Udall Centers of Excellence

 

---

Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to reduce the burden of neurological disease—a burden by borne by every age group, by every segment of society, and by people all over the world. As a part of this mission, the NINDS supports basic, translational and clinical research on Parkinson’s disease (PD), a devastating and complex neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs the control of purposeful movement. More than 500,000 Americans are currently diagnosed with PD.

The NINDS Parkinson’s Disease Research Centers of Excellence program was developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall of Utah. Mr. Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961 in a special election to replace his brother Stewart, who left the position to become President John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of Interior. Representative Udall was diagnosed with PD in 1979; however, he remained an active in Congress until his retirement in May 1991. He died in 1998 after a long battle with the disease.  On November 13, 1997, the President of the United States signed the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Act of 1997, into law (P.L. 105-78).

In 1997, the NINDS released a Request for Applications to establish the first Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research. Today, a standing Program Announcement promotes open competition for the establishment of new Centers as well as continuation of existing Centers. In 2008, thirteen active Centers spanned the United States. Udall Centers utilize a multidisciplinary research approach to elucidate the fundamental causes of PD as well as to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative disorders.

After more than 10 years, the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence Program continues to forge a strong and innovative path in PD research. These Centers carry out important research on PD, including the identification and characterization of candidate and disease-associated genes, examination of neurobiological mechanisms, establishment of improved PD models, development and testing of potential therapeutics, and novel avenues of clinical research. The Centers continue to create and foster an environment that enhances the research effectiveness of investigators in a multidisciplinary setting, utilizing specialized methods relevant to the study of this disorder. The Parkinson’s disease Data Organizing Center (PD-DOC) at the University of Rochester continues to collect and provide access to clinical and other PD-related data, resources that are available both to the Udall Centers and the larger research community.

NINDS is committed to continuing and enhancing the tradition of scientific excellence fostered by the Udall Centers and will continue efforts to strengthen the Udall program in coming years.

Udall Centers Across the Country

	Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Director: Peter Lansbury, Jr., Ph.D.
	Columbia University New York City, New York Director: Robert Burke, M.D.
	University of Miami  Miami, Florida  Director: Jeffery M. Vance, M.D., Ph.D.
	Harvard University/McLean Hospital Belmont, Massachusetts Director: Ole Isacson, M.D.
	Johns Hopkins University  Baltimore, Maryland  Director: Ted M. Dawson, M.D., Ph.D.
	MGH/MIT Morris K. Udall Center for Excellence in Parkinson’s Research Boston, Massachusetts Director: Anne Young, M.D., Ph.D.
	Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Florida Director: Dennis W. Dickson, M.D.
	Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois Director: D. James Surmeier, Ph.D.
	The UCLA UDALL Parkinson Disease Center of Excellence Los Angeles, California Director: Marie-Francoise S. Chesselet, M.D.
	University of Kentucky Medical Center Lexington, Kentucky Director: Greg A. Gerhardt, Ph.D.
	University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Director: G. Fred Wooten, M.D.
	University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Director: Michael J. Zigmond, Ph.D.
	Parkinson's Disease - Data Organizing Center University of Rochester Rochester, NY Dr. Roger Kurlan
	Udall Center for Parkinson's Research University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA. Director: Dr. John Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D.

Udall Center Directors Annual Meeting Summaries

• 10th Annual Udall Center Directors Meeting (2008)
• 9th Annual Udall Center Directors Meeting (2007)

Reports

• Udall Centers Evaluation - 2007 Data and Recommendatin Reports