Brain research gets a boost from fundraising dinner

sparta - The second Irene & Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation Gala Dinner fund-raiser was held on Oct. 6 at The Tides Estate.  In addition to dinner, the evening included a silent auction, tributes, comedy and music. Among the guests who attended, was Virginia Littell, who, among many activities, serves on the American Hospital Association Board and its Drug & Alcohol Committee. The dinner raised $15,000 that will be applied to the Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Program for young scientists and a speakers’ bureau, among other projects. Sponsors were McGuire Chevrolet, Eastern Propane, Dov Pharmaceuticals, Tri-County Lexus, Lakeland Bank, Parkway Toyota, and NYU-Bellevue Psychiatric Society. The guest of honor was Dr. Robert Cancro, who was chairman of psychiatry at NYU for 29 years, the longest tenure of any chairman of any academic psychiatry department in the nation. Cancro is also the former director of the Nathan Kline Institute., Cancro, a strong supporter of basic reasearch, was honored for his contributions to brain research and the field of mental health. He has served as an adviser to federal agencies such as the United States Secret Service and Department of Justice, which he served as consultant. At the dinner the organization’s first two Summer Research Fellows were given their award and shared their summer experience. Ken, one of the summer research fellows, said that this $2,000 award will allow him to attend brain research conferences where he will share the work done in Dr. Richard Howells lab this past summer. Zena, who spent the summer in Dr. Carr’s lab at NYU, expressed her enthusiasm about including this field in her career plans. The goal of the Irene & Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation is to help advance research and education in the area of brain research.