recenthistory

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation was founded in 1957 by William Black, a New York City businessman and philanthropologist. The PDF was the first private foundation in the United States created solely in order to research Parkinson's Disease. Mister Black's donation consisted of 2 parts: one donation of 1 million dollars to support Parkinson's Disease research and another of 5 million dollars to Columbia University.

In 1963 the United Parkinson Foundation was founded by Mrs. Jean Bradfield and Mr. Edgar Greenebaum, both of whom had loved ones with the disease. In 1965 they organized the foudnation's first patient symposium on levodopa. The foundation was very successful at disseminating information, services, and programs to patients with Parkinson's Disease and their families. In 1999 the UPF merged with the PDF to create the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, Inc. Recently they have made great strides in increasing the amount of research funding available and in producing and disseminating patient education materials.

Actor Michael J. Fox established the Micheal J. Fox Foundation in May 2000 shortly after announcing his retirement from the ABC television show Spin City. In 1998 he publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease seven years earlier. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson's disease within this decade through an aggressively funded research agenda.The Foundation seeks to hasten progress further by awarding grants that help guarantee that new and innovative research avenues are thoroughly funded and explored.