Your Impact in Neuroimmunology Top talent and innovation in Parkinson’s disease and MS A diagnosis of a neurological disorder fundamentally changes how a patient thinks about their life. Suddenly, many things that were once taken for granted as possible are called into question, leaving patients constantly evaluating what their future may look like. This is made all the more difficult by late-stage diagnoses and the constant work to find the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. Your support of the work being done at CU Anschutz by the movement disorders and multiple sclerosis specialists here is changing this – we are working to intercept Parkinson’s disease and MS through early screening and detection, effective interventions and personalized care. We have many of the best and brightest in their fields on our teams. Gifts to fund their research – and protect their time to find and explore new ideas – accelerates our ability to make a difference. This, in turn, means a big difference for patients. We aim for a future where Parkinson’s disease and MS are conditions with a limited impact on mobility and neurological function. To get there, we must continue to fund the most high-risk, high-reward ideas, so we can follow our expertise and change the face of these diseases for patients.
Philanthropy accelerating change Overall ask of $500,000 $55,275 to MS • We are harnessing leading-edge technology to explore biomarkers for MS and other neurological diseases. With this data, we will better understand how to screen for and treat MS in its earliest stages, with the hopes of intercepting disease progression in patients. We know that when we intervene, we are able to thwart many of the most debilitating symptoms. Utilizing innovative technology to coalesce patient data in real time will ensure we are making connections about patient diagnoses and treatments faster. • We are sharing our findings at national conferences, widening our reach and bringing access to our discoveries to other institutions. • Our studies also examine the effectiveness of certain treatments, so that we can reinforce or stop treatments based on each specific patients’ response.
$195,000 Future impact for MS • Your gift has already had a tremendous impact, and continued commitments will expand our reach. By considering additional data points for biomarkers, disease progression and treatments’ outcomes, we will influence patient experiences on a broader scale.
$55,275 Parkinson’s disease $13,818 supported Dr. Michelle Fullard • Dr. Fullard’s work focuses on improving care for patients with Parkinson’s disease • Best practice alert (BPA) in electronic health records to prevent patients from receiving dopamine blocking medications in the ER and in hospital settings o Impacted over 1K patients in the UCHealth system • In the future, we hope to disseminate this as best practice to other hospital settings $13,819 supported Dr. Maureen Leehey’s studies on CBD • In partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation • Increased education of providers on use of CBD in patients • In the future, we hope to determine how CBD may treat patients’ anxiety and sleep disruptions $27,638 supported pilot research grants in Movement Disorders • Call for applications is out for September 2021 to fund high-risk, high-reward ideas that will assist young faculty clinician scientists in exploring novel ideas • Recipients will also benefit from added mentorship from current faculty members • Opportunity to present findings in the Spring of 2022
$195,000 Future impact for Parkinson’s disease • Additional investments in Parkinson’s disease research would secure protected time for leadership faculty, and would promote the best ideas from our brightest minds to move forward. This would amplify the impact we have already seen over the past several months, allowing us to reach more lives.
Thank you for your partnership in changing the face of MS and movement disorders. Our success is your success, and we are grateful for your commitment to our vision.