The Potamkin family, in partnership with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and American Brain Foundation (ABF), would like to congratulate Dr. Maria Luisa Gorno Tempini, this year’s recipient of The Potamkin Prize.

Dr. Gorno Tempini has pioneered the modern classification of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Her report on that topic is a citation classic and triggered the current enthusiasm for research on PPA. Dr. Gorno-Tempini has also made pivotal contributions to Behavioral Neurology through her functional imaging experiments that addressed the neurobiology of grammar and semantics.

Dr. Maria Luisa Gorno Tempini is a behavioral neurologist and holds the Charles Schwab Charles Schwab Distinguished Professorship in Dyslexia and Neurodevelopment. She currently directs the Language Neurobiology Laboratory at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and co-directs the UCSF Dyslexia Center. She obtained her medical degree and clinical neurology specialty training in Italy and has a doctorate in the neuroimaging of language from University College London.

This Year’s Event

The 2022 Potamkin Prize was presented by Andi Potamkin, in memory of her grandmother Luba Potamkin, at the American Brain Foundation’s Commitment to Cures gala. The live event took place in Seattle, WA on April 6th, 2022, and everyone was delighted to see each other. We had six previous Potamkin Prize winners in the audience! This year’s awardee, Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, spoke passionately about his research and his optimistic outlook on applying his findings to a larger community.

A Night of Luminaries

The event was hosted by American Brain Foundation Chair David Dodick, MD, FAAN. Other participants included Lauren Miller Rogan and Seth Rogan who received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award for their foundation Hilarity for Charity, which supports caregivers and families experiencing dementia, presented by Dr. Richard Isaacson. New York Times bestselling author Susannah Calahan received the Ambassador Award for her work to raise public awareness of people living with brain disease. The award was presented by her neurologist Dr. Souhel Najjar. Dr. Stephen L. Hauser, MD received the Scientific Breakthrough Award for his breakthrough research into the genetic basis, immune mechanisms, and treatment of multiple sclerosis. The award was was presented by Dr. Hauser’s patient Justine Fedak, who could not walk at all when she first met Dr. Hauser a number of years ago. To present Dr. Hauser with his award, Justine walked across the stage in 6” high heels.

Other Honorees & Appearances

This year’s event was a huge success, with the American Brain Foundation raising an incredible $850,000 for brain disease research. In addition to the Potamkin Prize and other awards, Dr. Matthew Kiernan, MBBS, PhD, DSc, FRACP received the Sheila Essey Award for ALS research. Alan Tisch generously pledged to match donations up to $100,000. Other appearances included biotech entrepreneur Ben Lenail; author, Alzheimer’s & brain health advocate Dan Gasby; NFL star Matt Hasselbeck; and Musical Performer Alex Newell.