FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON October 20, 2009

AAN Announces Members Selected for 2010 Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum

ST. PAUL, Minn. -

The (AAN) has announced the selection of more than 30 neurologists to attend the Academy’s award-winning Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, January 7-10, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum is an advocacy leadership skills development program designed to train selected members to be effective advocates for their profession and neurology patients at the local, state and national levels. “The AAN would like to congratulate the 31 members selected to participate in the 2010 Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum,” said Elaine C. Jones, MD, FAAN, co-chair of the Government Relations Committee and Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event. “The Forum provides an excellent opportunity for selected neurologists to obtain grassroots legislative advocacy training, hone media and communications skills, and develop an advocacy action plan based on the health care challenges they face where they live and practice.” This year’s trainees will be joined by 10 experienced Advisors, all of whom were selected from previous Forums based on their advocacy leadership skills to receive advanced mentorship training and work with the new 2010 trainees. Since 2003, 210 members of the AAN from 39 US states and 13 countries have graduated from the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum. Many of these graduates have gone on to implement their action plans and provide solutions to health care challenges in their area. The Forum was named in memory of former AAN Board of Directors member Donald M. Palatucci, MD, and honors his spirited efforts as an advocate for his patients and profession.

The ��ɫ����, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as epilepsy, dystonia, migraine, Huntington’s disease, and dementia. For more information about the ��ɫ����, visit or .