News Release

Dr. Deluca of Kessler Foundation receives medical excellence award for MS research

John DeLuca, PhD, Vice President for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation, will receive the Medical Excellence Award at the 10th Anniversary of Musical Moments for MS on Dec. 11 at NJPAC in Newark, NJ

Grant and Award Announcement

Kessler Foundation

WEST ORANGE, N.J. November 28, 2012. — John DeLuca, PhD, Vice President for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation, was named this year's recipient of the Medical Excellence Award by Musical Moments for MS. Dr. DeLuca will be honored at the 10th Anniversary of Musical Moments for MS on Tuesday, December 11 at NJPAC in Newark, NJ. This major event, which stars Olivia Newton-John, benefits the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Neurological Institute of NJ at New Jersey Medical School. Also being honored are Richard Lyon, Executive Vice President Commercial Real Estate, Capital One Bank (Corporate Excellence Award) and Leslie Donato, Vice-President and General Manager, Neurology & Hematology, Bayer HealthCare (Humanitarian Award).

"I am honored to accept this award, which acknowledges the importance of cognitive research to rehabilitation of people with MS," remarked Dr. DeLuca. "Cognitive symptoms that hinder the ability to think learn and remember are common in MS. These deficits, which are often overshadowed by physical symptoms, are a significant cause of disability. At Kessler Foundation, we seek to keep people active, engaged, and employed by developing better ways to restore and maintain cognitive function."

Dr. DeLuca specializes in research of disorders of memory and information processing in MS and TBI. His collaborative work in cognitive rehabilitation research extends to Italy, Spain, and China. He has obtained more than 27 million dollars in grant funding to support his work. He has authored more than 250 articles, books, and chapters and is the editor of five recent books, including the first Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. He often presents at national and international conferences and contributes to continuing education for professionals and consumers.

John DeLuca, PhD, oversees Kessler Foundation's renowned rehabilitation research in brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and stroke. The Foundation is widely known for its research training programs, which receive funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research, and the Craig Neilsen Foundation.

Dr. DeLuca is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in Rehabilitation Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. He is a professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Neurology & Neurosciences at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.

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Recent articles by Dr. DeLuca & colleagues:

Large-scale neuronal network dysfunction in multiple sclerosis?: Evidence from resting-state fMRI. Neurology. 2012 Oct 2;79(14):1416-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31826d600d;

Increased functional connectivity within memory networks following memory rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis. Brain Imaging Behav. 2012 Jun 16;

Default network activity is a sensitive and specific biomarker of memory in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2012 Jun 8. [Epub ahead of print];

Warmer outdoor temperature is associated with worse cognitive status in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2012 Mar 27;78(13):964-8;

Cognitive reserve in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2012 Oct;18(10):1454-8.

About Musical Moments for MS

Musical Moments was launched in 1998 by philanthropists Lee and Murray Kushner of Livingston, N.J. to support the work of world-renowned neurologist Dr. Stuart Cook, director of the Neurological Institute of New Jersey. To date, Musical Moments has grossed more than $12 million, providing funds to support two endowed chairs for research at UMDNJ - the Ruth Dunietz Kushner and Michael J. Serwitz chair and the Rena Warshow chair. Proceeds have also helped to fund all of the MS Centers throughout New Jersey, as well as numerous consumer, professional and community programs. For more information on Musical Moments visit www.musicalmomentsforMS.com. To learn more about the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National MS Society, call 732-660-1005 or visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/NJM.

About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation, a large public charity in the field of disability, conducts rehabilitation research in mobility and cognition that advances the care of people with multiple sclerosis, brain injury, stroke and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation is one of eight centers in the U.S. to have NIDRR-funded model systems for both traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation Program Center fosters new approaches to the persistently high rates of unemployment among people disabled by injury or disease. Targeted grant making funds promising programs across the nation.

Find us at KesslerFoundation.org

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Follow us @KesslerFound

Lauren Scrivo, 973-324-8384, 973-768-6583 (cell), LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org


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