fostering RESEARCH, INNOVATION, & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A GIFT THAT EXPANDS KNOWLEDGE The Johnson Family Invests in UAB Dystonia Research 1901. J.J. Johnson, Joel Johnson,
member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the
and his late son Joel Jr. operated
Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Founda-
the bank for more than 100 years
tion. Because of the Johnson gift, UAB received a
until it merged with the Bank of the
competitive grant from the Bachmann-Strauss Foun-
Ozarks in 2012. “The Johnsons
dation, which created The Bachmann-Strauss Dys-
were very civic-minded individuals,
tonia and Parkinson’s Disease Center for Excellence.
giving of their time and resources to
The gift will help UAB create a world-class
the community,” says Nell Johnson,
research program in dystonia, which Standaert says
daughter-in-law of Mr. Johnson.
will use an integrated team of clinicians and labo-
“This gift will perpetuate their mem-
ratory scientists to achieve the ultimate goal of cre-
ory as civic, business, church, and
ating disease-altering, neuro-protective and poten-
philanthropic leaders.”
tially neuro-restorative therapies. It also will aid in
Dystonia
neurologi-
recruitment of pre- and postdoctoral researchers to
Tom Strauss, David Standaert, Nell Johnson, Bonnie Strauss, Ray Watts, and
cal movement disorder in which
UAB to train as the next generation of dystonia clini-
Paula Stein
sustained
cians and scientists. In addition to providing clinical
cause
is
a
muscle
twisting
contractions
and
repetitive
care and research support, the fund will help UAB
movements or abnormal postures. “Dystonia has
recruit additional faculty researchers and clinicians
THE FAMILY OF MR. JOEL E. JOHNSON SR. several forms and may be hereditary or caused
who will focus on dystonia, pursuing promising,
has committed a transformative gift of $1 million to
by factors such as physical trauma, infection,
novel research projects and accelerating ongoing
expand and strengthen UAB’s dystonia research
or reaction to a pharmaceutical,” says David G.
research projects aimed at developing new treat-
program. The Joel E. Johnson Sr. Research Acceler-
Standaert, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of
ments and cures.
ation Fund in Dystonia will support dystonia research
Neurology. “However, most cases have no known
“It’s gratifying to know that the Joel E. Johnson
in the Division of Movement Disorders, part of the
cause. Treatment is difficult and has been limited
Sr. Research Acceleration Fund in Dystonia will help
Department of Neurology.
to minimizing the symptoms. At present, there is no
bolster patient care, clinical research, and basic lab-
Joel Johnson Sr., who passed away at age
cure.” The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation,
oratory research in pursuit of new treatments—and
98 in 1997, was a 1921 graduate of The University of
for which Standaert has served as an advisor, esti-
ultimately a cure—for dystonia here in Alabama,”
Alabama Law School. His father, J.J. Johnson,
mates as many as 300,000 people in North Amer-
says Lesley Laird, granddaughter of Mr. Johnson.
founded Citizen’s Bank in Geneva, Alabama, in
ica have dystonia. Standaert currently serves as a
DEDICATED TO FUNDING RESEARCH BCRFA Makes Annual Gift to UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center D.D., was diagnosed with breast cancer. He says his consternation about what to do led him toward raising money. And he did not have far to look to find an appropriate recipient. “Being in a community with UAB, and them being on the cutting edge of cancer research, it was a great fit,” he says. BCRFA co-founder Dolly O’Neal was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994. After surgery, she got the all-clear. When she and Sokol started the foundation, she says she wasn’t thinking of her own health. “We wanted to raise money for research, and my goal was to keep my daughter and her generation from going through this,” she says. O’Neal’s breast cancer came back in 2009, and her doctor at the Cancer Center, Andres Forero, M.D., treated her successfully using a new drug the center was
Front row: Kay Meacham, Shaela Wise, Dolly O’Neal, Carol Sue Nelson, Dianne Mooney,
testing. Her cancer came back again this past December, and O’Neal is being treated
Kate DeWitt Darden, Carol Myers, and Melinda Mathews; Back row: Brian Grainger,
using another new drug the center is putting through a Phase 3 trial.
Amy Gilmore-Passey, Andres Forero, Jill Crawford, Rosalind Griffin, Bruce Sokol, Jill Carter,
In both cases, money from the foundation helped fund the research. This sup-
Jason Harpe, Emily Bates, Cherri Ellis, Camper O’Neal, Kim Comer, and Tom Robertshaw
port from the foundation—when divided up into smaller sums for investigators at the Cancer Center—allows those scientists to gather the data they need to
THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF ALABAMA (BCRFA) is donating $500,000 this year to UAB for cancer
give their funding proposals a better chance of success when they seek bigger
research, bringing the foundation’s cumulative gifts to UAB to nearly $4.5 million
with the proceeds from its fund-raising efforts during the previous year, includ-
since 1996.
ing events, individual and community donations, and sales of specialty breast
grants from external sources. The foundation’s annual donation to UAB is funded
Bruce Sokol became a co-founder of the BCRFA about a year after his wife, GIVE SOMETHING
cancer license plates.
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