RENOWNED NEUROLOGIST LEWIS ROWLAND RECEIVES TOP MDA HONOR
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 8, 2009 – The Muscular Dystrophy Association has awarded its highest philanthropic achievement honor, the MDA Directors’ Award, to internationally acclaimed neurologist Lewis “Bud” Rowland of New York.
MDA Chairman of the Board Dr. R. Rodney Howell presented the star-shaped Stueben Glass award to Rowland at the Association’s Board of Directors meeting in New York Dec. 4.
The award - the first ever to a physician - honors people and organizations having made outstanding contributions to MDA’s battle against neuromuscular diseases in the areas of medical research, corporate and organizational sponsorship, media and entertainment industry support and personal fundraising.
Howell praised Rowland for his decades of service to families served by MDA, and for his seminal research in muscle and nerve physiology, as well as disease-specific research in several neuromuscular conditions.
“Bud Rowland is the gold standard for outstanding patient care, for exceptional research, and for tireless leadership in the field of neuromuscular disease,” said Howell, adding that “his contributions to the field of neurology truly are extraordinary.”
Rowland, who chaired the Department of Neurology at Columbia University from 1973 to 1998:
- Founded and co-directed the H. Houston Merritt Clinical Research Center for Muscular Dystrophy and Related Diseases at Columbia University
- Directed the prestigious Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Center at Columbia University Medical Center
- Authored hundreds, if not thousands, of medical and scientific papers, many on research funded by MDA
- Edited several books, including “Merritt’s Textbook of Neurology,” a standard in the field
- Has been a mentor to many researchers, and served on MDA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committees as well as on its Task Force on Genetics
Rowland has been recognized by his peers as a pre-eminent physician, teacher, author and mentor in the field of neuromuscular disease study. He currently is a professor of neurology at Columbia University.
More recently, Rowland has become a historian. His 2008 book, “The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the United States,” describes the early days of neurology and psychiatry, and includes many tales regarding leaders in both fields. Rowland’s 2003 book, “NINDS at 50,” chronicles the history of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
About MDA
MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.
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