KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 3, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Kansas City Neurological Disorders Agency Coalition (KC NDAC) is proud to host the visit of Dr. Story C. Landis, Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to Kansas City on Wednesday, March 8.
KC NDAC is working with The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute to maximize her exposure to area researchers and physicians. Dr. Landis will appear at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and will also be a guest on Up to Date with Steve Kraske, KCUR's award-winning public affairs/talk show at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Landis will address coalition agencies during lunch at the Kauffman Foundation. A group of neurologists and neuroscientists will also attend the luncheon and participate in "ask the experts" during neurological disorders focus group discussions.
Dr. Landis is the Director of NINDS, under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Institute has been at the forefront of U.S. efforts in brain research, with studies in areas ranging from the structure and function of single brain cells to research on the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and, most recently, the translational research that is helping to bridge the gap. The Institute's mission is to reduce the burden of neurological disease -- a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world. As the Director, Dr. Landis oversees an annual budget of $1.5 billion and a staff of more than 900 scientists, physician-scientists, and administrators.
The Kansas City Neurological Disorders Agency Coalition, started in 1999, is unique to Kansas City and nationally. The member agencies provide services at no cost to over 50,000 individuals, plus caregivers and family members, who are living with neurological diseases and disorders in the Kansas City Metro area. In addition to the upcoming research-focused event, KC NDAC collaborates on projects such as neurologist outreach, care giving, and advocacy. Nationally and internationally, many of these organizations have formed partnerships and collaborations on the research front. Partnerships with government agencies, biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical firms and the scientific community are growing and will ultimately result in finding cures and vastly improving lives!
The KC NDAC agencies and their web sites are:
-- American Stroke Foundation - www.americanstroke.org -- Brain Injury Association - www.braininjuryresource.org -- Epilepsy Foundation - www.efha.org -- Essential Tremor Foundation - www.essentialtremor.org -- National Multiple Sclerosis Society - www.msmidamerica.org -- Parkinson Foundation - www.parkinsonheartland.org -- The ALS Association - www.alsa-midwest.org -- The Alzheimer's Association - www.alz-heartofamerica.org -- United Cerebral Palsy - www.ucp.org
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute's stakeholder institutions are:
-- Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics -- Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences -- Kansas State University -- Midwest Research Institute -- Saint Luke's Hospital -- The Stowers Institute for Medical Research -- University of Kansas -- University of Kansas Medical Center -- University of Missouri-Columbia -- University of Missouri-Kansas City
For more information on Dr. Landis' visit and the coalition, please contact Sally Dwyer at sdwyer@alsa-midwest.org or (913) 648-2062 Ext. 212.