Rachel Jonte                                    For Immediate Release
The Neurosciences Institute                            December 13, 2007
858-626-2018 jonte@nsi.edu

CELEBRATED WRITER AND PHYSICIAN OLIVER SACKS
TEAMS UP WITH SAN DIEGO NONPROFIT THE NEUROSCIENCES INSTITUTE

Renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, M.D., has joined The Neurosciences Institute’s Board of Trustees, making official an ongoing relationship with the Institute since its inception in 1981.

Rarely does a week go by without some interesting article or news brief concerning Dr. Sacks appearing in the national press.  San Diegans are also clamoring for a piece of him, as evidenced by the bursting-at-the-seams lecture he delivered in the Institute’s Auditorium in August.  In fact, over 300 people were turned away once the Auditorium reached its maximum capacity of 350, with 50 people staying to listen in overflow areas.

Why the attraction?  Oliver Sacks offers a unique and humane perspective as he combines his expertise in medicine, science, and storytelling.  The author of ten beautifully written books, including his most recent, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, and bestsellers The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings (which inspired the Oscar-nominated film), Dr. Sacks couples a brilliant prose style with great professional expertise.

Dr. Sacks has spent his career focusing on the ways in which individuals survive and adapt to different neurological diseases and conditions, and what this experience can tell us about the human brain and mind.  He has transformed our views of neurological disorders by showing how human resilience and adaptability is reflected in people who have a variety of brain disorders.

Dr. Gerald Edelman, Nobel Laureate and Director of the Institute, said, “Oliver Sacks is a man of high gifts and great compassion. He is justly celebrated for bringing to public attention the remarkable compensations and flexibilities of the human brain.  Over the years he has been a constant source of advice and exchange with scientists at The Neurosciences Institute, and we celebrate his joining our board and look forward to his ongoing contributions and wisdom.”

Dr. Sacks lives in New York City, where he is Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia University, as well as Columbia’s first University Artist. For more information about Dr. Sacks, visit www.oliversacks.com.

The Neurosciences Institute is a nonprofit organization based in La Jolla, California. Founded by Dr. Gerald Edelman, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1972, the Institute’s ultimate goal is to understand the inner workings of human brain in health and disease.  
       
Since 1981 the Institute has relied primarily on private non-governmental gifts and donations to support its research programs.  For additional information and to become a member supporter, visit the Institute’s website at www.nsi.edu  or contact Rachel Jonte at jonte@nsi.edu.