Founder of movement disorders field to receive Parkinson's award

In honor of his immeasurable contributions to the study and treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) will present renowned neuroscientist and clinician Stanley Fahn, M.D., with the 2016 Jay Van Andel Award for Outstanding Parkinson's Disease Research. The award ceremony and Fahn's accompanying lecture will kick off VARI's annual Grand Challenges in Parkinson's Disease symposium, which will be held Sept. 26-27 at the Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"It is impossible to fully describe Dr. Fahn's vast contributions to the study and treatment of Parkinson's and other movement disorders," said Darren Moore, Ph.D., VARI associate professor and chair of the Grand Challenges scientific program committee. "His scientific and clinical achievements are matched only by his steadfast and admirable dedication to education, mentorship and partnering with the Parkinson's community. We are honored to present Dr. Fahn with this award and to have him give the opening talk for what promises to be an excellent symposium."

Fahn is one of the founders of the field of movement disorders, which encompasses Parkinson's, dystonia, tremor and other diseases that affect motor function. He played integral roles in the development of several rating scales used to determine the severity of a person's disease, including the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Fahn-Marsden scale for dystonia, and the Shoulson-Fahn rating scale for Huntington's disease, and the Lang-Fahn Dyskinesia ADL scale.

He is widely considered to be one of the top doctors in the U.S., and is a practicing physician at New York-Presbyterian, as well as the H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurology and director emeritus of the Center for Parkinson's Disease at Columbia University. Fahn founded the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society and served as chairman of its steering committee for many years, in addition to many other prestigious appointments.

The award was established in 2012 in memory of Van Andel Institute Founder Jay Van Andel, who battled Parkinson's disease for a decade before his death in 2004. The honor is given to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to Parkinson's disease research and have positively impacted human health. Past winners include Maria Grazia Spillantini, FRS, FMedSci; Robert Nussbaum, M.D.; Andrew John Lees, M.D., FRCP, FMedSci; Alim-Louis Benabid, M.D., Ph.D.; and Andrew Singleton, Ph.D.

Provided by Van Andel Research Institute