Fattah to Receive International Pioneer in Healthcare Policy Award for Neuroscience Initiative

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) will be honored next month with the "Pioneer in Healthcare Policy Award," by the Brain Mapping Foundation and the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT). The recipients of the annual award—presented to lawmakers whose visionary work has helped successfully advance science, technology, education, and medicine—were announced this morning. Fattah was recognized for creating an inter-agency collaboration around neuroscience through the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative, and successfully pushing for increased funding to support brain research in the United States.

"It is a high honor to be recognized by an international community, and especially to share this award with Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is leading Australia's efforts to fight brain disease. We know so little about the human brain, but so many around the globe are inflicted by brain disease, and our response requires a global effort," Congressman Fattah said. "More than anything this honor signifies that our efforts to fight brain disease by funding research, pooling resources, and launching innovative new partnerships are being seen and heard—and most importantly, are engendering real progress."

Fattah and Prime Minister Abbott, who recently committed $200 million for a new dementia initiative, will be honored at SBMT's Annual World Congress in March, where Fattah will deliver the keynote address. Past recipients of the prestigious honor include California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2008), U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (2009), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (2010), and many more distinguished lawmakers both within the U.S. and abroad.

This is the second recognition of the Congressman's neuroscience work this week. On Wednesday, Fattah was recognized by Research!America with the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy.  Fattah will accept the award at Research!America's annual Advocacy Awards dinner in March, part of the organization's 25th anniversary commemoration.

Earlier this week, Fattah continued local efforts to advance his Neuroscience Initiative, delivering remarks to a group of doctors and researchers working to combat Alzheimer's disease at the Temple University School of Medicine.  His participation at the Temple event came less than two months after Fattah helped launch a historic partnership between Temple University and four other organizations—including Penn Medicine—around Alzheimer's research.

Launched in 2011, the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative (FNI) is focused on elevating neuroscience as a national priority. Fattah was instrumental in launching President Obama's BRAIN Initiative last spring, and FNI was responsible for the formation of the Interagency Working Group on Neuroscience (IWGN), housed at The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. To date, FNI has also initiated a formal collaboration with the pharmaceutical community to increase private sector investment in brain research, and has promoted global partnerships between the United States, the European Union, Israel, and other countries around the world.  Additionally, the bipartisan budget bill passed last month included language further promoting international neuroscience collaboration.

To learn more about the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative visit: http://fattah.house.gov/fattah-neuroscience-initiative/

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah