NEWS: Michael J Fox Foundation Announces Research Fellowships

[Linda J Herman <ljherman1@xxxxxxxx>]

FROM:   PR Newswire
August 21, 2002, Wednesday
HEADLINE: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces Research Fellowships
DATELINE: NEW YORK, Aug. 21

 " The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) today
announced
 the creation of The Michael J. Fox Foundation Research Fellowship
program,
 designed to encourage promising young scientists and clinicians to enter
the
 field of Parkinson's research.  The $1.2 million program provides a
two-year
 fellowship awarded on a competitive basis at nine leading research
institutions
 in North America.

    "With Parkinson's disease research now gaining momentum, the
Foundation's
 Fellowship program will help build the bench strength needed to quickly
find a
 cure," said Michael J. Fox.

    "This program is a logical complement to our aggressive research
funding
 strategy," said Deborah W. Brooks, executive director. "The Michael J.
Fox
 Foundation Fellowship program is designed to help attract excellent
young
 scientists and clinicians to cutting-edge Parkinson's disease research
efforts.
 In addition, the program will provide the fellows with the mentoring and
 collaborative opportunities critical to the early stage of their
careers." Ms.
 Brooks noted that each fellow would work under the guidance of a member
of the
 Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of leading researchers
in
 various aspects of Parkinson's disease.

    The fellowship initiative is one element of MJFF's broad research
agenda to
 eliminate Parkinson's disease within the decade, given the proper
funding. To
 date, the Fox Foundation has funded or directed more than $17 million in
 Parkinson's disease research. An additional $8 million in three research
 programs is scheduled to be funded by the end of the year.

    The following institutions currently are seeking applicants for their
 Michael J. Fox Foundation Research Fellowships:

     * The Parkinson's Institute.  A basic research fellowship under the

      direction of J. William Langston, MD, scientific director and chief

      executive officer and colleagues. A second fellowship providing

      experience in epidemiologic research methods under the direction of

      Caroline M. Tanner, MD, PhD, director of clinical research.

     * Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. A research fellowship

      under the direction of Jeffrey H. Kordower, PhD, professor of

      Neurological Sciences and director of the Research Center for Brain

      Repair.

     * Stanford University.  Fellowship in stem cell biology under the

      direction of Theo D. Palmer, PhD, assistant professor of neurology.

     * University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.  Research

      fellowship under the direction of Clifford W. Schults, MD, focusing
on

      the processes leading to neuronal death in Parkinson's disease and

      developing interventions in these pathogenic processes.

     * University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  Research fellowship

      available under the direction of Michael J. Zigmond, PhD,
co-director

      of the National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence and
associate

      director for research of the Pittsburgh Institute for
Neurodegenerative

      Disorders.

     * University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital. Fellowship for

      physicians and post-doctoral scientists to train in functional

      neurosurgery and research in Parkinson's disease under the
direction of

      Andres M. Lozano, MD, PhD, head of applied and interventional
research.

     The following institutions have already named their research
fellows.

     They are:

     * Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Department
of

      Neurology. Robert Silva, PhD, has been named the first Michael J.
Fox

      Foundation Research Fellow.  Dr. Silva will work under the
direction of

      Robert E. Burke, MD, director of laboratory research in Parkinson's

      disease and related disorders. Dr. Silva will study programmed cell

      death of dopamine neurons, examining the role of the c-jun kinase
(JNK)

      signaling pathway. Dr. Silva received his bachelor's degree from
Boston

      University and a doctorate from The City University of New York.

     * Emory University School of Medicine. Todd Sherer, PhD, has been
named

      the first Michael J. Fox Research Fellow at the Center for

      Neurodegenerative Diseases.  Dr. Sherer will work under the
direction

      of J. Timothy Greenamyre, MD, PhD, to study models of
environmentally

      induced Parkinson's disease and mechanisms of cell death. Dr.
Sherer

      received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Duke University and
a

      doctorate in neuroscience from The University of Virginia.

     * The Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders. Rowena Tabamo, MD
has

      been named the first Michael J. Fox Research Fellow.  Dr. Tabamo
will

      work under the direction of Kenneth L. Marek, MD, president and
senior

      scientist, to study neuroimaging for Parkinson's disease.  Dr.
Tabamo

      received a bachelor's degree in biology at the University of the

      Phillipines, and an MD degree from the University of the
Philippines,

      the Philippine General Hospital Medical Center.  Dr. Tabamo
completed

      an internship in internal medicine at New York Medical College, and

      residencies in neurology at the University of Missouri and Brown

      University.  Most recently, Dr. Tabamo was a fellow in at the
Albert

      Einstein College of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center.

    Founded in May 2000, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research
 has established a strategic campaign to accelerate, expand, and focus
funding of
 the world's best research targeting effective treatment and prevention
of
 Parkinson's disease.  MJFF is dedicated to pursuing every possible
avenue to
 increase federal funding and support aggressive fundraising efforts in
both
 private and corporate arenas to ensure that this critical battle is
won.  For
 more information on The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research,
 visit .

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   SOURCE The Michael J. Fox Foundation

CONTACT: Media - Joyce Oberdorf, +1-212-213-3525, ext. 214, or Research
Contact
 - Mike Claeys, +1-212-213-3525, ext. 228, both of the Michael J. Fox
Foundation

URL: 

LOAD-DATE: August 22, 2002

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