FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON October 31, 2011

AAN Announces Class of 2012 for Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum

ST. PAUL, Minn. -

has named 30 neurologists from around the world to attend the esteemed Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, January 12-15, 2012, in Austin, Texas. The Forum is the premier advocacy leadership skills development program designed to train neurologists to be effective advocates for their patients at the local, state and national levels. “It is impressive how past graduates of this program have been able to effectively advocate for changes in state and federal law to help the one in six people worldwide affected by a disabling neurologic disorder, such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, epilepsy and brain injury,” said Bruce Sigsbee, MD, President and Fellow of the ��ɫ����, the world’s largest professional association of neurologists. Graduates of the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum learn how to make a difference in their local, state and national governments, hone their communication skills and develop an advocacy action plan to try to solve health care challenges where they live and practice. Many who graduate go on to: • Promote state and federal legislation • Obtain financial support for research • Develop coalitions • Organize state neurological societies • Lobby for fair reimbursement to maintain patients’ access to neurologic care • Help draft position statements that affect future legislation Since 2003, 270 members of the ��ɫ���� from 41 US states and 15 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. This year’s trainees will be joined by 10 advisors, all of whom were selected from previous forums based on their advocacy leadership experience to receive advanced mentorship training and work with the new 2012 trainees. The Forum was named in memory of former Academy 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 24,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. For more information about the ��ɫ����, visit .