"I come to you this evening to tell you that I think we're at a very interesting and propitious time for Parkinson's disease."

Francis Collins, MD, PhD, shared these words as he accepted the Morris K. Udall Award for Public Service at the 2018 Parkinson's Policy Forum last month. The award recognizes individuals who work to further public policies in support of the Parkinson's disease (PD) community. Dr. Collins is the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the largest public funder of PD research.

After accepting his award, Dr. Collins spoke about the NIH's work to further scientific discovery, including three programs helping to advance the development of new treatments and a cure for Parkinson's.

"I'm here because I work for you. As the director of the NIH, we know that every dollar that comes to us comes from you. This is an enterprise supported through the good graces of the Congress, representing your voices, making investments in medical research to try to find answers for diseases that we still don't have sufficient answers for. And it's my great privilege to be able to stand at the helm of that remarkable ship of discovery called NIH."

Watch Dr. Collins' full remarks.