$3 Million Raised for Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus!

The 6th annual Vision Dinner was held on Friday, November 2, 2018, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. Generously underwritten by Craig and Vicki Brown, benefactors of the Hydrocephalus Association, the evening seeks to raise national attention about hydrocephalus and raise funds to advance hydrocephalus research.  

Thanks to Craig and Vicki Brown, the Vision Dinner has helped raise critical funding for hydrocephalus research.

“Vicki and I launched the Vision Dinner initiative in 2013 to raise awareness of hydrocephalus and its impact on patients and families while we work to improve treatments and ultimately find a cure to end the suffering caused by the condition.  The Vision Dinners represent a campaign designed to bring together the hydrocephalus community to share information, spotlight progress and chart a course for the future,” shared Craig Brown in his welcoming remarks.

Chart a course for the future, it has. Since the first Vision Dinner in 2013, the initiative has played a critical role in growing investments into the Hydrocephalus Association’s Research program. This year’s Vision Dinner served as a celebration of the successful completion of a 3-year campaign launched at the 2016 Vision Dinner to raise $3 million to support a focused research initiative into Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus (PHH), the development of hydrocephalus after a brain bleed. PHH is the leading cause of hydrocephalus in children, but investments into preventing the development of hydrocephalus after a brain bleed benefit individuals of all ages who acquire hydrocephalus from a traumatic brain injury.

The evening honored three individuals for their impact on and service to the hydrocephalus community. Annie Mason received the 2018 Vicki Brown Volunteer of the Year Award for her one-on-one support to hydrocephalus families in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and as a peer support volunteer to individuals across the country. Dr. Jill Morris, Program Director, Division of Neuroscience, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, received the Hydrocephalus Association’s 2018 Award for Service for championing hydrocephalus research at the NIH. We also honored Dr. Jerold Chun, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, with our 2018 Award for Leadership. Dr. Chun, who previously received a seed grant from the Hydrocephalus Association, is conducting innovative research testing drugs that target a molecular pathway involved in the development of PHH.

The Hydrocephalus Association has invested over $7.8 million into hydrocephalus research since 2009 and the Vision Dinner highlighted the success of HA’s initiative. HA-funded researchers have gone on to secure over $20 million in research grants through the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and other funding sources. In addition, the NIH recently released two Program Announcements, signaling to the research world that it is interested in increasing its knowledge of hydrocephalus and will serve to attract new researchers to the topic.

The Hydrocephalus Association would like to thank the Brown’s for their unwavering commitment to creating a better future for those living with hydrocephalus, and to our Partners in Research for their steadfast support of our vision. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the accomplishments of the hydrocephalus research community at next year’s, and future, Vision Dinners.

“…I want all of us to dream even larger dreams for the future—dreams built from a position of strength and on scientific substance and achievement.” – Craig Brown


Enjoy the video below that highlights powerful moments from the last 6 years of the Vision Dinners:

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