2013 Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer’s Research Awarded to Dr. Michael Weiner!

Michael W. Weiner, MD, Director of the San Francisco VA Medical Center’s Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease and Professor of Radiology at UCSF will receive the 2013 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases. Dr. Weiner, along with co-recipients William J. Jagust, MD, with the University of California, Berkeley and Eric M. Reiman, MD, with Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, will receive the award, selected by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation, during the Academy’s 65^th Annual Meeting, March 16- 23, 2013 in San Diego.

Dr. Weiner has been selected as a recipient for his work in standardizing imaging and biomarker tests to find better ways to detect and diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. He helped to form the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the first of its kind to perform amyloid PET imaging brain scans at multiple sites across the United States. Since then, amyloid imaging has become widely available for diagnosis and use in clinical trials.

According to Dr. Weiner, “The methods developed by ADNI are now considered the standard for clinical trials. Over 1,000 subjects have been enrolled and followed in ADNI. ADNI has led to more than 300 scientific papers, and ADNI projects are ongoing in many countries around the world. I am so grateful to receive this award.”

The Potamkin Prize honors researchers each year for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Pick’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Recipients are awarded a $100,000 prize to further advance dementia research. The goal of the prize is to help attract the best medical minds and most dedicated scientists in the world to the field of dementia research.

For more information on the Potamkin Prize, please click here!