NIGHTLIGHT: Celebrate Spring! The 5th Annual Event for Young New Yorkers for the Fight Against Parkinson’s Committee and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Wednesday, April 4, 2012 a Smashing Success!
On Wednesday, April 4, 2012, the Young New Yorkers for the Fight Against Parkinson’s committee and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) held its fifth annual Celebrate Spring event at LAVO located at 39 East 58th Street in New York City. Proceeds from the evening benefitted PDF’s Côté Clinical Genetics Initiative, which supports research to identify and understand the role of genetic markers in Parkinson’s disease. It was a smashing success attended by many of the city's young up and coming and Whom You Know was pleased to see and meet:
Kathleen Guzman, auctioneer of the evening
Brandon Peoples
Melissa Barry
Piera Sacino
Eddie Pelto
Dr. Sudhir Gadh
Robert Schaefer
Crosby D. Haynes
Michele Wolfberg
G. Pennington Egbert III, Gregory and Barbara Romero, Jonathan E. Romero, Jr., Georgina B. Schaeffer, Missy Egbert Sheehan and William B. Sheehan are the Co-Chairs.
Celebrate Spring was first conceived five years ago by G. Pennington Egbert III, his sister Missy Egbert Sheehan and their close friend Georgina B. Schaeffer. The three, whose fathers both lived with Parkinson’s disease, joined together to create the Young New Yorkers for the Fight Against Parkinson’s committee, a group of nearly 100 New Yorkers dedicated to advancing a cure for Parkinson’s. Each year the committee hosts Celebrate Spring, which has raised more than $300,000 since its inception.
The event began at 8 PM with cocktails and dancing with music provided by DJ Brenda Black.
The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation supports research and ideas that will improve the lives and futures of people touched by Parkinson’s. Created by William Black, the founder of Chock full o’Nuts, a successful New York coffee and restaurant business, PDF was the first national not-for-profit organization to focus on Parkinson’s disease. Since its founding in 1957, PDF has invested $90 million in the research of leading scientists around the world and has committed an additional $37 million to support education and advocacy programs.
MORE ABOUT
PDF’s Côté Clinical Genetics Initiative
Program Overview
Genes, in ways still unknown, contribute significantly to the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Understanding the genetics of those who live with Parkinson’s may hold the key to finding a cure. As a result, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) is establishing an interdisciplinary clinical genetics program, the Côté Clinical Genetics Initiative. This initiative will support investigations that seek to identify genetic markers of Parkinson’s and their disease mechanisms. The Côté Clinical Genetics Initiative is launching with the announcement of the Lucien Côté Early Investigator Award in Clinical Genetics.
The Côté Award will support postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty in the New York City metropolitan area whose clinical or basic science investigations explore the genetics of Parkinson’s disease. All applications will demonstrate the potential to advance the field of Parkinson’s research with their results made publically available. Applicants may use this award to:
Support their salary;
Pay for research expenses and supplies; or
Pay for other justifiable costs.
Potential topics should seek to understand the human aspects of Parkinson’s disease. Applications that study human subjects, use translational models, like fibroblast derived induced pluripotent stem cells, or seek to validate human genetic findings are highly encouraged. Laboratory-based investigations must clearly establish their relevance to the clinical understanding of Parkinson’s. Awards are one-year in length and applicants must have projects which are suitable for this timeframe. All applicants are required to have a mentor and there must be a strong and demonstrable commitment from the mentor to insure success of the awardee and their projects.
Funds Available
There is $200,000 available in direct cost support as part of this RFA. Each award will be a maximum of $50,000 in direct costs plus an additional 10 percent for indirect cost support. PDF expects to support four awards. Competitive, follow-up applications may be considered in the future as PDF anticipates making regular awards as part of this RFA depending on available funds. The award may be used to support the salary of the applicant or their research expenses. Proposals may also be used to support aims that stem from a larger, funded effort but should not overlap with funded projects.
Eligibility & Restrictions
Postdoctoral or junior faculty investigators possessing a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent.
Applicants must be within five years of receiving their terminal training or degree.
Investigators must be at an institution within the NY Metro area defined as within ~50 miles of PDF offices. This includes: the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Northern New Jersey, Southwest Connecticut, and Westchester County.
Applicants located at PDF Research Centers at Columbia and at Cornell are eligible to apply.
Application Instructions & Deadlines
Applying
All applications must be made online. Visit grants.pdf.org to apply. Applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, February 17, 2012 for peer review. Applications must be submitted online at grants.pdf.org. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application for consideration. The deadline for full applications will be Monday, April 16, 2012.
Review & Decisions
All proposals for the Lucien Côté Early Investigator Award are peer reviewed and competitively ranked based upon their scientific merit, impact upon Parkinson's disease, and matching the goals of this award. Decisions for the Letter of Intent and invitations for the full application are expected by early March. All applicants will be notified. Funding decisions are expected to be reached by mid-May 2012. Funding is to commence by Friday, June 29, 2012; however, applicants will be given up to 90 days from award notification to have institutional approval in place, e.g, IRB approval. Applicants can review PDF's application instructions for further information.
Reporting Requirements
Applicants who successfully receive PDF funding for their research are required to identify the Parkinson's Disease Foundation as a source of support in all published works and presentations. At the end of the award period, applicants will also be required to provide a written summary of their accomplishments.
Grantee Meeting
Applicants and their mentors will be required to present details of their projects as part of a PDF-sponsored New York City Parkinson’s Disease Forum as well as part of a small informal meeting held at PDF’s offices. Dates to be determined.
Additional questions
If you have questions regarding this award, please contact PDF at grants@pdf.org or speak to Valerie Holt, PDF Grants Administrator at (212) 923-4700. For general questions, you may also visit PDF’s Application FAQ page.
