NIH Supports Groundbreaking Research on the Effects of Obesity and Diabetes on the Nervous System

Ann Arbor – The University of Michigan Program for Neurology Research & Discovery has received a pair of grants worth a total of $2.9 million from the National Institutes of Health to pursue how obesity and diabetes adversely affect the nervous system. Drs. Callaghan, Hinder and Feldman (pictured, left to right) will collaborate on a pair of studies that will explore the beneficial effects of diet, exercise and bariatric surgery. Complete press release

Third Annual Michigan Hockey ALS Awareness Game Set for October 26

Ann Arbor – The University of Michigan ice hockey team will host its third annual ALS Awareness Game on October 26 at Yost Ice Arena when it faces St. Lawrence University at 7:30 p.m. U-M hockey has been significantly impacted by ALS. Scott Matzka (pictured with wife, Catie, and Dr. Feldman), who played for U-M from 1997-2001 and assisted on the goal that gave the Wolverines the 1998 NCAA Championship, was diagnosed with ALS in 2014. Former Michigan player Jim Ballantine (1988-1991), died from ALS in 2002. And Joe Feudi, the husband of former Yost Arena business office manager Jill Feudi, is also fighting the disease.The Center will be represented on the concourse by physicians, researchers and clinical staff to help fans better understand just how devastating the neurodegenerative disease is to patients and their families. Additionally, information about ALS will be featured periodically on the arena video boards. 
Complete press release

      
Dr. Feldman Speaks at Sound Health:
Music and the Mind
Detroit – Dr. Feldman was a featured speaker at Sound Health: Music and the Mind on September 27 at Henry Ford Hospital. Renée Fleming, a world-renowned soprano and the Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor at Large, established the Sound Health initiative. Fleming has been involved with the National Institutes of Health and the National Endowment of the Arts, in the exploration of the power of music therapy as it relates to a number of neurologic disorders. The four-time Grammy Award winner wants to bring to light the connection between music, health, and medical research in the neurosciences. Complete press release

      
Coltman Drives Independence for Persons for ALS
Brian Coltman first entered the seating and mobility industry at 16-years-old working part-time at Thomas Surgical Supply. The high school job sparked an interest in the engineering and mechanics of assisted mobility, ultimately pushing him to remain in the industry and eventually joining U-M in 2011. “I am the old man in the wheelchair world,” jokes Brian Coltman, ATP/SMS, CRTS, who is the mobility specialist for the University of Michigan Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic. For individuals with ALS, walkers and wheelchairs can help individuals conserve energy and retain mobility. 
Complete feature story