2003 Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research

Stanley H. Appel, MD, recipient of the 2003 Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research

The ALS Association joins the American Academy of Neurology in honoring Stanley A. Appel, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, for his work in ALS research to advance the understanding of this devastating disease. His recent work has focused on inflammation in neurodegenerative disease, in particular ALS. In November 2002, Dr. Appel was one of the presenters at the ALSA-sponsored workshop on inflammation and ALS at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. Appel has been a leader in ALS research for some 20 years. Appel has been influential in clinical research in addition to the scientific arena.

The Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research was presented to Dr. Appel on April 1 at the American Academy of Neurology 55th Annual Meeting in Honolulu. Dr. Appel will receive a $25,000 prize to be used for continuing his ALS research.

About The Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research...
In 1996, ALSA in partnership with the American Academy of Neurology inaugurated the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research to promote innovative ALS research and accelerate the search for the cause, prevention and cure for ALS. The award acknowledges and honors an individual actively engaged in ALS research who has made significant contributions in advancing the scientific community's understanding of ALS. The recipient receives a $25,000 prize to be used specifically for continuing her/his ALS research. Funding of the award is made possible through The Essey Family Fund and ALSA.

The nomination process and selection of the winner is under the direction of the American Academy of Neurology as part of its annual Scientific Awards Program. Members of the neuroscientific community are encouraged to help AAN and ALSA honor one of their fellow colleagues who, like Dr. Appel and such prior winners Don Cleveland, Serge Przedborski, Pamela Shaw and Jean-Pierre Julien, are making a significant impact on ALS research, perhaps opening doors to other research paths in understanding and solving the ALS puzzle.