American Brain Coalition
Welcome to the American Brain Coalition Website.
The American Brain Coalition is a non-profit organization comprised of some of the United States’ leading professional neurological, psychological, and psychiatric associations and patient organizations. Together, we seek to advance the understanding of the functions of the brain, and to reduce the burden of brain disorders through public advocacy.
With an established presence in Washington, DC, the ABC will be a strong and powerful voice for the 50 million people with disabling brain disorders, bringing together organizations that represent concerned and interested patients, families, and professionals. This voice will be used to advocate for increased support of research that will lead to better treatment; services and support that will improve patients’ quality of life; as well as a national commitment towards finding cures for individuals with disabling neurological and psychiatric disorders.
On behalf of the 50 million patients who live with neurological and psychiatric disorders, we invite organizations that share our concerns and goals to join us in our advocacy efforts.
BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK: GET INVOLVED IN ADVOCACY
Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is March 15-21, 2010. The week is an opportunity for American Brain Coalition members to encourage your members to visit Capitol Hill or their own district offices. Meeting with Members of Congress is the best way to convey your organization's advocacy message, and to insure strong support for federal science funding. We must continue to make the case, particularly in this challenging economic climate, about the benefits to America's health and our economy through investment in scientific research.
March will be a busy legislative month with Congress beginning to work on federal funding for FY 2011. It provides the first opportunity to weigh in with our community's research funding priority.
The American Brain Coalition is pleased to provide tips and tools for meeting with your Members of Congress. These are available on our web site at: http://www.americanbraincoalition.org/go/advocacy. If you have any questions about how to arrange a visit or about our ABC advocacy materials, please contact Allison Kupferman, Government and Public Affairs Director, at akupferman@americanbraincoalition.org.
BAW is a week-long educational blitz of activities for the general public including lectures, lab tours, classroom visits, and exhibits across North America to demonstrate the importance of basic neuroscience research to the health and well-being of the American public. Some of the American Brain Coalition's members participate in Brain Awareness Week activities, including the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). Please feel free to view their BAW site for more information: http://sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=baw_home. The Dana Foundation also has BAW information available: http://www.dana.org/brainweek/.
SfN recently published "In the Lab: Recovery Act Stories", to tell elected officials and the public about promising science funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that is improving health, while contributing to the economy. Some of the topics include autism, drug addiction, stroke, schizophrenia and vision loss. These can be found on their web site at:
http://sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=Recovery_Impact and would also be a wonderful handout for Capitol Hill meetings.
Please encourage your members to get involved in Brain Awareness Week 2010.
The Progress Report on Brain Research is published annually by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, who are committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research and to disseminating information on the brain in an understandable and accessible fashion. Dr. Joseph Coyle, chairman of the American Brain Coalition, was invited by the Dana Foundation to help organize this year's volume and provide an introductory chapter.
2010 ABC Membership Calendar of Events
Letter of Support for the ABC from NINDS & NIMH In response to a letter the ABC wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Drs. Story Landis and Thomas Insel wrote Dr. Coyle a very positive letter indicating their support of the efforts of the ABC.
Join the National Headache Foundation for Headache Health Talks ~ a FREE webinar series.
Get the latest information about headache causes and treatments from the nation’s leading headache specialists and participate in a question and answer session to learn how to better manage your headaches.
THE BRAIN MATTERS
Being diagnosed with a neurologic disorder can be overwhelming. So can sifting through countless resources for the right answers to your important questions. Visit TheBrainMatters.org to help you and your family understand your condition and why the brain matters.
World Parkinson Congress 2010
The World Parkinson Coalition is in the process of designing the program and plans for the 2nd World Parkinson Congress to take place in Glasgow, Scotland from September 28 - October 1, 2010. The WPC 2010 is following on the success of the first WPC in 2006 that attracted nearly 3,200 delegates from 56 countries and will be an international, interdisciplinary forum showcasing the latest developments in the world of Parkinson‘s disease (PD). Visit the WPC 2010 Announcement for more information.
Neuroscience Funding Opportunities for Young Scientists
The ABC feels it is important for young scientists to know about the various funding opportunities available to them, particularly from alternate funding resources.
Below, we have compiled some listings from the National Institutes of Health, from patient advocacy groups, and from professional organizations, whose websites provide this information.
NIDA: http://www.nida.nih.gov/funding/
http://www.nida.nih.gov/funding/rfa.html
http://www.nida.nih.gov/funding/resfundslist.html
NINDS: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/funding_announcements/funding_opps.htm
American Headache Society: https://www.americanheadachesociety.org/about/Awards.asp
International Essential Tremor Foundation: http://www.essentialtremor.org/research/index.php
National Ataxia Foundation: http://www.ataxia.org/research/ataxia-research-grants.aspx
National Headache Foundation: http://www.headaches.org/For_Professionals/Research_Grants_%26_Fellowships
Society for Neuroscience: http://www.sfn.org/index.cfmpagename=FellowshipAndAwards§ion=professionalDevelopment
