Foundation’s mission to prevent, treat, and cure Parkinson’s disease.

Conclusion

The collaboration between the Michael J. Fox Foundation and ClinicalConnection demonstrates how strategic digital engagement can directly fuel clinical breakthroughs. By leveraging targeted outreach campaigns and guiding participants through a complex multi-step process, ClinicalConnection delivered measurable impact at every stage of recruitment.

Together, MJFF and ClinicalConnection proved that when awareness campaigns are carefully executed, they not only generate engagement, but also drive meaningful contributions to scientific discovery.