FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON March 23, 2006
University of Shanghai Scientist to be Awarded Schoenberg Award in Epidemiology for Research in Epilepsy
St. Paul, Minn., -
Ding Ding, MD, MPH, of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, will be honored with the Bruce S. Schoenberg International Award and Lecture in Neuroepidemiology for her work in the epidemiology of epilepsy in China. Ding will receive the award during the American Academy of Neurology’s 58th Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif., held April 1 – 8. In tribute to the career of Bruce S. Schoenberg, MD, in training neurologists internationally in epidemiologic methods, this award salutes a promising young investigator from a developing country or Eastern Europe. Ding will present her paper, which examines the mortality rate of people with epilepsy in China, at the AAN Annual Meeting. The study found that injury and cerebrovascular disease were the leading causes of death in people with epilepsy. People with epilepsy were three to four times as likely to die during the study as those in the general population. The risk of death in young people was higher than that found in other countries. “This data provided the evidence to help government and policy-makers to allocate resources and identify strategies and interventions that may not only reduce the burden of epilepsy, but also prevent its development,” said Ding. “I am very excited to be honored by this award,” Ding said. “It indicates that our Chinese research team has obtained the approval from the international Academy level. I am very proud to be the first researcher from mainland China to receive this award. It encourages me to dedicate my knowledge and effort to the career of epidemiology.” The 58th Annual Meeting takes place in the San Diego Convention Center. It is the world’s largest annual gathering of neurologists.