Left to Right: Sheri Strahl, MPH, MBA, President and CEO, ALS Network; Christopher J. McDermott, MBChB, FRCP, PhD, University of Sheffield; Neil A. Shneider, MD, PhD, Columbia University; Jim Essey, President and CEO, The Tempositions Group of Companies; and Michelle Heritage, Executive Director, American Brain Foundation.
Christopher J. McDermott, MBChB, FRCP, PhD, University of Sheffield, and Neil A. Shneider, MD, PhD, Columbia University, have been named the 2025 recipients of the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research. Drs. McDermott and Shneider have dedicated their careers to studying neurodegenerative diseases.
This prestigious recognition is funded by the Essey family through the American Brain Foundation, and sponsored in partnership with the ALS Network, the American Academy of Neurology, and ALS Association, to recognize individuals who have made significant research contributions in the search for the causes, prevention of, and cures for ALS.
Presented by Jim Essey and the American Brain Foundation during the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in April, Drs. McDermott and Shneider were honored for their scientific contributions to improving care for those impacted by ALS and working to make ALS a livable disease by developing meaningful clinical interventions and treatments.
Dr. McDermott has helped design and build patient-centric programs and devices used in clinics throughout the world. He has also investigated how ALS clinical trials are conducted, helping ALS researchers to create more efficient studies.
“There’s been such tremendous advances in our understanding of the basic biology of ALS in recent years,” said Dr. McDermott. “We have gene therapies and there’s such innovation going on in trial design and execution. But while we wait for the results from these works and innovations, it’s important that we’re giving evidence-based care, which can impact the survival of our patients.”
Dr. Shneider’s research on a rare form of ALS linked to a mutation in the FUS gene, led to developing an experimental antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) drug, and grew into an expanded access treatment program. He has also helped build an initiative called Silence ALS which focuses on treating people with a rare form of familial ALS caused by mutations in the CHCHD10 gene.
“I’ve always believed that our effective treatments for ALS will come from a deep understanding of the underlying biology of the disease,” said Dr. Shneider. “My research really begins and ends with the patient.”