Eva Feldman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eva Feldman
Dr. Feldman in 2022
Occupation	Physician-scientist

Eva Lucille Feldman is an American doctor and scientist. She is famous for her important work on diseases that affect the brain and nerves, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Feldman is a professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan. She also leads special centers there that research and treat these diseases. She helps find new ways to understand and fight illnesses that affect the nervous system.

Early Life and Education

Dr. Feldman grew up in Indiana. She studied biology and chemistry at Earlham College. Then, she earned a master's degree in zoology from the University of Notre Dame. Later, she went to the University of Michigan for both her medical degree (M.D.) and her Ph.D. (a high-level research degree).

She completed her medical training in Neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She was even the Chief Resident there, which means she was a leader among the doctors in training. She also won an award for her teaching at Johns Hopkins. After that, she returned to the University of Michigan to specialize further in nerve and muscle disorders.

Her Work as a Scientist

In 1988, Dr. Feldman became a professor at the University of Michigan. She started her own science lab to study the nervous system. Over the years, she became a full professor and took on many leadership roles.

She directed the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine. This center helps patients with ALS and does research to find cures. She also led the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute for 10 years. This institute helps support doctors who do important medical research.

Dr. Feldman has led many research projects funded by groups like the NIH (National Institutes of Health). Her work often focuses on understanding and treating nerve disorders. She also leads studies where new treatments are tested on patients.

She has been the president of important medical groups, like the American Neurological Association. She was one of only a few women to hold this position. She has also received many awards for her important discoveries and leadership.

The Taubman Medical Research Institute

The A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute was created in 2007. Its goal is to help doctor-scientists do research. This research aims to find new treatments for diseases and help people who are suffering.

Under Dr. Feldman's leadership, the Taubman Institute supported research on many diseases. These included cancers, heart diseases, and metabolic diseases. They also focused on nerve conditions like ALS and Alzheimer's disease. The institute especially supported "translational" research. This means turning discoveries made in the lab into real treatments for patients.

Dr. Feldman also started a program to help young scientists. This program gave money to new researchers to help them start their important work. This also helped make the group of doctor-scientists more diverse.

Stem Cell Research

Dr. Feldman is a strong supporter of medical science. She often talks to the public and media about important health topics. For example, in 2008, she helped explain why stem cell research was important. This was before Michigan voters decided to allow more stem cell research. She spoke on TV, radio, and at public events. She even spoke with former President Bill Clinton.

The next year, she helped create a special center at the Taubman Institute. This center was one of the first in Michigan to create embryonic stem cell lines. These are special cells that can turn into many different types of cells. They are very important for studying diseases and finding new treatments.

RNA Biomedicine Center

In 2015, Dr. Feldman helped create the Center for RNA Biomedicine at the University of Michigan. This center helps scientists from different areas work together on RNA research. RNA is like a messenger molecule in our bodies. Understanding it can help us learn more about diseases.

NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies

Dr. Feldman's science lab started in 1988. It was later named the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies. This lab has grown to include many scientists. Their main goal is to make new scientific discoveries. They also work to find new treatments for diseases that affect the nervous system.

ALS Center of Excellence

Dr. Feldman also leads the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine. This center combines patient care with scientific research for ALS. Patients get care and can join clinical trials at the Pranger ALS Clinic. Meanwhile, basic science research happens at the NeuroNetwork. All these efforts work together to help find new treatments for ALS.

Important Research Discoveries

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Dr. Feldman's research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is very important. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a serious nerve disease. Her work on a stem cell therapy for ALS led to the first human clinical trial approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). This means it was safe enough to test on people. The early trials showed that putting stem cells into the spinal cord of ALS patients was safe.

She has also found links between ALS risk and exposure to certain chemicals like pesticides. Her team also found a new way to use a type of medicine called Jakinibs to treat ALS. This is based on her discovery of how the body's immune system can make the disease worse. In 2021, she received a special award from the NIH. This award helps her team use new methods to study ALS. Their goal is to make ALS a preventable disease.

Dr. Feldman also started the University of Michigan ALS Consortium. This group collects samples from ALS patients. This helps scientists find special signs in ALS that could lead to new treatments. It also helps identify environmental factors that might cause the disease.

Neuropathy and Diabetes

Dr. Feldman is also well-known for her work on diabetes complications. Especially, she studies peripheral neuropathy, which is nerve damage caused by diabetes. She has received many awards for her work in this area.

Her research has changed how doctors diagnose early nerve damage in people with prediabetes. She developed a tool called the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). This tool is now used all over the world to find nerve damage. She has also found important links between fats in the body and nerve damage in people with diabetes. She helps write the guidelines for treating diabetic nerve damage. She is also studying how COVID-19 affects the nerves of people with diabetes.

Brain Health and Alzheimer's Disease

Dr. Feldman is also working to understand how problems with metabolism affect brain health. Metabolism is how our bodies use food for energy. Her lab is studying how these problems can affect memory. They are also looking at how gut health affects nerve function in both the brain and other parts of the body.

See also

• University of Michigan Medicine Biography