Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Research Foundation awards over $790,000 in grants funding spinal cord injury research

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WASHINGTON (March 25, 2020) — Paralyzed Veterans of America is proud to announce its 2020 PVA Research Foundation grant recipients. Through its PVA Research Foundation, Paralyzed Veterans of America has awarded over $790,000 in grant funds to support spinal cord injury research. Each year, the PVA Research Foundation funds scientists at institutions who conduct research to improve the lives of veterans and others living with spinal cord injury and disorders, as well as diseases like multiple sclerosis and ALS.
 
This year, the PVA Research Foundation awarded grants to the following individuals and institutions whose work excelled in the areas of SCI/D rehabilitation strategies, pain management, and others. The grants, which are awarded for a two-year period with the grant cycle beginning on January 1, 2020, are funded in three categories: basic science, clinical applications, and fellowships. 

2020 PVA Research Foundation Grant Recipients:

  • Dr. Elizabeth Akin, Yale University
  • Dr. Manoj Gottipati, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Dr. Warren Grill, Duke University
  • Dr. Alicia Koontz, University of Pittsburgh
  • Dr. Brian Kwon, University of British Columbia
  • Dr. J. Andrew Taylor, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Harvard Medical School

“We’re proud to be able to advance the care and quality of life of veterans and all people living with SCI/D, MS and ALS through the work of our PVA Research Foundation grantees,” said David Zurfluh, national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. “As a person living with a disability, I know first-hand how important this research is to advancements in the health care, rehabilitation, and pain management treatments we receive.”
 
Each year, the PVA Research Foundation funds projects grounded in basic laboratory science and the education of scientists working on breakthroughs directed toward a cure for paralysis, secondary health effects and technologies associated with spinal cord injury or disease. PVA supports projects designed to find better treatments and cures for paralysis, and those that look to improve the quality of life of individuals with SCI/D until improved clinical treatments, technologies or cures are discovered, as well as to train post-doctoral fellow investigators and encourage them to specialize in the area of spinal cord research.  
 
To learn more about our 2020 PVA Research Foundation grant recipients’ research projects, visit
PVA’s Research Foundation Grant Recipients page..