P A R T
BRAIN STORM 1
FAL L 2 0 1 9 | 3
As the aging population grows in Florida and the nation,
more people than ever are coping with the gradual loss of
function associated with neurodegenerative diseases such
as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS.
eanwhile, at the other
end of the lifespan,
more children are being
diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder. Over
the last decade, the University of Florida and
UF Health have risen to prominence as leaders
nationwide in the realm of neuroscience and
the brain. Our expert translational laboratory
researchers and physician-scientists are
publishing groundbreaking advances, attracting
patients from across the U.S. and beyond and
driving investments both public and private. In
fact, National Institutes of Health funding for UF
neuroscience and neurology doubled over the
last 10 years. We are positioned to help change
the outlook for millions of people diagnosed with
horrible diseases such as brain cancer and ALS.
Now, major private gifts in 2019 are catalyzing
spectacular growth that I believe will help
propel UF into the Top 5 of public universities
nationwide. A $20 million gift from the Lauren
and Lee Fixel Family Foundation in January —
and a UF commitment to match it — already
has led to the opening of the new, world-class
Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological
Diseases at UF Health in July
and the recruitment of three
renowned neuroscientists and
a distinguished physicianscientist
from top U.S. and
Canadian institutions (see
page 12). And in February, a $12 million gift from
Harris Rosen and The Harris Rosen Foundation
was announced to support the new UF Healthled
ReMission Alliance Against Brain Tumors,
a network of experts from UF and top peer
institutions from around the world pursuing
new lines of research and clinical trials to make
brain cancer a livable disease. What’s more,
with donor support, we are developing a new
clinical care model involving a multidisciplinary
approach to treat children with autism.
In addition to these transformative gifts,
contributions by UF under the university’s
exciting new “moonshot” initiative will fund
a series of projects bolstering our research in
brain tumors, movement disorders and autism,
among other areas. We are thinking broadly
across all areas of the brain and neurologic
diseases and developing a coordinated
approach to drug discovery, improvement
of clinical care and implementation of gene
therapy: UF Health is making an all-out war on
neurologic disease.
Together, I believe these public and private
investments will take UF to the next level.
al We
We will recruit more translational
researchers, open more clinical trials,
train more fellows committed to
discovery and, through these
efforts, change the course of
disease. And we will change
lives for the better.
M
By DAVID R. NELSON, MD
David R. Nelson, MD, is senior
vice president for health affairs
at UF and president of UF Health.