Board of Directors
Steven Albert, PhD
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Steven Albert, PhD |
Steven M. Albert, PhD, MSPH is Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health. He co-directs the Institute of Evaluation Science in Community Health. The broad focus of his research is health across the lifespan, with a special focus on how people seek and receive care for chronic disease. He has conducted a number of studies of patient and family care in ALS, including a study of depression in patients and family caregivers (National Institute of Mental Health), the role of religious coping (Fetzer Institut), cross-cultural variation in diagnosis and care (Fetzer Institute), and ways to promote more effective use of nasal ventilation (ALS Association).
Robert Ferrante, PhD, MS
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Robert Ferrante, PhD, MS |
Dr. Robert Ferrante, Co-Director, is a Visiting Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, and Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is the director of the Experimental Neuropathology and Translational Therapeutics Laboratory in the Neurological Surgery Department. Prior to coming to Pittsburgh in 2011, Dr. Ferrante spent over 20 years at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His work there brought to light and strengthened current hypotheses of cell death. In 1993 he accepted a position at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Boston Veterans Administration System where he developed a bench-to-bedside program to treat neurological conditions. Dr. Ferrante has a wide-range of knowledge about the neuropathology and mechanisms of neurodegeneration in adult-onset neurological diseases, especially ALS. He is considered an expert in the application of experimental models of disease and in bench to bedside translational studies. As an international scholar in ALS, Dr. Ferrante collaborates with other researchers and clinicians worldwide in trying to find the cause and treatment for this dreaded disease. He has been a Director and Principal Proponent in human clinical trials for ALS patients, using a novel drug agent established in his laboratory. Dr. Ferrante is a founding member and remains on the Board of Directors of the ALS Therapy Alliance http://www.alstherapyalliance.org/about/directors-staff.html andis a longstanding member of the Northeast ALS Consortium http://www.alsconsortium.org/. He is a steering committee member on six current human clinical trials using therapeutic agents that were developed in his laboratories. He also holds a position in the Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare System, where he is involved in ALS research in understanding the causes of the disease. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Ferrante has developed one of the premier translational programs for understanding pathophysiological mechanisms of disease and for developing and characterizing therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases. His work has set the standard for others in the field. His laboratory has been a driving force in completing pre-clinical drug trials in mice for direct translation to human clinical trials in ALS patients. His discoveries have led to human clinical trials using coenzyme Q10, creatine, sodium phenylbutyrate, and minocycline. A high dose creatine trial in ALS patients is now under way in collaboration with other investigators at Harvard University Medical School. Dr. Ferrante currently has two funded grants investigating central and peripheral biomarkers of ALS and a bench to bedside program in drug development for ALS. The goal is to find a unique, early diagnostic biochemical signature relating to ALS subjects and to evaluate correlative biomarkers and biomarkers in response to therapy that would provide a powerful means to assess therapeutic treatments in ALS subjects and to predict the potential magnitude of benefits. In addition, Dr. Ferrante has an ongoing drug discovery program developing novel drug agents that are directed at a number of the potential causes of ALS. This work has recently led to a compound that results in a 30 percent increase in the life span of experimental ALS mice. If these were to be equated with human ALS, the effective administration of this drug may potentially add a significant number of years of life to patients. This work is to be highlighted by the Department of Defense. Along with Dr. David Lacomis, the medical director of the Center for ALS Research, the intent is to develop a research and clinical program second to none at the University of Pittsburgh, providing the best possible care for ALS patients.
Robert Friedlander, MD, MA
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Robert Friedlander, MD |
Robert M. Friedlander, MD, was appointed Chairman at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery in April of 2010 and officially started in his position June 1. He is the UPMC Endowed Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurobiology. Dr. Friedlander attended Brandeis University where he earned both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Biochemistry (1984-1987). He attended Harvard Medical School (1987-1991), and completed his Neurosurgery training at the Massachusetts General Hospital (1991-1998). Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Friedlander was Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and Vice-Chairman of neurosurgery and associate director of cerebrovascular surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. As a sign of his prominence as a clinician and scientist, Dr. Friedlander, is one of a very select group of authors to have been invited by the New England Journal of Medicine to write both a basic science review (mechanisms of neuronal cell death), as well as a clinical review (management of AVMs). Clinically, Dr. Friedlander focuses on the operative management of complex cerebrovascular disorders and brain tumors. Dr. Friedlander’s major research interests lie in the study of the mechanistic pathways of the caspase apoptosis gene family. His work includes the evaluation and the development of treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases (Huntington’s and ALS), stroke, brain trauma, and spinal cord injury through the modulation of the caspase-family apoptotic pathways. Dr. Friedlander’s research has received significant media attention including major work published in Nature, Science, and Nature Medicine. His work has also been recognized through many academic awards, including the Neurosurgery Resident Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Bayer Cerebrovascular Award from the Joint Section of Cerebrovascular Surgery, the International Charcot Prize for Motor Neuron Diseases, and the Award from the Academy of Neurological Surgeons. In 2006, he was elected as a member of the prestigious America Society for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Friedlander currently serves on the National Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Specialized Areas of Interest
Aneurysms, vascular malformations, brain tumors, carotid disease, cerebrovascular disease, and Chiari malformation. Research focuses on mechanisms of apoptosis; Huntington's disease, ALS, and stroke.
Steven Graham, MD, PhD
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Steven Graham, MD, PhD |
Dr. Graham’s research focuses on the mechanisms by which neurons die after stroke and brain trauma. New insights into the mechanisms by which cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), the enzyme that is the target of drugs such as Vioxx, injures neurons after anoxia in vitro were obtained during the 2004-5 academic year. These results suggest that prostaglandins, not the peroxidase activity of the enzyme itself, are responsible for COX2’s toxic effect on neurons. Other ongoing research projects address the role of the Fas cell death receptor in stroke and brain trauma. An adenovirus associated viral vector that expresses cFLIP-L, an endogenous inhibitor of Fas-induced cell death, has been constructed and is being tested in models of ischemia in vitro. We have found that mice with mutations in the Fas ligand have fewer apoptotic neurons 24 h after traumatic brain injury, consistent with a role of Fas in neuronal death after TBI.
As Vice-chair for Research he oversees the rapidly growing research program of the Department. Dr. Graham is also Director of the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The GRECC is funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and provides an integrated program of basic biomedical, clinical and health services research, education of trainees and practitioners, and clinical demonstration projects designed to advance knowledge regarding care of the elderly, with an emphasis on stroke. The clinical projects of the GRECC utilize existing geriatric programs to pilot model demonstration projects designed to improve the non-institutional care of the frail elderly in the community. The GRECC accounted for over $6,000,000 in externally funded research report (direct dollars, independent of the GRECC funding), had more than 35 trainees, 1300 attendees at CME activities, and 2 active clinical demonstration projects in the last fiscal year
Dr. Graham's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.
David Lacomis, MD
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David Lacomis, MD |
Dr. Lacomis is a Professor of Neurology and Pathology as well as Chief, Division of Neuromuscular Diseases. He directs the MDA-ALS Center and multidisciplinary clinic, co-directs the electromyography laboratory, and is in charge of the muscle and nerve pathology service. Dr. Lacomis has been named annually among the “Top Doctors” by Pittsburgh magazine, and in both “Best Doctors” and “America’s Top Doctors” nationally. He lectures extensively and is a contributing author for numerous medical journals and books regarding his major clinical interests of ALS, myasthenia gravis, and muscle diseases. Dr. Lacomis is the site Principal Investigator (PI) in the following studies: (1) a Phase III study of dexpramipexole (R(+) pramipexole) for ALS (2) a multicenter study for the validation of ALS biomarkers and (3) a phase III study of ceftriaxone in ALS (4) the continuation of a phase II trial of KNS-760704-CL201 (dexpramipexole) that is now in an open-label phase, and he will also be the site PI for a second phase III study of dexpramipexole. He is also an investigator in a study assessing use of BiPAP and an epidemiology study in ALS. He is also a participant in the PA ALS Registry. With Dr. Robert Bowser, he has extensively studied biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum in ALS patients compared to controls, trying to find a diagnostic panel and to identify disease-related changes. He also serves as the Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship, teaching and mentoring clinical fellows, medical students and house staff from Neurology and Pathology. He serves on the Clinical Neurophysiology Examination Committee for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Lacomis is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular Diseases and two scientific advisory committees. He is dedicated to expanding translational and clinical research in ALS in Pittsburgh to a leadership level in collaboration with Dr. Ferrante. See Publications.
Sandy Snyder
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Sandy Snyder |
Sandy Snyder serves as chief marketing officer for the law offices of Edgar Snyder & Associates. She started advertising the law firm in 1982, and helped transform iit from a two-person operation to a company that employs over 130 attorneys and staff at five office locations. Ms. Snyder is credited with making her husband, Attorney Edgar Snyder, one of the most recognizable injury lawyers in Pennsylvania. In honor of her work, Ms. Snyder has received an Outstanding Achievement in Media Award by the Media Association of Pittsburgh.
In addition to a marketing career spanning over three decades, Ms. Snyder is passionate about giving back to the community. In 2011, Sandy received a Woman of Achievement award, which honors the women of Pittsburgh who contribute greatly to the success and advancement of the city. On her own, Sandy is involved with UPMC, having established the Leonard Gerson Award in memory of her father, who had ALS; plus, she’s a member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute council. She also established the Sadie Gerson Distinguished Scholar Award at UPMC’s Hillman Cancer Center in memory of her mother, who had colon cancer. Her accomplishments certainly have not gone without notice: She was honored at the sixth annual Women of Achievement Awards from Celebrate & Share, and she received the 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Media award from the Media Association of Pittsburgh, calling attention to her contributions to legal marketing. Above all, though, she’s most passionate about assisting Pittsburgh’s youth, especially those emerging in her field. She volunteers extensively for the Jewish community and supports many programs in the local community. These include an annual visiting scholar lecture at Pitt Law School in honor of her husband, as well as events at UPMC to support an ALS Visiting Scholar program in memory of her father, and at UPCI to support colorectal cancer research in memory of her mother. The Snyders sponsor a program that provides relief efforts for Jews in Moscow and the Ural Mountains, as well as similar programs for the local Jewish community. The duo co-chair the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s 2012 Centennial Celebration. In addition, the Snyders spearhead numerous campaigns to battle underage drinking and drunk driving. In recognition of their philanthropic efforts, PNC honored the Snyders with the Community Builders Award.
Ms. Snyder graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in Education and earned her MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. Sandy and Edgar Snyder have three children and three grandchildren.
Lawrence Wechsler, MD
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Lawrence Wechsler, MD |
Lawrence Wechsler, MD, professor of neurology and neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Stroke Institute and has been very active in the treatment of stroke and its debilitating effects. He was among the first doctors to report on the direct intra-arterial injection of urokinase to dissolve blood clots in brains of people suffering stroke. He is co-editor of one of the leading texts on transcranial doppler ultrasound, a method that uses a microprocessor-controlled adjustable probe that records blood flow in intracranial arteries.
Dr. Wechsler has served as local principal investigator for national and international clinical trials testing new treatments for acute stroke. He also serves on advisory and steering committees for several large multicenter trials of acute stroke therapy.
Dr. Wechsler and Douglas Kondziolka, MD, Peter J. Jannetta Professor with the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, pioneered studies of implantation of LBS-Neurons within a stroke patient's brain to restore nerve function.
Dr. Wechsler earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard College and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at UPMC Presbyterian and residency in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he also completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease.
Dr. Wechsler holds memberships in several organizations, including the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Society of Neuroimaging. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is board certified in vascular neurology.
He has authored or co-authored many papers and chapters on stroke and stroke treatment.
Dr. Wechsler's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.
Clayton Wiley, MD, PhD
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Clayton Wiley, MD, PhD |
Dr. Wiley's research concentrates on the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and in particular on viral and age induced nervous system diseases. Viruses damage the nervous system either by direct infection of neural cells or by secondary effects of an immune response. In recent years his studies have focused on central nervous system retroviral infections and have pioneered the use of molecular and imaging techniques to quantitatively assess viral burden. This same technology is now being applied to quantify neurological damage and the immune / neuroinflammatory response with specific attention focused on disruption of the extracellular matrix and how this leads to synaptic damage.
Trainees in Dr. Wiley's laboratory have the opportunity to learn a wide variety of techniques related to studying degeneration of the nervous system. Whole organism techniques include; PET, MRI, brain harvesting and sampling, and small animal perfusion, histological techniques include; immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and ultrastructural analysis. Training on laser confocal and electron microscopes is available. Protein techniques include; antibody purification and tagging. Molecular techniques include; RNA and DNA extraction from tissues, competitive PCR probe construction and quantitation. Lab rotation projects involve quantitation of mRNA and protein expression in human and non-human primate nervous system tissue in vivo or in vitro.
View Dr. Wiley's publications on PubMed.
