Parkinson's Disease Foundation Announces New Leadership

NEW YORK, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce the election of two new leaders: Howard D. Morgan, a senior partner at a leading private equity firm in New York, as Chair, and Constance Woodruff Atwell, Ph.D., a former high level official at the National Institutes of Health, as Vice Chair.  The appointments were announced following a meeting of PDF's Board of Directors on May 23.

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Mr. Morgan, of Darien, CT, is Co-President of Castle Harlan, Inc.  He first joined PDF's Board of Directors in 2004, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.  A graduate of the MBA program at Harvard Business School, he has more than 25 years of experience in the private equity field, including as Executive Director of CHAMP Private Equity, Castle Harlan's affiliate in Sydney, Australia.  Mr. Morgan succeeds Page Morton Black, the long-time Chairman of PDF and the widow of Bill Black, who founded PDF in 1957.  Mrs. Black now holds the title of Chairman Emeritus.

"PDF has a rich tradition of funding the best research and offering innovative educational and advocacy programs," said Mr. Morgan.  "By building upon this foundation, my colleagues and I seek to accelerate progress for the people who are most invested in our success – the people who live with Parkinson's disease each day."

Dr. Atwell, of Pinehurst, NC, retired several years ago as Director of the Division of Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH/NINDS), where she oversaw a program that annually disbursed more than $1 billion in grants for brain research.  In her work with PDF's Board of Directors since 2004, Dr. Atwell has served on the Scientific Advisory Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Research Center Advisory Committee.  During her scientific career, she was also the recipient of the NIH Director's Award and the NINDS Leadership Award. 

In other actions at the same meeting, the Board approved title changes for two other officials: Robin Anthony Elliott, PDF's Executive Director for 17 years, who becomes President, and Lewis P. Rowland, M.D. – the long-time President of PDF, who has also served as Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center and President of the American Academy of Neurology – who assumes the new title of President Emeritus of PDF.  

For a complete list of PDF's Board of Directors, visit www.pdf.org/bod.

About Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects nearly one million people in the US.  Although promising research is being conducted, there is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease.

About the Parkinson's Disease Foundation
The Parkinson's Disease Foundation® (PDF®) is a leading national presence in Parkinson's disease research, education and public advocacy.  We are working for the nearly one million people in the US who live with Parkinson's disease by funding promising scientific research while supporting people living with Parkinson's disease through educational programs and services.  Since its founding in 1957, PDF has dedicated $100 million to fund the work of leading scientists throughout the world and $42 million to support education and advocacy programs.

SOURCE Parkinson's Disease Foundation