ABOUT
THE ALS Network
Scientific Advisory Committee

Who we are

The ALS Network Scientific Advisory Committee is composed of ALS researchers, investigators, clinicians, and advocates, along with representatives of industry, government, and partner organizations -- all of whom volunteer their time and expertise to advance the ALS Network's mission.  

The ALS Network’s Research Program provides innovation grants to fund novel yet scientifically rigorous ideas that can transform our understanding of ALS. Grant recipients are selected through a competitive process by our world-class Scientific Advisory Committee, chaired by Clive Svendsen, PhD, Professor and Executive Director, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai RMI.  As a component of its responsibilities, this esteemed group also plans and fundraises for the annual ALS Network Research Summit.  

Our 2024-2025 Scientific Advisory Committee members, many of whom are founders of the annual ALS Network Research Summit, are:

• Bob Bowser, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Professor and Chair of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute

• Lucie Bruijn, PhD, MBA, Therapeutic Area Lead, BMD Novartis

• Claire Clelland, MD, PhD, MPhil, Assistant Professor of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences & UCSF Memory & Aging Center, UC San Francisco 

• Don W. Cleveland, PhD, Departmental Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Advisory Board, UC San Diego/ Packard Center ALS Research at John Hopkins

• Deept Lall, PhD, Project Scientist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

• Steve Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, Director, Taube/Koret Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Senior Investigator and Associate Director, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Professor Department of Neurology, UCSF

• Angela Genge, MD, FRCP, Executive Director, ALS Centre of Excellence for Research and Patient Care, Director, ALS Clinic, The Neuro Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital

•  Aaron Gitler, PhD, Professor, Genetics, Stanford University; Member, ALS Network Scientific Advisory Committee 

• Jill Goslinga, MD, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, UCSF

• Namita Goyal, MD, FAAN, Professor, Director Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship & ALS Clinic, UC Irvine

• Justin Ichida, PhD, Vice President, Head of Neuroscience Research, Co-Founder (Modulo Bio), Co-Founder (AcuraStem), Associate Professor BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Keck School of Medicine of USC

• Paymaan Jafar-nejad, MD,Executive Director, Neurology Research, Ionis Pharmaceuticals

• Jonathan S. Katz, MD, Neurologist, Medical Director, Sutter Health, Forbes Norris ALS Research & Treatment Center

• Michael McGrath, MD, PhD, UCSF Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, CSO, Founder of Neuvivo, Inc.

• Joseph Miletich, MD, PhD, Advisor / Former SVP, Research Sciences, at Merck Juvena Therapeutics

• Daniel Mordes, MD, PhD, Professor in Experimental Pathology IV, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, UCSF

• John Ravitz, MD, Neurologist, Director & Vice Chair Professor of Neurosciences ALS Clinic at UCSD

• Jeffrey Rosenfeld, MD, PhD, Director, Neuromuscular ALS/MND Program, Loma Linda University

• Rita Sattler, PhD, Professor of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute

• Richard Smith, MD, Director, Center for Neurologic Study

• Sheri Strahl, MPH, MBA, President & CEO, ALS Network

• Clive Svendsen, PhD, Chair, ALS Network Research Summit; Professor and Executive Director, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai RMI

• Leslie M. Thompson, PhD, Chancellor’s Professor, UC Irvine

• Eugene Yeo, PhD, MBA, Deputy Chair, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, Director, Professor, UCSD

• Martina Wiedau, MD, Co-Director, ALS Center, UCLA

In Memoriam

• Jim Barber, ALS Advocate and person with ALS

• Fred Fisher, MSW, LCSW, President Emeritus, ALS Network

Acknowledgements

The ALS Network wishes to acknowledge and thank its members (listed above) for their ongoing collaboration, as well as the following individuals for their assistance in putting on this year’s Summit:

• Event Sponsorship: Asher Garfinkel, Vice President of Community Outreach, ALS Network

• Creative and Programming, Public Relations: Jenica Lancy, Director, Marketing & Communications, ALS Network

• Speakers and Poster Presentation Coordinator: Vanessa Hernandez, Program/Project Coordinator, RMI Cedars-Sinai

• Event Planning and Logistics: Jessica Brandon, CMP, Assistant Director of Special Events and Christina Gilbert, Special Events Coordinator, ALS Network