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Hope for Stroke: Leveraging Research to Reduce Vulnerability and Foster Resilience
2022 McDowell Symposium & Awards
On May 20th, the Burke Neurological Institute hosted the 3rd annual McDowell Symposium and Awards, an event that honored the legacy of Dr. Fletcher McDowell, the founder of BNI, and his enormous commitment to improving stroke treatment and care. The 2022 Symposium highlighted exciting new advances in stroke, the leading cause of physical disability in the United States. To set aspirations for the future of stroke care high, a cadre of neurologists and neuroscientists, presented their research on this year’s theme: Hope for Stroke: Leveraging Research to Reduce Vulnerability and Foster Resilience. Drs. Matthew E. Fink, Dennis W. Choi, Jin-Moo Lee, Takuya Takahashi, Selva Baltan, and Hooman Kamel presented their remarkable research to stroke survivors, community members and guests of the Institute.
Dr. Rajiv Ratan and Dr. Glen Prusky of Burke Neurological Institute presented the McDowell Awards and shared tributes to recognize the four groups of individuals who were recipients of the McDowell Award. These groups of people have made significant contributions to the mission of BNI—to reduce disability from neurological diseases:
Through the creation of Tedy’s Team, Tedy and Heidi Bruschi actively raise awareness of stroke signs and symptoms. They have raised over $8 million for the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association and recently launched the Comeback Assistance Program.
Dr. Bernice Grafstein from Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences is a renowned neuroscientist and an elected member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her work in defining paradigms that enhance regeneration in the nervous system has had broad impact at BNI and around the world.
Tom, Karen and Annie Hamilton have had a major impact on the fight for a cure for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a leading cause of inability to walk. The Hamiltons joined the Board of Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, launched the biotech company Chondrial Therapeutics (now part of Larimar Therapeutics), and established and raised money for the foundation CureFA. Annie has been an inspirational part of our wellness programs at BNI.
Dr. Harel Weinstein of Weill Cornell Medicine, Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is an academic and research leader in the field of biomedicine that involves the mathematical, physical and computational sciences in combination with engineering and medical informatics. He has been a sage advisor for BNI for the past 15 years and has helped to recruit some of our most outstanding faculty related to brain repair and recovery after injury.
For those who were able to join us to celebrate this important day, thank you.
