MIAMI and NEW
YORK, Oct. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's
Foundation today announced its merger with the Melvin Yahr
International Parkinson's Disease Foundation. The foundation, based in New
York, is named after Melvin D. Yahr, M.D., a pioneer in Parkinson's
disease (PD) research whose work led to the adoption of levodopa as a
revolutionary new Parkinson's treatment.
"The
Parkinson's Foundation is honored to pay tribute to the many contributions Dr. Melvin
Yahr has made to the Parkinson's community," said John Kozyak,
Esq., chairman of the Parkinson's Foundation board of directors. "We are
proud to continue our long-standing tradition of supporting the next generation
of Parkinson's researchers."
The
Parkinson's Foundation will honor Dr. Yahr's legacy by establishing the "Dr. Melvin
Yahr Research Award" to promote leadership diversity in Parkinson's
research. The two-year grant will be awarded to one neurology fellow every
other year with the intent to fund individuals who have been underrepresented
in Parkinson's research at academic institutions. The foundation also will
establish individual "Congress Awards" to help cover travel costs to
attend the Congress of the International Association of Parkinsonism and
Related Disorders - World Federation of Neurology.
"Dr.
Yahr was an expert on Parkinson's disease whose name is known around the
world," said Lice Ghilardi, M.D., president of the Melvin Yahr
International Parkinson's Disease Foundation. "He has launched many
careers in neurology and we are happy to carry on this tradition by funding
scholars in his name."
Dr.
Yahr (1917-2004) graduated from New York University and its medical
school. He served as Professor of Neurology and Associate Dean of Columbia
University's medical school. With funding from William Black to
construct a new research building at Columbia, Dr. Yahr was appointed head of Columbia's Parkinson's
research team and Scientific Director of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation,
which was founded in 1957 by Mr. Black and has since merged with the National
Parkinson Foundation to become the Parkinson's Foundation.
One
of Dr. Yahr's major career achievements was the development of the Hoehn-Yahr
scale in 1967, the first widely used PD rating scale that is still in use
today. He published more than 300 scientific papers and helped found the
specialty of movement disorders.
The
merger is subject to the approval of the Attorney General or the Supreme Court
of the State of New York.
About
the Parkinson's Foundation
The
Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by
improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we
build on the energy, experience, and passion of our global Parkinson's
community. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org, or call 1-800-4PD-INFO
(473-4636).
About
Parkinson's Disease
Affecting
an estimated one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson's
disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's
and is the 14th-leading
cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive
loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial
expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety).
There is no cure for Parkinson's and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year
in the United States alone.
Media
Contact:
Martin Diaz
Roar Media
305-403-2080
mdiaz@roarmedia.com
Martin Diaz
Roar Media
305-403-2080
mdiaz@roarmedia.com
SOURCE
Parkinson's Foundation
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