The past year has been a challenge for the Brain Endowment Bank as it has been for all of us. Since I became Executive Director of the Brain Endowment Bank, in December 2017 we have added new faculty and sadly we said goodbye to Melanie Hardegree, our longtime Assistant Director of Operations who oversaw the donation process, as well as assisted the directors in day-to-day management of the Brain Endowment Bank. She moved to a new opportunity and will be missed.
Dr. Xiaoyan Sun, Associate Professor of Neurology, as Clinical Director, continues to oversee the collection of clinical information on our participants and participate in the development of research projects examining mechanisms leading to cognitive impairment. Dr. Sakir Humayun “Hume” Gultekin, Professor of Pathology and Director of the Neuropathology service, as Medical Director. oversees the neuropathologic evaluation of our participants and participate in research studies of processes leading to particular forms of neuropathology, with neuromuscular diseases a particular interest. This senior leadership team is supported by two exceptional faculty members as Associate Directors. Dr. David Davis is Assistant Research Professor of Neurology and Associate Director for the Biorepository. He manages the day-to-day collection, evaluation, and distribution of samples for research. His personal research interests include studying the role environmental exposures play in influencing risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Regina Vontell is Assistant Research Professor of Neurology and Associate Director for Histopathology. She oversees the evaluation of participant samples to establish a research diagnosis. Her research interests include examining inflammation and its role in stimulating neuropsychiatric diseases. Thank you to all for their great work in this unusual year.
Thank you also to our donors, without whom this past year the BEB would not have been able to provide more than 300 researchers world-wide with brain tissue (over 8000 specimens) for their studies of neurological diseases, including ALS, Lewy Body Dementia, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Multiple System Atrophy, Opioid dependence, Down Syndrome, Huntington disease, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Research enabled by our work with the BEB is an illustration of the important role this resource plays in the scientific community.
Finally, one thing that has not changed this past year: the importance of you - the participants, supporters, family, and friends. Without your gifts of time, money, and tissue, we could not support the research that will possibly help so many people with neurologic conditions. I thank you for your continued support and look forward to working with you all in the future.
William Keith Scott, Ph.D.
Professor of Human Genetics and Public Health Sciences
