Events
Eva Feldman to Discuss the New Frontier of Stem Cell Science at the Detroit Economic Club
Stem cell research promises to be the most significant advance in medical science in a generation. The Taubman Institute is making great strides in using this crucial new research tool to understand human disease and explore new treatments.
Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery, will explain this exciting progress at a luncheon meeting of the Detroit Economic Club on Tuesday, December 8.
The title of her talk will be “Stem Cells: The New Frontier of Medical Science.”
In November 2008, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment lifting the restrictions on stem cell research. For the first time, medical scientists in the state could pursue this new area of study along with their colleagues around the world.
Feldman will discuss how the state of Michigan is already moving to the forefront of this groundbreaking technology:
- Most importantly, Dr. Feldman has recently received FDA approval for the first human clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for ALS
- At the University of Michigan, the Taubman Institute has opened the first facility in the state for the derivation of new embryonic stem cell lines.
- The global community of stem cell science will be converging on Michigan in 2010, as we host the World Stem Cell Summit.
Feldman’s talk will take place at the beautifully restored Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit. It’s located at 1114 Washington Boulevard.
There will be a Networking Cafe at 11:30, with the luncheon beginning at noon.
For ticket information go to www.econclub.org
Big House Big Heart Run to Take Over U-M Stadium
One of Ann Arbor’s favorite events is set for October 4 this year.
Last year’s Big House Big Heart run drew more than 7,000 people to the streets of Ann Arbor, where they raised nearly $250,000 for worthy charities. This year, it expects 10,000 people to do even more to support U-M’s Program for Neurology Research & Discovery and other worthy causes.
The Big House Big Heart run is the only charitable event that gets to use the U-M Stadium. Participants can run a 10K or 5K course or join a 1 mile Fun Run. Everyone finishes by running through the tunnel that leads to the football field and onto the 50 yard where they can watch themselves cross the finish line on the Jumbotron.
“Seeing all those running bursting into the Big House, their arms raised in victory, is a sight to behold,” says Eva Feldman, Director of the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery.
“But it’s even more thrilling to know that all these people are running to find a cure for ALS and to support other worthwhile charities.”
A portion of all entrance fees go to three U-M beneficiaries: ALS Research at the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery, the Cardiovascular Center and the Mott Children’s Hospital.
In addition, participants can raise money for a charity of their choosing.
This year, A. Alfred Taubman, Founder and Chair of the Taubman Institute, will join U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, in kicking off the race. He will also receive the Phil Bowen Award, given each year to the individual who does the most to raise public consciousness about ALS.
Big House Big Heart Run
Sunday, October 4, 2009
University of Michigan Football Stadium
Start Times:
8 a.m. – 10K
9:10 a.m. – 5K
10:30 a.m. – 1 Mile
To learn more or to form your own team, visit www.bighousebigheart.com
ALS Day at Comerica Park
Seventy years ago this summer, Lou Gehrig gave one of the most famous farewell speeches in American sports history. “I am the luckiest man on the face earth,” he told the fans at Yankee Stadium.
The Iron Horse, who had played in 2,130 consecutive games, was knocked out of the New York lineup by ALS – the same terrible disease that the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery struggles to understand every day in its laboratories.
Throughout the season, Major League Baseball is honoring the memory of Lou Gehrig and the fight against ALS at ballparks around the country.
On Sunday afternoon, August 9, the Detroit Tigers held a special ALS Day, to raise public awareness about the disease and to encourage people to participate in the Big House Big Heart Run/Walk on October 4. This annual Ann Arbor event raises money for ALS research at U-M and other worthwhile causes.
Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery, told 42,000 Detroit Tigers fans about the ongoing battle to find a cure for ALS, the terrible disease that knocked Lou Gehrig out of the Yankee lineup 70 years ago.
A. Alfred Taubman, Chair of the Taubman Institute, joined event organizer Mike Highfield in urging the crowd to fight the disease by signing up for the Big House Big Heart Run on Sunday, October 4.
Ten thousand people are expected to take part in the event. They will make their way through the streets of Ann Arbor and into the tunnel leading onto the U-M Stadium football field, where they will watch themselves on the Jumbotron as the finish the race on the 50 yard line.
Taubman, along with U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, will kick off the race. He will also receive the Phil Bowen Award, given each year to the individual who does the most to raise public consciousness about ALS.
- To learn more about the event or to form your own team, visit www.bighousebigheart.com
- See the video on ALS Day at Comerica Park here.
Women Talk Health with Women
Women’s Health & Fitness Day provides a heavy dose of good advice
Women often interact with doctors only when they’re sick. At least once a year, women students in the University of Michigan’s Medical School seek to change that by holding an annual Women’s Health & Fitness Day.
This year on January 24, more than 225 women jammed Ypsilanti High School to hear from a wide variety of health-care professionals about how they could lead healthier, happier, more productive lives.
Seventeen medical students and more than 20 community leaders volunteered their time to make this free event possible. It was funded, in part, by the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery.
The day began with a free breakfast and a round of yoga. Then, participants took part in 19 workshops on topics such as depression, sexuality, obesity, financial health and stress management. The sessions were taught by University of Michigan Health System doctors, nurses, physical therapists and nutritionists.
The program culminated with a rousing talk by Sheila Taorima, the Olympic champion from Michigan, who recently founded Friendsport, a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire Americans to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“The day was a success with many great worksops and Sheila Taormina’s inspiring keynote,” said Cassandra Niemi, co-director of the event with Lane Frasier. “It was wonderful to talk with so manny women who were energized by new friends and by the knowledge they gained from health-care professionals.
Beyond the Laboratory
None of our progress would have been possible without the thousands of people who donate their time, money and hard work to support the Program for Neurology & Discovery.
A Run for the Research Money
On Sept. 28, the Big House Big Heart event drew 7,000 runners and walkers to the U-M stadium, where they got to watch themselves cross the 50-yard-line on the stadium’s Jumbotron. Nearly $250,000 was raised for charity. Two great U-M causes were the primary recipients: The Program for Neurology Research & Discovery and the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
The man with the biggest heart is local attorney Mike Highfield, who started the run in 2007 after watching Phil Bowen, his friend and law partner, pass away from ALS. He and sponsor, Running Fit, have made this an instant fall tradition.
Next year’s date has already been chosen: October 4. For more information, visit the Big House Big Heart Web site.
A Community Fights Back
When Dr. Bob Schoeni was diagnosed with ALS this summer, it was a shock to friends, colleagues and family in the Ann Arbor community. A popular U-M professor Bob has touched a lot of lives, especially through his coaching of girls sports. A large number of Ann Arbor girls call him simply, “Coach Bob.”
When his friends and coworkers heard about his condition, they organized a non-profit, A2A3 (Ann Arbor Active Against ALS), to support ALS research. Some of their initiatives include Training for a Cure, Coaching for a Cure, and Kids Active for a Cure. They have held a garage sale and Family Field Day.
A portion of the proceeds will go to ALS research at the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery. For information, go to www.a2a3.org.
Stem Cells and Salads
Along with co-hosts Susu Sosnick and Pamela Applebaum, Leslie Lewiston Etterbeek invited Dr. Feldman to her Bloomfield Hills home to talk to 45 guests on October 3 about stem cell research and the promise it holds for finding new treatments and cures for neurological disease.
Feldman explained what makes embryonic stem cells so special and the work she hopes to be able to do at the University of Michigan if such research became legal in the state. Just one month later, the voters of Michigan passed a new law lifting the ban on stem cell research.
Charity Event Par Excellence
For the past seven years, the Executive Women's Golf Association of Metro Detroit has conducted an end-of-season tournament to raise money for the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery. This year’s event took place on September 25 at Twin Lakes Golf Club in Oakland Township.
Nearly 60 people teed off. The golfers, sponsors and a silent auction raised $2,400 for neurological research. The EWGA exists to provide a setting for women to learn to play and enjoy the game of golf for business and pleasure. The Metro Detroit Chapter has over 200 members in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
