Scientific Research Award Recipients
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 American Academy of Neurology Scientific Research Awards. Browse recipients below. The AAN thanks the American Brain Foundation for their support through philanthropy of the AAN's awards program.
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AAN Neuro-infectious Disease Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Prashanth S. Ramachandran, Jr., MBBS, BMedSci, PhD, FRACP
University of Melbourne
Ashwood, Victoria
Australia
2023 Recipient: Mashina Chomba, MBChB, MMed
Alliance Awards: S. Weir Mitchell
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by the former American Academy of Neurology Alliance.
Shane Arsenault, MD, MSc, MPH
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada
2023 Recipient: John Pluvinage MD, PhD
Bhuwan Garg High School Neuroscience Research Prize
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society.
Allison Duh
Burlingame High School
Burlingame, CA
2023 Recipient: Rania Lateef
Bruce S. Schoenberg International Award in Neuroepidemiology
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.
Enrique Gomez Figueroa, MD, MSc
Hospital Civil de Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Mexico
2023 Recipient: Jitendra Sahu, DM
Career Development Award
Funded by the American Academy of Neurology.
Cole Harrington, MD, PhD
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Divakar Mithal, MD, PhD
Northwestern University, Lurie Children's Hospital
Chicago, IL
2023 Recipients: Jonathan Brent, MD, PhD; Nathan Cohen, MD; Jack Tzu-Chieh Wang, MD, PhD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship
Funded by the American Academy of Neurology.
Monique Anderson, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Emanuele Barca, MD, PhD
Columbia University
New York, NY
David Fischer, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
John Rhee, MD, MPH
McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, MA
2023 Recipients: Andrew Dhawan, MD, PhD; Anthony Linares, MD, PhD; Martineau Louine, MD; Evan Madill, MD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in ALS
Funded by The ALS Association and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Jill Goslinga, MD, MPH
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
2023 Recipient: Marina Avetisyan, MD, PhD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in ALS and Related Disorders (CReATE)
Funded by the CReATe Consortium and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Marijne Vandebergh, PhD
Univeristy of Antwerp
Antwerpen
Belgium
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in FTD
Funded by Holloway Family Fund of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Rowan Saloner, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
2023 Recipient: Daniel Ohm, PhD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Lewy Body Diseases
Funded by the Alzheimer's Association and the American Brain Foundation.
George Kannarkat, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
2023 Recipient: Zachary Macchi, MD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Multiple Sclerosis
Funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb and the American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Simon Thebault, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Neurodisparities
Funded by the American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Malya Sahu, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Elizabeth Chernyak, MD
Maimonides Medical Center
Brooklyn, NY
2023 Recipient: Dominique Popescu, PhD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Parkinson's Disease
Funded by the Parkinson's Foundation and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD
Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, AZ
2023 Recipient: Robert Heuermann, MD, PhD
Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Peripheral Neuropathy
Funded by the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy through the American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Francesco Michelassi, MD, PhD
Columbia University
New York, NY
2023 Recipients: Paula Barreras, MD; Erika Williams, MD, PhD
Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by members of the American Academy of Neurology Epilepsy Section; Abbott Laboratories, Inc.; Cephalon, Inc.; Cyberonics, Inc.; Elan Corporation; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.; Novartis; Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; Shire Pharmaceuticals Group; and UCB Pharma.
Erin C. Conrad, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
2023 Recipient: Jonathan Kleen, MD, PhD
Harold Wolff-John Graham Award: An Award for Headache/Facial Pain Research
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by Endo Pharmaceuticals.
Chia-Chun Chiang, MD
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
Health Care Equity Research Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Galit L. Dunietz, MA, MPH, PhD
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Mathula Thangarajh, MD, PhD, FAAN
Virginia Commonwealth University
Glen Allen, VA
Raina Croff, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, OR
2023 Recipients: Jordan Cole, MD; Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, MBA, MLS, FAAN; Nicole Rosendale, MD
Irwin Schatz Award for Autonomic Disorders
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by Lundbeck, Inc.
Steven Vernino, MD, PhD, FAAN
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX
2023 Recipient: Paola Sandroni, MD, PhD, FAAN
John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and National Multiple Sclerosis Society and made possible through a special contribution from the John Dystel Multiple Sclerosis Research Fund at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Rhonda Voskuhl, MD
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA
2023 Recipient: Roland Martin, MD
Jon Stolk Award in Movement Disorders for Early Career Investigators
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by Kyowa Pharmaceutical, Inc., Lineberry Research, Quintiles, Dr. Dennis Gillings, and VelaPharma.
Abby L. Olsen, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Philadelphia, PA
2023 Recipient: Farwa Ali, MBBS
Lawrence C. McHenry Award: An Award for the History of Neurology
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Alison L. Christy, MD, PhD
Providence Health & Services, Pediatric Specialty Clinic
Portland, OR
2023 Recipient: Kelsey Smith, MD
Lawrence M. Brass Stroke Research Award
Funded by the American Heart Association and the American Brain Foundation, in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Ana-Lucia Garcia Guarniz, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
2023 Recipient: Margy McCullough-Hicks, MD
McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss
Funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through the American Brain Foundation, and the American Academy of Neurology.
Haopei Yang, PhD
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
2023 Recipients: Sheena Baratono, MD, PhD; Eva Klinman, MD, PhD
Medical Student Essay Award - G. Milton Shy Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Richard I. Suarez, JM
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Miami, FL
2023 Recipient: Trenley Anderson, BA, MM
Medical Student Essay Awards - Lewis P. Rowland
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Mimi Lam, BS
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Riverside, CA
2023 Recipient: Sumita Strander, BA
Medical Student Essay Award - Roland P. Mackay Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Allison Brown, MS
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Bloomfield, NJ
2023 Recipient: Zabrina Reyes, BS
Medical Student Essay Award - Saul R. Korey Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Gabriella Miggins
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
Houston, TX
2023 Recipient: Alexandra Miner, BA, MS
Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by Dr. Pessin’s family, friends, and colleagues.
Antreas Charidimou, MD, PhD, MSc
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Boston, MA
2023 Recipient: Neal Parikh, MD, MS
Mitchell B. Max Award for Neuropathic Pain
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by the United States Cancer Pain Relief Committee, the Mayday Fund, and friends of Dr. Mitchell Max.
Daniela Salvemini, PhD
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO
Movement Disorders Research Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology, the Parkinson’s Foundation, and the American Academy of Neurology Movement Disorders Section and endowed by the Parkinson’s Foundation.
David Rubinsztein, MBChB, BSc (Med) Hons, PhD
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
United Kingdom
2023 Recipient: Jill Ostrem, MD
Neuro-oncology Investigator Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and supported by friends of Dr. Jerome Posner.
Yazmin Odia, MD, FAAN, MS
Miami Cancer Institute
Miami, FL
2023 Recipient: Karisa Schreck, MD, PhD
Neuro-oncology Scientific Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and supported by friends of Dr. WK Alfred Yung.
William Weiss, MD, PhD
University of California
San Francisco, CA
2023 Recipient: Ingo Mellinghoff, MD, FACP
Neuroscience Research Prize
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology.
Sreekar Baddepudi
Evergreen Valley High School
San Jose, CA
Thrisha Kalpatthi
North Allegheny Senior High School
Mars, PA
Syed Zaidi
Ossining High School
Ossining, NY
2023 Recipients: Pulkith Paruchuri; Samantha Schaevitz; Maxx Yung
Neuroscience Research Training Scholarship
Funded by the American Academy of Neurology.
Hashmat Ghanizada, MD, PhD
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Alexander Gill, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Ho Namkung, PhD
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
2023 Recipients: Gaurav Chattree, MD; Vishnu Cuddapah, MD, PhD; Sharan Srinivasan, MD, PhD
Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed through Dr. Geschwind’s family, friends, and colleagues; Pfizer Inc; and the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology.
David Irwin, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
2023 Recipient: Liliana Ramirez-Gomez, MD
Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Diseases
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation and funded through the philanthropy of the Potamkin family.
Francisco T. Lopera, MD, PhD
Universidad de Antioquia
Medellin
Colombia
2023 Recipient: Maria Gorno Tempini, MD, PhD
Practice Research Training Scholarship
Funded by the American Academy of Neurology.
Andrew Huang, MD
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
2023 Recipient: Nirupama Yechoor, MD, MSc
Richard Olney Clinician Scientist Development Award in ALS
Funded by The ALS Association and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Eleanor Thomas, MD, PhD
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
2023 Recipient: Maurizio Grassano, MD
Robert Katzman, MD, Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Alzheimer's and Dementia Research
Funded by the Alzheimer's Association and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Andrew Breithaupt, MD
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Sheila Essey Award: An Award for ALS Research
Presented by the AAN and the ALS Association and supported through the philanthropy of the Essey family, the American Brain Foundation, and the ALS Association.
Eva L. Feldman, MD, PhD, FAAN
University of Michigan / Michigan Medicine
Ann Arbor, MI
2023 Recipient: Virginia Lee, PhD, MBA
Sleep Science Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Neurology Sleep Section and endowed by Cephalon, Inc.
Brendan P. Lucey, MD, Msci
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
2023 Recipient: Tiffany Braley, MD, MS
Susan S. Spencer, MD, Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Epilepsy
Funded by the American Epilepsy Society, Epilepsy Foundation, and American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
Jillian McKee, MD, PhD
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadephia, PA
2023 Recipient: Wesley Kerr, MD, PhD
Wayne A. Hening Sleep Medicine Investigator Award
Sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and endowed by UCB, Inc., Lilly USA, Elite Home Medical & Respiratory, Inc., Raleigh Neurology Associates, and friends of Dr. Wayne A. Hening.
Stuart McCarter, MD
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
2023 Recipient: Joseph Cheung, MD, MS