Director's Messages

On July 23-24, NINDS will host its 2024 Nonprofit Forum, which brings together the neuroscience community, including nonprofit and patient advocacy organizations, professional societies focused on neurological disorders and neuroscience research, people with lived experience of neurological disorders, NINDS staff, researchers, academia, and other federal partners, to build connections, learn from one another, and continue to make progress together.

The annual NINDS Nonprofit Forum, taking place July 24-25, 2023, brings together organizations that represent the many neurological diseases within the NINDS portfolio. It’s a valuable venue for the organizations to collaborate and share lessons learned among themselves; and for NINDS to understand how we can most effectively work with organizations to address research needs and challenges.

With each new year comes possibility and promise. The challenges we have faced in 2021 continue to test our grit and in some ways, our patience. My deepest sympathies go out to those of you who have experienced loss associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet despite these challenges, I have witnessed our research and scientific community endure and persevere. With this in mind, I am steadfast and certain that there is much to be hopeful for in 2022.

On 29th and 30th, we hosted the 14th annual NINDS Nonprofit Forum. This yearly event brings together representatives from nonprofit organizations and professional societies focused on diseases and research topics within the NINDS mission. For the first time, instead of welcoming nonprofit leaders and expert speakers to Bethesda, participants attended an interactive, virtual event.