Doing their part to find a cure for Parkinson’s

The Cure Parkinson’s Project (CPP), inspired and spearheaded by

sports marketing pioneer and Newport Beach resident Jim Warsaw and

his Foundation to Cure Parkinson’s Disease at the Giving Back Fund,

hosted a historic conference at the Omni Hotel in Chicago.

The conference brought together 50 world-renowned Parkinson’s

researchers, scientists, advocates and funders discussing methods to

increase collaboration and accelerate a cure for Parkinson’s disease,

which affects more than a million Americans.

“The Giving Back Fund is so proud to have played a role in

bringing this group together,” said Marc Pollick, president and

founder of The Giving Back Fund. “We look forward to seeing big

things come out of the meeting.”

Conference Chairs Drs. James Fallon (UC Irvine), Curt Freed

(University of Colorado) and Peter Lansbury (Harvard Medical School)

were galvanized into action after befriending Warsaw, who was

diagnosed with Parkinson’s in December 1993 at the age of 45.

Warsaw has an international reputation established during a

25-year career in the sports marketing industry. He served as

president of Sports Specialties, the leading international licensed

sports headwear corporation that was eventually acquired by Nike.

He also endowed the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the

Lundquist College of Business at University of Oregon. Established in

April 1993, this was the first sports marketing program housed in a

business school in the United States. Warsaw is also on the

University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees.

Warsaw is applying his business expertise to finding a cure for

this debilitating disease. Long-term plans for the Cure Parkinson’s

Project include a public/private partnership that combines the best

in scientific inquiry with the speed and power of market-driven

product development. Parkinson’s is closely aligned with other

degenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s

disease and multiple sclerosis. It is predicted that a cure for one

will lead to a cure for the others.

For more information about the conference or project, contact Marc

Pollick, president and founder, at (617) 451-9393 or Stephanie

Sandler, senior vice-president at (310) 649-5222, both of the Giving

Back Fund.

* THE CROWD runs both Thursday and Saturday.