News Release: Research, School of Medicine
Apr. 30, 2009
Mahlon DeLong Receives National Movement Disorders Research Award
Mahlon DeLong, MDWorld-renowned neuroscientist and Emory University neurology professor Mahlon DeLong, MD, has received the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) 2009 Movement Disorders Research Award. The AAN's Movement Disorders Research Award annually recognizes an individual for outstanding work in the field of Parkinson's disease or other movement disorders.
DeLong's decades-long research and clinical contributions have created greater understanding of basal ganglia function and resulted in discoveries of better treatments for patients with basal ganglia disorders and Parkinson's disease.
DeLong is also exploring deep brain stimulation (DBS) as an alternative treatment to more invasive surgical techniques for movement disorders and diseases of the brain such as Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, dystonia and epilepsy.
"Deep brain stimulation has brought dramatic and lasting benefits to patients with a growing number of disorders," says DeLong, W.P. Timmie Professor of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine. "A clearer understanding of the underlying complex circuitry of the basal ganglia is critical for identifying the mechanisms responsible for many movement disorders."
DeLong is also the recipient of the new "Courage to Inspire" Award presented by Emory’s Comprehensive Neurosciences Initiative. He was recognized at a celebration dinner held in his honor April 17 at the Emory Conference Center.
Former heavyweight boxing champion and Parkinson's patient Muhammad Ali and his wife, Lonnie, also received the "Courage to Inspire" Award for their efforts to provide support, educational information and resources to people who care for the more than 1.5 million patients living with Parkinson's disease. Muhammad Ali has been a patient of DeLong's for more than a decade.
"Muhammad and I are especially grateful to receive the "Courage to Inspire" Award from a man who inspires us every day," says Lonnie Ali. "As both a dear friend and one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Dr. DeLong tirelessly pursues scientific progress with compassion and conviction."
The "Courage to Inspire" Awards were presented after a daylong professional neurosciences symposium at the Emory School of Medicine.
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