Davis Phinney, left, with honoree John Tew, MD, right.

Davis Phinney, left, with honorees Kitty Strauss and her husband, Peter Strauss, who has Parkinson's disease. Photos courtesy of Mark Bowen.

June 8, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kathleen Krumme
The Davis Phinney Foundation
(513) 304-4854
kkrumme@davisphinneyfoundation.com

CONTACT: Cindy Starr
The Neuroscience Institute
(513) 584-0879
starrcm@healthall.com

John Tew, MD, and Peter & Kitty Strauss
Are Honorees at Second Annual Sunflower Revolution

Phil Liggett -- “Voice of the Tour” – To Headline Gala

CINCINNATI, Ohio – John M. Tew, M.D., neurosurgeon with the Mayfield Clinic and Medical Director of The Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati and University Hospital, will be honored at the second Sunflower Revolution gala August 19 at the Hyatt Regency. Former Tour de France cyclist Davis Phinney, a Parkinson’s patient whose Davis Phinney Foundation is hosting the gala, will present Dr. Tew with the Victory Award, which recognizes a distinguished medical professional who has made a significant contribution to Parkinson’s disease research or treatment.

Dr. Tew, a professor of neurosurgery at UC, served as chair of UC’s Department of Neurosurgery for 19 years before stepping down in 2001 to take the lead in developing The Neuroscience Institute, whose Parkinson’s program is the premier regional referral center for patients with movement disorders and is poised to become one of the few centers capable of discovering the first treatments to prevent and reverse Parkinson’s disease.

Phinney also will present the Every Victory Counts award, which honors the contributions of a person or family touched by Parkinson’s, to Peter and Kitty Strauss of Cincinnati in recognition of their courage, optimism, grace, and tireless efforts on behalf of others living with this incurable disease. Peter Strauss, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is a former city councilmember and lawyer; Kitty Strauss is an executive with the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.

The Sunflower Revolution gala will feature a dinner and live and silent auctions. Television commentator Phil Liggett, “the voice of the Tour de France,” will be the keynote speaker, and Local 12 anchor Rob Braun will serve as emcee. A Continuing Medical Education symposium and Parkinson’s Expo for physicians, patients, and caregivers will follow on Saturday, August 20, at the Hyatt. (CME/Expo contact is Christa Meyer, 569-5251 or cmeyer@mayfieldclinic.com.)

Bike rides of 25 and 62 miles in the Loveland-Morrow area will conclude the event on August 21. Riders will include Davis and his wife, Olympic gold medalist Connie Carpenter Phinney, Liggett, and the legendary bicycle frame builder Ben Serotta.

To volunteer or request an invitation to the gala or bike ride, please contact Cindy Starr at 584-0879 or starrcm@healthall.com. Gala volunteers attend at no charge and will be fed. You can also contact Cindy if you have a special item that you would like to donate to the silent auction.

The Davis Phinney Foundation is dedicated to supporting research aimed at understanding, preventing, and treating Parkinson’s disease. The Foundation also seeks to find ways to improve the lives of individuals challenged by the disease. The Foundation is focusing its efforts on raising funds that will be distributed as grants to laboratory and clinical research programs that are investigating the causes of Parkinson’s disease and new, potentially curative therapies for Parkinson’s patients. Proceeds from the Sunflower Revolution are being earmarked for the Davis Phinney/Donald Krumme Fund, a research fund at the University of Cincinnati. The inaugural 2004 Sunflower event raised $100,000 for the Phinney/Krumme Fund.

Media partner for the 2005 Sunflower Revolution is Local 12 WKRC-TV.

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The Mayfield Clinic is recognized as one of the nation's leading physician organizations for clinical care, education, and research of the spine and brain. Mayfield, which is affiliated with the UC Department of Neurosurgery, includes 16 neurosurgeons and treats 20,000 patients from 35 states and a dozen countries in a typical year. Mayfield's neurosurgeons are active participants in important clinical trials and have pioneered surgical procedures and instrumentation that have revolutionized the medical art of neurosurgery for brain tumors and neurovascular diseases and disorders.

University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes Christ Hospital , the St. Luke Hospitals , Jewish Hospital, Fort Hamilton Hospital , and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.

The Neuroscience Institute is a regional center of excellence based at University Hospital and supported by nine neuroscience specialties of the UC College of Medicine. The Institute is dedicated to patient care, research, education, and the development of new medical technologies. To view other Neuroscience Institute news releases, go to www.leadingtheadvance.com/newsflash.nsf/tninews.