NEW YORK (June 20, 2019) — The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) announces that its Chief Executive Officer, Todd Sherer, PhD, will deliver the keynote speech at the prestigious Gordon Research Conference on Parkinson’s Disease on Sunday, June 23, 2019. This biennial application-only meeting brings together 200 scientists from varied disciplines to stimulate debate, raise questions of critical importance, and encourage collaboration in Parkinson's disease research.
“I am honored to have been selected to deliver this address to my colleagues. Parkinson’s researchers are seeding a robust pipeline of new treatments to help the more than 6 million people worldwide living with this disease,” said Sherer. “The Gordon Research Conference convenes leaders from around the world to build on this momentum by discussing the challenges hindering further progress and working together to overcome them.”
The topic of the 2019 conference is “Pathogenesis, Pathophysiology and Experimental Therapeutics in Parkinson's Disease.” Talks focus on understanding the underlying disease processes with an eye toward the development and deployment of etiologic-based therapeutics. Sherer will present the keynote “Define, Measure, Treat: The Parkinson's Roadmap,” reviewing strategies that move the field closer to cures.
“The Michael J. Fox Foundation plays a unique role in Parkinson’s research, not only funding basic, translational and clinical science but also building infrastructure and partnerships that advance the field as a whole,” said Tim Greenamyre, MD, PhD, chair of the conference and director of the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh. “Todd has been at the helm of the Foundation through a number of successful initiatives and brings to the Gordon Research Conference insight into challenges and opportunities that touch all in attendance.”
Sherer's work with the Foundation began in 2003, when, as a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, he was awarded MJFF funding to investigate the role of environmental factors in Parkinson's disease. He joined the Foundation's staff full time in April 2004. After serving as Vice President, Research Programs and Chief Program Officer, he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in May 2011. In this position, Sherer directs the organization's research strategy and is responsible for the Foundation's overall scientific and fundraising direction to speed treatment breakthroughs and a cure for Parkinson's disease.
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About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $800 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world.
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Media Contact:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Allison Boiles
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