Thomas Hartman
Foundation for Parkinson's Research Cites Work of Distinguised Hartman
Grantees
Honors
Susan Lucci with The Hartman Philanthropic Leadership Award
Photos
by Bob Giglione, Judith Walker and Christine Conniff Sheahan
Click to see photos from event
The Thomas Hartman Foundation
for Parkinson’s Research held their 7th Annual Cure for Sure Dinner
and press conference to recognize the many people who have helped Father
Tom raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease and acknowledge those
working towards finding a cure. At the press conference, scientists who
received grants from the Hartman Foundation presented their newest developments.
David Eidelberg, M.D. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
North Shore-LIJ Health System (Hartman Foundation Executive Scientific
Advisor; Serge Przedborski,
M.D., Ph.D., Columbia University Medical Center; Irina Gazaryan, Ph.D., Winifred
Masterson Burke Medical Research Institute; David C. Chan, M.D., Ph.D., California
Institute of Technology; D. James Surmeier, Ph.D., Northwestern University;
Thomas Schwarz, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School; Michael
Kaplitt, M.D., Ph.D., Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and
Andrew Feigin, M.D., Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of the North Shore-LIJ
Health System.
Dr. Eidelberg moderated the press conference and shared his thoughts: “The
thread that connects all of us scientists is the common goal we share to move
the field of Parkinson’s research forward. What we have been able to accomplish
by this growing national umbrella of collaborators is unique. Working together
we are able to capitalize on years of expertise and neuroscience, take the ideas
of many years of deep thought, cultivation and hours of research and push the
envelope to solve the problems of Parkinson’s disease.”
Father Tom acknowledged the doctors, saying “All I did was get these wonderful
and brilliant people together from different faiths, and invited them to be a
part of this challenging and important venture.”
The dinner was kicked off with a guest performance by Multi-Grammy
award winning artist Jimmy Webb who performed several of his greatest
hits. The
Hartman Philanthropic
Leadership Award was presented by Laura Savini, vice president and on-air
host of WLIW, to Susan Lucci, Emmy award-winning actress, for her work
in raising
awareness of the disease and her support for finding a cure. Louis DeCaro,
an art teacher who suffers from Parkinson’s, received the Father Tom’s
Spirit Award. The Spirit award is given to an individual with Parkinson’s
who courageously continues to promote the fight to find a cure for this debilitating
disease. DeCaro works not only to educate more people about the disease, but
does what he can to help others find a cure by donating all the money he makes
from his paintings to Parkinson’s research. The Hartman Corporation of
the Year honoree was Joseph R. Ficalora, chairman, president and CEO of New York
Community Bancorp, Inc.
Father Tom established the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research,
Inc. in 2004, three years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “It
became clear to me that God was inviting humanity to find the cure,” said
Father Tom. “With God, prayer, good science and money, the cure can be
found.”
The Foundation seeks to provide grants for the newest and most innovative
scientific projects which offer the best hope for the advancement
and development of a
cure. Scientists believe that with continued funding for research,
a cure for Parkinson’s
can be found within 10 years. This is a time frame affirmed by top officials
of the National Institutes of Health in testimony before Congress.