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Donor Stories
Michael J. Fox and Joe and Carol Reich Honor Susan B. Bressman, MD, and Celebrate Extraordinary Care for Parkinson’s Patients
Susan B. Bressman, MD, Chair of the Mirken Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Medical Center, has long been recognized as a leading international authority on Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Last fall, a group of Parkinson’s patients and their family and friends gathered for a special evening to honor Dr. Bressman— and to raise money for her vital work in the field of Parkinson’s disease research and treatment.
“Dr. Bressman and her team perform a lot of important research; they train fellows and offer complementary care like yoga classes. It all has to be funded philanthropically. I thought that if we could assemble patients and give them an understanding of the work she’s doing, then they would happy to help,” said Joseph H. Reich, who served as Chair of the event’s Host Committee. He added with a laugh, “Dr. Bressman is reluctant to ask people for money, but I’m not.”
A patient of Dr. Bressman’s for seven years, Mr. Reich—who along with his wife, Carol, and daughter, Marcia, committed $75,000 for each of the next three years—originally conceived of the event during a lunch with Beth Israel Trustee Ed Levy. Soon he had put together a Host Committee that included Bobbie Abrams, Michael J. Fox, Ed and Carolyn Levy, Alan and Joan Mirken, Lester and Geri Pollack, Carol Reich, and Bernard and Anne Spitzer.
The kick-off event, held on October 13, 2010, at the Friar’s Club, attracted 72 guests. In total, more than $1.4 million has been raised for the Department.
“I’m so grateful to Joe for being the catalyst and driving force of this special event,” Dr. Bressman said. “I deeply appreciate both Joe and Carol for their focus, their innovative thinking, and the deep bond they have with our department.”
The Mirken Department is a recognized leader in clinical expertise, genetics, research, and surgical treatment for patients with PD, and has the honor of being designated a Center of Excellence by the National Parkinson’s Foundation.
“ Our goal is to transform Parkinson’s treatment and to be the model for patient centered, truly extraordinary care.”
“Since joining Beth Israel’s Mirken Department of Neurology in 1997, Dr. Bressman has built its reputation so that it is recognized as one of the finest neurology departments in America,” said Harris M. Nagler, MD, President, Beth Israel Medical Center. “Philanthropy has enabled the Department to achieve so much, and I think it’s wonderful that so many people are eager to help Dr. Bressman and her team continue their important work in the field of Parkinson’s care.”
“Our goal is to transform Parkinson’s treatment and to be the model for patient-centered, truly extraordinary care,” Dr. Bressman said. She noted that the standard experience for a patient with Parkinson’s, even a newly diagnosed one, often doesn’t include a discussion of exercise, diet, mood, fears, what to tell others, and other issues that Parkinson’s patients face. “Our model of care tackles all of those questions head-on and involves an ongoing dialogue with patients to address Parkinson’s disease comprehensively and holistically.”
Dr. Bressman also spoke about the hospital’s steadfast dedication to advancing the science on Parkinson’s disease through clinical research. The focus of the Mirken Department’s research has been to identify genes for parkinsonism, to characterize genotype- phenotype relations, and to identify imaging and other endophenotypes in order to improve treatment options and ultimately find a cure.
“Research remains imperative because we don’t have all the treatments we need, and we don’t yet have a cure,” Dr. Bressman said, noting that every interested Parkinson’s patient has the opportunity to participate in meaningful research at Beth Israel. “Our clinical research encompasses trials that test new treatments including gene therapies, and also observational studies to identify biomarkers and genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s. Our genetics and biomarkers work has resulted in important findings and will hopefully continue to yield information that will take us to better treatments and ways to slow or stop the disease.”
In addition to serving on the Host Committee, actor Michael J. Fox spoke at the event. Mr. Fox established the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today. Last year, MJFF presented the Mirken Department of Neurology, along with researchers at Columbia University and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, with a $2.7 million grant in support of a study examining the clinical presentation of Parkinson’s disease in Ashkenazi Jews.
Under the leadership of Dr. Bressman, Beth Israel’s Movement Disorders Center draws patients from throughout the United States and around the world who seek individualized care and innovative support services. More than 1,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease are seen each year, and the center takes a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to caring for patients and offers a robust selection of programs.
“I think Dr. Bressman runs a fabulous department. She trains a lot of doctors and does a lot of research, and she’s incredible with patients,” Mr. Reich said, adding that the crowd at the event reflected the respect and admiration everyone has for Dr. Bressman. “She is the best, and I think all of her patients agree. This event was very easy to get done—everyone wanted to help.”