Golf Tournament to Benefit ALS Research at UAMS
| LITTLE ROCK – The ninth annual Paul Dunn Golf Classic, to benefit the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) search for better treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), will be held May 18.
The tournament is presented by Simmons First, the Jerry Spears Family and C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics.
The tournament is held in memory of Arkansas native Paul Dunn and others who have fought the battle against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. All proceeds from the classic will benefit research programs through the ALS Clinic and the J. Thomas May Center for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research at UAMS.
The cost is $500 per team or $125 per person. To register or for information, visit www.pauldunnclassic.com or call Cathy Sanders at (501) 526-7399.
The golf tournament will be held at Maumelle Country Club, 100 Club Manor Drive, in Maumelle. Registration and a light breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. followed by the shotgun start at 8 a.m. Lunch and an awards ceremony are scheduled for 11 a.m.
Upon being diagnosed with the disease in 2000, 28-year-old Paul Dunn asked his friends and fraternity brothers to help him raise money to fight ALS. Dunn witnessed the first two golf tournaments before succumbing to his illness in 2002.
The Paul Dunn Golf Classic has raised more than $215,000 since its inception.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease with about 5,000 new patients diagnosed with the disease in the United States each year. ALS destroys cells that control voluntary muscles, which leads to severe muscle wasting and paralysis. Death typically results within three to five years of diagnosis, usually from respiratory complications. The cause of ALS isn’t fully understood, and no cure exists.
The ALS MDA Clinic at UAMS follows about 85 Arkansans with ALS under the care and direction of Stacy Rudnicki, M.D., and a team of speech, occupational, respiratory and other medical specialists. Research conducted by John P. Crow, Ph.D., and other UAMS scientists at J. Thomas May Center for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research help create new paths and provide hope to finding better treatments and a cure for ALS.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.