FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEBRUARY 15, 2011

AAN Announces 2011 Award Winners in Neurologic Research

HONOLULU – The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) will recognize the outstanding achievements of researchers in neurology during the AAN's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu, April 9 through 16, 2011, the world's largest gathering of neurologists with more than 2,500 presentations on the latest advances in neurologic research.

From enterprising high school students to world-renowned researchers, the AAN Awards program will bestow 16 awards for some of the top accomplishments in the field. The awards will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology and American Academy of Neurology Foundation Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at the Hawaii Convention Center.

This year's recipients include:

AAN Alliance Awards:

• Founders Award
  Peter Turkeltaub, MD, PhD / Philadelphia, PA
• S. Weir Mitchell Award
  Dong Wang, MD / Bronx, NY

Bruce S. Schoenberg International Award in Neuroepidemiology

• Ikeolu Lagunju, MBBS / Ibadan, Nigeria

Child Neurology Neuroscience Research Prize

• Spencer Chan / Forest Hills, NY

Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award

• Bernard Chang, MD / Boston, MA

John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research

• Brian Weinshenker, MD / Rochester, MN

Sheila Essey Award: An Award for ALS Research

• Leonard van den Berg, MD, PhD / Utrecht, Netherlands

Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology

• David Wolk, MD / Philadelphia, PA

Medical Student Essay Awards:

• Extended Neuroscience Award
  Kimmy Su / Portland, OR
• G. Milton Shy Award in Clinical Neurology
  Thomas Chung / Cincinnati, OH
• Roland P. Mackay Award in Historical Aspects
  Benjamin Schanker / Brookline, MA
• Saul R. Korey Award in Experimental Neurology
  Matthew DeSalvo / Brookline, MA

Movement Disorders Research Award

• John Nutt, MD / Portland, OR

Neuroscience Research Prize

• Elliot Akama-Garren / Palo Alto, CA
• Suola (David) Wang / Troy, MI
• Grace Zhang / Gaithersburg, MD

Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize

• Steven Messé, MD / Philadelphia, PA

Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's and Related Diseases

• Dennis Dickson, MD / Jacksonville, FL
• Eckhard Mandelkow, PhD / Hamburg, Germany
• Eva-Maria Mandelkow, MD, PhD / Hamburg, Germany

American Academy of Neurology President's Award

• James Bernat, MD, FAAN / Lebanon, NH

Sleep Science Award

• Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD / Chicago, IL

Jon Stolk Award in Movement Disorders for Young Investigators

• Susanne Schneider, MD / Lubeck, Germany

Harold Wolff-John Graham: An Award for Headache/Facial Pain Research

• Katharina Eikermann-Haerter, MD / Charlestown, MA

Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award

• Xiang Gao, MD, PhD / Boston, MA

Mitchell B. Max Award for Neuropathic Pain

• Kenneth Casey, MD / Ann Arbor, MI

Lawrence C. McHenry Award: An Award for the History of Neurology

• Lauren Bowen / Gainesville, FL
• Michael Okun, MD / Gainesville, FL

The 63rd Annual Meeting of the AAN takes place at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 22,500 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, migraine, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and multiple sclerosis. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.

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