AAN 2004 Public Leadership Award goes to Leon Fleisher, musician who overcam...( World-renowned classical pianist and S...),Health

World-renowned classical pianist and San Francisco native Leon Fleisher will be only too happy to let his hands speak for him when he takes to the stage as keynote speaker for the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, April 24 May 1.

Fleisher, who will also receive the AAN Foundation Public Leadership in Neurology Award for 2004 at the luncheon, will demonstrate his recovery from a career-crippling case of dystonia in his right hand when he performs a 20-minute piano solo with both hands. The luncheon will be held from noon to 2:00 p.m. PT in the Yerba Buena Ballroom of the San Francisco Marriott Hotel, on Wednesday, April 28.

Fleisher's illustrious early career as a pianist was interrupted in 1965, when focal dystonia forced him to give up the concert hall tour. For the next 30 years, he taught music and conducted orchestras while always holding out hope for a treatment that would enable him to regain full use of his hand. He also emerged as a spokesman on behalf of dystonia patients everywhere, advocating for greater public understanding for the muscle-impairing disorder that afflicts millions worldwide. Recent breakthroughs in treating dystonia enabled Fleisher to resume playing the piano with both hands, a remarkable feat that few other musicians of his stature have accomplished. New research revealing the beneficial effects of using botulinum toxin to treat dystonia among musicians will also be presented at the AAN annual meeting this year.

"Mr. Fleisher's perseverance over the decades is an inspiration to all of us in the neurological field," says Kenneth Viste, MD, chair of the AAN Foundation. "His remarkable comeback as a musician is proof that people can recover from debilitating neurological disorders, and his selfless commitment on behalf of dystonia research and education merits a standing ovation in itself from the both the neurological community and society at large."
'"/>

Contact: Kathy Stone
kstone@aan.com
651-695-2763
American Academy of Neurology
27-Apr-2004

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Public morally obliged to take part in scientific research, says leading ethicist
2. Mailman School of Public Health receives Manhattan Tobacco Cessation Center grant
3. Public policy should address the social factors behind ill health
4. Mailman School of Public Health researchers develop infectious disease diagnostic tool
5. Public interest advocates question NIH Enhanced Access policy
6. National Academies News: William H. Foege to receive Public Welfare Medal, Academys highest honor
7. Rikke set to present the Geron Corporation - Samuel Goldstein Distinguished Publication Lecture
8. GSA confers 2004 Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award to W. Ontarios Connidis and McMullin
9. Latest Public Policy & Aging Report forecasts possible US labor shortage
10. $25 million funds health promotion studies at UT School of Public Health
11. School of Public Health awarded $3.9 million to assess Afghan health system