Hartman Foundation Cure for Sure Dinner Celebrates Parkinson’s Disease EffortsAt its 7th Annual Cure for Sure dinner, the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research celebrated the work of D. James Surmeier, PhD, as well as a philanthropist, a corporation, and a person afflicted by Parkinson’s disease. Help Support Parkinson’s ResearchFor more information on how to support Dr. Surmeier’s research, please contact Dave Spiegler at 312-503-0763. |
 | Father Tom Hartman and Susan Lucci |
Established by Father Tom Hartman in 2004, the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Inc. annually provides grants for the newest and most innovative scientific projects, which offer the best hope for the advancement and development of a cure for Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the United States. At its 7th Annual Cure for Sure dinner, held on June 22 in East Islip, New York, the Foundation honored actress Susan Lucci as recipient of the Hartman Philanthropic Leadership Award, and Joseph R. Ficalora, chairman, president and CEO of New York Community Bancorp, Inc., as The Hartman Corporation of the Year Honoree. Louis DeCaro received the Father Tom’s Spirit Award, which is given to a person affected by Parkinson’s who has contributed to the public awareness of the disease. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2001, Father Hartman established the Hartman Foundation three years later. His dear friend Ms. Lucci joined his cause and has pledged to be part of changing the face of Parkinson's disease.  | D. James Surmeier, PhD |
D. James Surmeier, PhD, Nathan Smith Davis Professor of Physiology and chair of the Department of Physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, as well as director of the Morris K. Udall Research Center of Research Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease, also was recognized as one of 10 scientists who received grant support from the Hartman Foundation last year. At a press conference prior to the dinner, Dr. Surmeier provided an overview of his research and findings. He noted that for decades scientists have known that the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease—rigidity, tremors, slowness of movement—are due to the death of dopamine (DA) neurons in a small region of the brain called the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). If modern science and medicine are to stop Parkinson’s disease, investigators must know why these neurons die. With the help of the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Dr. Surmeier and his team have made great progress toward this goal. To learn more about the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, please visit: http://www.hartmanfoundation.org/ | 
