Since 1996, the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research has been presented to acknowledge and honor an individual who is making significant contributions and breakthroughs in the search for the cause, prevention of and cure for ALS.
The award is made possible through the generosity of the Essey Family Fund, through the Golden West Chapter, in memory of Sheila Essey, who battled ALS for ten years and died from the disease in 2004. Richard Essey, Sheila’s husband, served as a National Trustee of The ALS Association and is one of the founders of the Greater Bay Area Chapter, now the Golden West Chapter.
The ALS Association, in partnership with the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology, have jointly chosen recipients of this award, which comes with a $50,000 prize. The Golden West Chapter is deeply grateful for the unwavering commitment of the Essey family for continuing their extraordinary support of this important honor.
The ALS Association, in partnership with the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology, have jointly chosen recipients of this award, which comes with a $50,000 prize. The Golden West Chapter is deeply grateful for the unwavering commitment of the Essey family for continuing their extraordinary support of this important honor.
2023 Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research
Virginia Lee, PhD, MBA,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Virginia Lee is a most worthy recipient of the 2023 Sheila Essey Award. She is among the most accomplished investigators in the field of ALS and neurodegenerative disease. Her long track record in mentoring younger colleagues will continue to impact the field for generations to come.
The original contributions from her laboratory of TDP-43 neuropathology provide the keystone to our current views of ALS pathogenesis. Her record of scholarship is unparalleled in a number of fields of neurodegeneration, and her contributions to ALS are outstanding.
“It is an honor to receive the 2023 Sheila Essey Award. I would like to especially thank the philanthropy of the Essey family and The ALS Association,” said Dr. Lee. “This truly is a recognition of all the efforts I and others make to push for a greater understanding of ALS that can ultimately help us find ways to help millions of these patients.”
The Richard Olney, MD, Clinician-Scientist Development Award
In February 2012, the American Academy of Neurology Foundation and The ALS Association announced the creation of the Richard Olney, MD, Clinician-Scientist Development Award in ALS, named after Richard K. Olney, MD, a leading neurologist and pioneer in clinical ALS research who died in January 2012.
Dr. Olney was the founding director of the ALS Treatment and Research Center at the University of California-San Francisco before he was diagnosed with ALS in 2004. In 2006, the American Academy of Neurology Foundation presented Olney with a special Public Education Award and money for research in recognition of his efforts to raise awareness of ALS by sharing his story as a researcher/doctor turned patient with the national media.
“We came together to create this research fellowship in record time as a tribute to Dr. Olney, not only as a courageous person, but one whose pioneering ALS research improved the lives of many people diagnosed with this dreadful disease that gradually robs the body of its ability to use its muscles,” said John Mazziotta, MD, PhD, then Chair of the American Academy of Neurology Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Professor and Chair of UCLA’s Brain Mapping Center in Los Angeles.
“Dr. Olney’s commitment to excellence in patient care, clinical research and advocacy has contributed to people with ALS living longer, better quality lives,” said Fred Fisher, President & CEO, Golden West Chapter.
2023 Richard Olney Clinician Scientist Development Award in ALS
Maurizio Grassano, MD
University of Turin
Turin, Italy
Dr. Grassano’s research project aims to discover the mechanisms leading to phenotypic sex differences in ALS. This study has the potential to identify the sex-specific biological factors underlying ALS in the two sexes. Understanding these sex-related mechanisms could further accelerate the pace of the discovery of ALS pathogenesis. In addition, these data will inform new personalized targets for drug discovery and development.
“I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to The ALS Association, the American Brain Foundation, and the American Academy of Neurology for honoring me with the Richard Olney Clinician Scientist Development Award in ALS, “ said Dr. Grassano. “My research examines the mechanisms underlying the sex-specific differences in ALS, which could provide new insights into ALS pathogenesis and identify sex-specific targets for therapeutic intervention. I feel privileged and genuinely grateful to be given the opportunity to pursue this research.”