2023-24 LLL Impact Report - Flipbook - Seite 39
DIRECTOR OF
ALS RESEARCH
Belzil to establish the 昀椀rst basic science lab in
Tennessee and one of a few in the country that is
solely dedicated to 昀椀ghting this terrible disease.
Recruiting Dr. Belzil is an important step forward
for Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and most importantly,
the patients and families who need us to do
everything we possibly can to 昀椀nd a cure for
ALS,” he continued.
Dr. Belzil is no stranger to Live Like Lou. She
was the inaugural recipient of the Live Like Lou
Foundation’s Career Development Award in 2019.
In 2021, she partnered with other Live Like Lou
researchers and won the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Director’s Transformative Research
Award, providing $9 million for their effort to
identify the molecular and genetic mechanisms
that cause ALS.
“I am looking forward to establishing a
world-renowned collaborative and translational
ALS research center by prioritizing open science,
teamwork, interdisciplinary expertise, and
national and international collaborations,”
Belzil said. “The Vanderbilt ALS Research
Center will become a natural extension of my
own laboratory’s mission: develop patientcentered approaches to quickly bring 昀椀ndings
from bench to bedside so ALS becomes
curable.”
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ALL 4 LOU
SHOWDOWN
In March of this year, 2,116 attendees watched the second annual All 4 Lou Showdown. The
showdown featured the VandyBoys against the Belmont Bruins at First Horizon Park, home of the
Nashville Sounds. Live Like Lou board and staff members were honored to have our friends from
Permobil USA, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Phi Delta Theta Fraternity join the crowd of
supporters to raise money for the Live Like Lou Fund for ALS Research at VUMC.
Gerald McCormick, a
US Army veteran who
served in the Gulf War,
read somewhere that
veterans are more
likely to have ALS. But
like most people, he
昀椀gured that would
never happen to him
and wouldn’t impact him and his family. Until it
did. In early 2021, he developed a limp in his
right leg. After many months of doctor visits
and arduous testing, it was 昀椀nally con昀椀rmed to
be ALS. Gerald, a former state legislator, lives
in Nashville. He and his wife Kim have two
daughters and a granddaughter, Margot, who also
attended the VandyBoys game. Margot threw out
the 昀椀rst pitch to the Nashville Sounds mascot,
Booster! Gerald has been an active voice in ALS
advocacy, and we are honored to have his family
involved with the Live Like Lou Foundation.
We are so grateful to Coach Tim Corbin and
the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team for
their efforts to fund ALS research in Middle
Tennessee. Congratulations on their win in the
All 4 Lou Showdown!
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