Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology
Director, Program for Neurology Research & Discovery

Often when you think of research scientists who are impacting the human race, you envision a man in a laboratory.

Well, after spending a brief amount of time with Dr. Eva Feldman, director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and of the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery at the University of Michigan, as well as the current president of the American Neurological Association, you quickly see times are changing.

This dynamo powerhouse directs a team of thirty scientists who are trying to find new ways to treat a wide variety of neurological diseases, from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) to Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Feldman is conducting research with stem cells and how they can help individuals “clean the garbage” out of the cells in the spine. This is what causes ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

“Think of the cells as mini power plants. The take energy in and have waste or garbage come out. As we get older it becomes more difficult for our bodies to get rid of that waste,” Dr. Feldman stated. She has an outstanding ability to break down an extremely complicated subject so that the layperson can understand.

This is just the beginning of the filming we will be doing with Dr. Feldman.  We plan to follow her through a typical day working with patients whose lives she is trying to improve or, in some cases, cure a disease they have been diagnosed with.

Dr. Feldman represents perfectly what it means to have a purpose in life.