NINDS Grantees
Share Opprecht Award
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| Dr. Stanley Fahn |
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Two NINDS grantees — Dr. Stanley Fahn, H. Houston Merritt professor
of neurology and director of the Center for Parkinson's Disease and
Other Movement Disorders at Columbia University, and Dr. Zbigniew
Wszolek, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville,
Fla. — recently shared the 2005 Annemarie Opprecht Award for
their research on Parkinson's disease.
Sponsored by the Annemarie Opprecht Foundation, the award recognizes
scientific papers that present significant results or findings
in all areas of research on Parkinson's disease — including
basic sciences, epidemiology, treatment, social impact and economic
aspects.
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Dr. Zbigniew Wszolek |
Fahn was recognized for his article in the Dec. 9, 2004, issue of
the New England Journal of Medicine titled "Levodopa and
the progression of Parkinson's disease." Wszolek was cited for his
publication in the Nov. 18, 2004, issue of the journal Neuron titled "Mutations
in LRRK2 cause autosomal-dominant parkinsonism with pleomorphic pathology."
Established in 1998, the foundation was created by Opprecht — a
Swiss philanthropist — to promote medical or medical-related
research in the field of Parkinson's disease. The award will be
presented at the joint meeting of the Swiss neurological and neurosurgical
societies on Oct. 28 in St. Gallin, Switzerland.
Mann Foundation Honors NIBIB's Heetderks
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Dr. William Heetderks,
associate director for science programs at the National Institute
of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, was recently honored
by the Alfred Mann Foundation with the Award for Scientific Achievement.
The annual award recognizes a leader in the field of biomedicine
whose work is groundbreaking and relevant to work done by the
Mann Foundation. Awardees must have made substantial contributions
to the advancement of medicine or medical technology and have
inspired others to advance the field. Heetderks was selected
for his exceptional work in the field of functional neuromuscular
systems. His work in radio frequency-powered control over neural
prosthetic implants provided the motivation for development of
a microstimulator/sensor system by the Mann Foundation. His continued
research in closed loop control of functional neuromuscular stimulation,
cortical control of neural prostheses, spinal cord stimulation
and cochlear implants has inspired a community of scientists
to reach for new and greater medical achievement.
Herrington Named To FIC Post
Dr. James Herrington is the new director
of the Fogarty International Center's Division of International Relations.
Since 2000, he has been on assignment with the United Nations Foundation,
where he provided scientific expertise to senior staff in the areas
of women's and children's health, population studies, HIV/AIDS and
the environment. He has also been a CDC health scientist with 24
years of experience in international public health program design
and evaluation. He has focused on Africa and the Caribbean with long-term
assignments in Senegal (Peace Corps), Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria and
Haiti. Herrington earned his Ph.D. in environmental health and epidemiology
at Colorado State University.
Two Join Fogarty Advisory Board
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The two newest members of the
FIC advisory board are (front, from l) Dr. Arthur Kleinman
of Harvard University and Dr. William A. Vega of the Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, N.J. Kleinman is the
Esther and Sidney Rabb professor and chairman of the department
of anthropology, while Vega is a professor of psychiatry. They
are shown attending their first FIC advisory board meeting.
Looking on is Dr. Sharon L. Ramey of Georgetown University
School of Nursing and Health Studies. |
NHLBI's Ram Retires After 40 Years
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| Capt. Helena Mishoe, NHLBI, presents Dr.
J. Sri Ram the NHLBI 2005 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement
Award in recognition of his extraordinary commitment and outstanding
contributions over several decades to ensure a future research
workforce of the highest quality and reflective of the nation's
diversity. |
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Dr. J. Sri Ram retired recently from NHLBI's Division of Lung
Diseases (DLD). He was employed at the institute for 28 years and
had been with NIH since 1965.
When he retired, Ram was group leader, Training and Special Programs,
Airway Biology and Disease Program, a position he held since 1994.
A native of India, Ram earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Indian
Institute of Science in Bangalore. He came to the United States
in 1953 to join Fordham University in New York and spent his first
20 years in the U.S. doing laboratory research at a variety of
institutions. While at NIH, Ram returned to the Indian Institute
of Science in 1972 for a year as a Fulbright visiting professor
to teach immunology and to organize workshops on immunochemical
techniques.
Dr. James Kiley, DLD director, said that Ram made significant
contributions to advancing minority investigators' careers and
to efforts to reduce health disparities in minority populations.
Kiley highlighted Ram's development of an Academic Award grant
program to enhance the ability of physicians and other health care
professionals to address disparities in the incidence, management
and outcomes of cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological and sleep
disorders among various population groups in the U.S. in a culturally
sensitive manner.
An accomplishment of which Ram is particularly proud is his participation
in an NHLBI/WHO initiative called GOLD (Global initiative on Obstructive
Lung Disease). The initiative resulted in the first international
guidelines for the diagnosis, management and prevention of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease in 2001.
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