Newswise — MOUNT LAUREL, NJ, August 5, 2024 - The American Neurological Association (ANA), the professional organization representing the world’s top academic neurologists and neuroscientists, has announced the recipients of its 2024 scientific awards, to be presented during the 149th Annual Meeting of the ANA, which will be held September 14-17, 2024, at the Hilton Orlando in Orlando, Florida.
These prestigious awards recognize leaders in academic neurology and neuroscience who have exemplified excellence in research, teaching, and clinical practice across clinical neurology and neuroscience disciplines.
“Our ability to diagnose, treat and prevent neurological disorders has steadily grown, and with that progress, we are increasingly hopeful for the future. It is more important than ever to highlight the work of leaders in neuroscience and fields related to brain health. At our Annual Meeting, the ANA honors those in our profession who make outstanding contributions to ANA’s mission of advancing science, education, and careers to improve neurologic heath for all,” said ANA President M. Elizabeth Ross, MD, PhD, FANA, Nathan Cummings Professor and Director of the Center for Neurogenetics at Weill Cornell Medicine. “It is energizing to gather and recognize these inspirational pioneers in research, mentorship, and clinical practice. We are proud of their achievements along with those of the many leaders in neurology who are presenting at ANA2024.”
The ANA Annual Meeting convenes nearly 1,000 academic neurologists and neuroscientists annually to share updates and research breakthroughs. Attendees share new insights on the workings of the brain and nervous system and the origins and treatment of neurological diseases that affect more than 100 million Americans each year—including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, neuromuscular disorders, headache, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and more.
Out of this distinguished group, the following neuroscientists will receive a 2024 ANA Award:
Lectureships Presented and delivered during ANA2024 sessions as noted below.
The Raymond D. Adams Lectureship honors Dr. Raymond D. Adams, emeritus Bullard Professor of Neuropathology at Harvard Medical School and emeritus Chief of Neurology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. Established in 2000, the lectureship highlights a neurologist whose work has made a major impact on the understanding or treatment of neurological disorders.
- Awarded to: Avindra Nath, MD, FANA, National Institutes of Health
- Presentation Title: The Advantages and Pitfalls of Metagenomic Sequencing in Infectious and Autoimmune Encephalitis
- Session: Autoimmune vs Infectious Encephalitis: Dilemmas and Solutions
The F.E. Bennett Memorial Lectureship Award began in 1979 by Foster Elting Bennett, MD, in memory of his son, and recognizes outstanding neuroscientists and educators in neurology.
- Awarded to: Brian Litt, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
- Presentation Title: AI Applications for Implantable Devices in Neuropsychiatric Diseases
- Session: Presidential Symposium – Present and Future Applications of AI in Neurological Care and Research
The Soriano Lectureship was established in 1987 by longtime ANA member Dr. Victor Soriano and his wife to acknowledge a “brilliant lecture delivered by an outstanding scientist” who is also a member of the Association.
- Awarded to: Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc, FANA, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Presentation Title: Human Genetic Therapies for ALS: Current Status and Future Prospects
- Opening Symposium: The Dawn of Gene Therapy in ALS
Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Awards Presented during the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium.
The Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Awards, ANA’s highest and most prestigious awards, are given annually to ANA members who are in the first 12 years of their career and have achieved significant stature in neurological research, whose work shows promise, and who are expected to continue making major contributions to the field of neurology.
The Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in Basic Science
- Awarded to: Mercedes Paredes, MD, PhD, FANA, University of California, San Francisco
- Presentation Title: Perinatal Neurodevelopment: Understanding the Dynamic Infant Brain
The Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in Clinical Science
- Awarded to: Ashkan Shoamanesh, MD, FRCPC, FANA, McMaster University
- Presentation Title: Antithrombotic Treatment Decisions in Patients with Comorbid Hemorrhage-Prone Cerebral Small Vessel and Ischemic Vascular Diseases
Research & Teaching Awards Presented during the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium.
The Wolfe Research Prize for Identifying New Causes of Novel Treatment of Neuropathy and Related Disorders - ANA Award honors an outstanding investigator in the field of neuropathy or related disorders who has made significant contributions to the understanding of pathogenesis or treatment of these conditions.
- Awarded to: Charlotte Sumner, MD, FANA, Johns Hopkins University
- Presentation Title: Blood Neural Barrier Breakdown Drives Mutant TRPV4 Mediated Motor Nerve Degeneration
The Grass Foundation - ANA Award in Neuroscience honors outstanding young investigators conducting research in basic or clinical neuroscience.
- Awarded to: Claire Clelland, PhD, MD, MPhil, University of California, San Francisco
- Presentation Title: Developing CRISPR Gene Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases
The ANA bestows the Audrey S. Penn Lectureship Award to ANA members who conduct outstanding research, program-building, or educational scholarship to promote health equity and address health care disparities.
- Awarded to: Larry Charleston IV, MD, FANA, Johns Hopkins University
- Presentation Title: Exploration of Race, Racism, Race-based Headache Disparities and Professional Ethics
The Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award recognizes and rewards contributions by gifted and talented teachers of neurology. Nominees come from the entire field of clinical neurology or neuroscience.
- Awarded to: Stefano Sandrone, PhD, Med, SFHEA, Imperial College London
Professional Development Awards Presented during the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium.
Made possible through the generosity of the Persyst Development Corporation, the ANA-Persyst IDEAS Professional Development Award supports career development opportunities for individuals from communities that are under-represented in academic neurology and neuroscience. The award recognizes an early-career academic neurologist or neuroscientist who is an ANA member working in the field of epilepsy.
- Awarded to: Shawniqua Williams Roberson, Meng, MD, Vanderbilt University
ANA Award for Excellence Presented during the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium.
The ANA strives to recognize the full scope of academic neurology and neuroscience represented by its members. The ANA Award for Excellence recognizes individuals who have had an exceptional impact on the field through their research, leadership, educational endeavors, or service to the ANA itself.
The ANA Award for Clinical and Scientific Excellence (Clinical and Scientific Excellence greater than 15 years) goes to an individual who has made novel scientific contributions that reshape the field’s conceptual understanding of neurological disorders, made sustained or breakthrough contributions to the development of therapeutics, or helped transform or expand diagnostic tools and technologies.
- Awarded to: Clifford B. Saper, MD, PhD, FANA, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Anti-Racism/Social Justice Awards Presented during the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium.
In 2021, the ANA Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Anti-racism/Social Justice (IDEAS) Committee developed the ANA IDEAS Early Career member award to support the professional development of early career physician-scientists and researchers underrepresented in medicine (URiM).
- Awarded to: Melody Asukile, MBChB, MMED, University of Zambia; University Teaching Hospital
- Tshibambe Tshimbombu, MD, Barrow Neurological Institute
International Outreach Travel Scholarship Awards Presented during the Global Neurology Reception.
The ANA established the International Outreach Travel Scholarship in recognition of the shared goal among neurologists worldwide to reduce the burden of neurological disease through research, education, clinical care, and advocacy. The scholarship is awarded to two ANA members and provides the recipients with the opportunity to work in low- and middle-income countries.
- Karen Villarroel Gomez, MD, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital
- Namita Patel, MD, University of Rochester Medical Center
About ANA2024
The 149th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA2024), will take place September 14-17, 2024, in Orlando. The nation’s preeminent meeting of academic neuroscientists and neurologists engaged in neuroscience research, top academic neurologists and neuroscientists, along with students and trainees, will gather from across the United States and internationally.
The meeting will showcase emerging science across neurology, with sessions including The Dawn of Gene Therapy in ALS, Role of Compartmentalized Inflammation in Health and CNS Diseases, Present and Future Applications of AI in Neurological Care and Research, Emerging Applications of Non-Invasive Neuromodulation in Neurology, and Autoimmune vs Infectious Encephalitis: Dilemmas and Solutions.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the full meeting and can preview the advance program at 2024.myana.org. Embargoed abstracts will be made available by request in September.
To register and obtain press credentials, please click here.
Follow the meeting live using #ANA2024 on X @TheNewANA1.
About the American Neurological Association (ANA)
From advances in stroke and dementia to movement disorders and epilepsy, the American Neurological Association has been the vanguard of research since 1875 as the premier professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to understanding and treating diseases of the nervous system. Its monthly Annals of Neurology is among the world’s most prestigious medical journals, and the ANA’s Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology is an online-only, open access journal providing rapid dissemination of high-quality, peer-reviewed research related to all areas of neurology. The acclaimed ANA Annual Meeting draws faculty and trainees from the top academic departments across the U.S. and abroad for groundbreaking research, networking, and career development. For more information, visit www.myana.org or @TheNewANA1.
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