Health resources might be
forthcoming.”
Dr. Ari J. Green, assistant
clinical director
of the Mission
Bay MS Center
at the University
of California,
San Francisco,
is in his first
year of the
Weaver Award.
His research addresses how MS
affects the visual system, using
advanced imaging to investigate
the retina and optic nerve and how
they’re damaged by the disease—
and thus better understand injury
to nerve fibers of the brain and
central nervous system.
“I can’t express how honored
I am to receive the Harry Weaver
Award,” he adds. “My hope is
to build on what other Weaver
awardees have done and to help
develop better approaches and
treatments for patients.”
All these top-notch investigators
are positive about the progress
they see in MS research,
mentioning advanced technology,
emerging therapies to help
protect and repair the nervous
system, and increased understanding
about the types and origins of
MS. “It’s absolutely an exciting
time to be engaged in MS
research because we can witness
the difference we’re making
in people’s lives,” says Dr. Green. ■
Elinor Nauen is a health writer based
in New York City.
Several National MS Society Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar
Award recipients have gone on to earn The John Dystel Prize for
Multiple Sclerosis Research. The prize, which is awarded jointly
by the Society and the American Academy of Neurology, recognizes
outstanding contributions to research in the understanding,
treatment or prevention of MS.
● Dr. Richard M. Ransohoff (Cleveland Clinic Foundation) was a
Harry Weaver Scholar in 1987 and earned the 2012 John Dystel
Prize for pioneering work in MS that led to new insights on
immune activity in the brain and spinal cord.
● Dr. David A. Hafler ( Yale University) received a Weaver Award in
1985 and the Dystel Prize in 2010 for fundamental discoveries
related to MS in fields such as immunology and genetics, and
for bringing clinical importance to basic science findings.
● Dr. Stephen L. Hauser (University of California, San Francisco)
earned a Weaver Award in 1987, and in 2008 was honored with
the John Dystel Prize for his pioneering studies on genetic
susceptibility to MS, and for his role in translating findings on
the role of immune B cells in MS into clinical trials.
● Dr. Bruce D. Trapp (Cleveland Clinic Foundation) received a Weaver
Award in 1986, and was chosen as the 2003 John Dystel prize
recipient for his major contributions to our understanding of
brain tissue destruction and repair in MS. These findings changed
the face of MS research and have had significant implications for
the development of new therapies.
The John Dystel Prize is made possible through a special contribution
from the Society’s John Dystel MS Research Fund. Society
National Board member Oscar Dystel and his late wife Marion
established this fund in 1994 in honor of their son John Jay, an
attorney whose promising career was cut short by progressive
disability from MS. John died of complications of the disease
in June 2003. To learn more, visit nationalMSsociety.org/
dystelprizewinners.
