Education
PUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN
Peri Appollo chats with Jovanna Little and Dr. Gad Klein of the Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute about neurological injuries related to athletics, the “Know The Score” campaign, early warning signs of neurological diseases, and how to recognize and treat concussions. | Listen to Interview.
DAN LAURIA KICKS OFF LESLIE MUNZER NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE’S
“KNOW THE SCORE” PUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN
PORT JEFFERSON STATION, NY – August 19, 2011 -- Fresh from a successful Broadway run in the title role of Lombardi, actor Dan Lauria has partnered with the Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute for a series of TV, radio and print public service ads. The ads urge viewers, listeners and readers to “Know the Score” about preventing brain and spinal cord injuries, and discuss the warning signs of neurological disorders. Based in Port Jefferson Station, New York, the Institute is a not-for-profit foundation that provides support and educational programs, funds research on brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and is currently conducting an epilepsy study.
"Part of our mission is to provide information to patients and the community about brain and spine disorders and injuries, and the ‘Know the Score’ public service announcements support that mission,” said Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute Executive Director Jovanna Little, M.T. (Ret.), C.F.R.E. “We are very thankful to Dan Lauria for working with us on this important campaign on a pro bono basis, and helping us educate the public.”
The “Know the Score” campaign uses a sports theme, since many brain and spine injuries occur during sports-related activities, and the Institute has a major Sports Injury Awareness initiative. Mr. Lauria has been a collegiate athlete and coach, and he speaks with the voice of authority when he gives valuable tips about the safe way to engage in sports, such as “wearing your helmet and protective gear, doing your warm ups, and obeying the rules of the game.” As for recognizing the warning signs, he recommends seeing a doctor right away “if you have persistent headache, back pain, numbness, blurred vision or balance problems.”
Dan Lauria was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Lindenhurst High School on Long Island; he still maintains strong ties to the region. Before becoming an actor, he played football for Southern Connecticut State University, where he later became a coach. Mr. Lauria has appeared widely on both stage and screen, and is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jack Arnold, the father on the Emmy Award-winning TV series The Wonder Years, which ran on ABC from 1988 to 1993. Most recently, he appeared as Vince Lombardi in the critically acclaimed Broadway play, Lombardi.
The Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide information to patients and the community about neurological disorders and diseases, encourage the prevention of brain and spinal cord injury, promote the early diagnosis of neurological disorders and diseases, improve the quality of life for individuals affected by these conditions, and help find a cure for diseases of the brain and spinal cord.
In addition to holding free neurological seminars for Long Island residents and a Sports Injury Awareness and Prevention Program for Long Island schools and athletic teams, LMNI offers an online feature, “Ask the Neurosurgeon,” which allows anyone in the world to ask general questions about various neurological conditions. “Ask the Neurosurgeon” can be accessed on www.lmni.org. The organization’s supportive program offers patients and caregivers the opportunity to share concerns and feelings and learn about neurological disorders through guest speakers at monthly support group meetings.
In the area of research, in 2009, the Institute awarded $75,000 in Brain AVM Grants ($25,000 each) to qualified researchers at Stanford University, University of California, San Francisco and the University of Pittsburgh. In 2010, $30,000 was awarded to a neurosurgeon at Geisinger Clinic, PA. The Institute has also received $70,000 from an anonymous donor for physicians to study a group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy who are hypothesized to have a greater incidence of depression than patients with non-temporal lobe epilepsy.
In 2004, Leslie Munzer passed away from a ruptured AVM—a tangle of arteries and veins in her brain. In her memory, husband Robert Munzer and sons Michael and Steven created the AVM and Neurological Research Fund to raise money to fund brain AVM research. In 2006, the private practice Neurological Surgery, P.C. created the Long Island Neurological Institute, Inc., to provide professional and general information to patients and the community concerning neurological and physiological disorders and diseases, and to coordinate research related to disorders and diseases of the brain and spinal cord. In 2008, the Munzer Family made a gift to the Long Island Neurological Institute, Inc. and the not-for-profit organization was renamed the Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute, Inc.
For more information, contact the Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute at 631-473-1800, or send an email to info@lmni.org.
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