Challenge accepted
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VihuYEGV3U&w=560&h=315]
For the past few weeks, many people across the nation have worked hard to raise awareness about the effects of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. As part of this effort, we have all seen the “Ice Bucket Challenge” on social media and in the news. Here on campus, the VCU Police Department, VCU Globe, VCU School of Medicine and even Rodney the Ram joined the crusade.
I was tagged by Senator Donald McEachin to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and I am accepting the charge because I understand and appreciate the importance of medical funding and research that initiatives like this support. Awareness and contributions are absolutely critical to helping researchers like those at VCU discover important breakthroughs in the medical field that will extend and save lives.
As a premier urban, public research university in our nation, VCU and its faculty and students make a daily habit of producing high-impact collaborative and interdisciplinary research that is both translational and transformative. From research on heart conditions, cancer, burn recovery and trauma to those issues affecting women’s and pediatric health, and — yes — ALS, VCU has a strong commitment to human health that is unique among the nation’s urban public research universities.
In fact, at VCU, Dr. James P. Bennett Jr., director of the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center and professor of neurology, has pioneered research that involves studying cell models and postmortem tissues to better understand movement disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. By translating discoveries like Professor Bennett’s into real-life applications quickly, VCU is helping make the world a better place for everyone.
Whether or not you participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, I challenge each of you to contribute toward medical research. Consider a gift to VCU’s Parkinson’s Center, the VCU Massey Cancer Center or the MCV Foundation. In particular, a gift to Harper’s Hope Fund with the MCV Foundation will help support the ALS program there.
In the meantime, splash on.
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