TAN Elected to ABC Board

Tremor Action Network, acronym TAN, is pleased to share the American Brain Coalition (ABC) Nominating Committee selection of TAN to serve on the ABC Board.

TAN was inducted as an ABC nonprofit member during the 2005 57th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Meeting in Miami. Before that, TAN was on the ground floor of the ABC start-up in 2003 and 2004. TAN attended the 2003 Society for Neuroscience (SFN) Advocacy Workshop Meeting in New York City that was the catalyst for the evolution of ABC. TAN was present at ABC’s first meeting held in conjunction with the 2004 Society for Neuroscience (SFN) Meeting in San Diego. On behalf of TAN, Kathleen Welker served on the ABC Strategic Planning Committee.

Mr. Peter Muller affiliated with HopeNET, will serve as TAN’s liaison on the ABC Board. On behalf of TAN Mr. Muller attended the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Award Ceremony to honor the achievements of Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid, and other award nominees. Mr. Muller attended the ABC 2008 and 2011 Fall membership meetings in Washington, DC. Mr. Muller regularly attends the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus meetings sponsored by ABC. Mr. Muller has a cordial relationship with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Mr. Muller has a military background and plans to attend the 2013 One Mind for Research meeting in Baltimore, chaired by Army Gen. (ret.) Peter Chiarelli. Mr. Muller’s advocacy participation represents the Mission, Vision and Goals of the American Brain Coalition.

The ABC is a coalition for bringing together neurological and psychiatric organizations that represent interested patients, families, and professionals to collectively advocate for increased support of research that will lead to better treatment, services, and support. The organization is also pressing for a national commitment towards finding cures for individuals with disabling neurological and psychiatric disorders. ”ABC hopes to achieve the same level of public awareness and support for diseases of the brain that have been realized by the American Heart Association for heart disease and the American Cancer Society for cancer. Only when the public understands how mental illness and diseases of the brain affect 50 million of their relatives, friends, and neighbors will we attract the level of support for research and care needed to prevent, control, and cure these diseases. Each ABC member has a responsibility to network with colleagues in their field so that ABC can achieve this level of awareness.”

TAN complies with ABC’s “request for responsibility.” TAN regularly attends the ABC membership meetings, and participates in conference calls and ABC sponsored events. TAN attended the 2010 Member of Congress meeting in Washington, DC, and the 2011 and 2012 One Mind for Research symposiums in Boston and Los Angeles. TAN was awarded the first ABC Advocacy Challenge Award. TAN features ABC articles in The TremorAction.org newsletter Spikes & Spasms, and proactively shares ABC updates with tremor patient advocates.

TAN looks forward to officially joining the ABC Board in the Fall of 2013 at the ABC Membership Meeting in San Diego. Until then, ABC’s executive director Katie Sale, has invited Mr. Muller to sit in on conference calls.