Matt Rizzo, M.D., named chair of American Brain Coalition

Matt Rizzo, M.D., has been appointed chair of the American Brain Coalition.

Dr Rizzo is the Frances & Edgar Reynolds Chair of the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences. He also serves as director of Neuroscience Clinical Programs, co-director of the Nebraska Regent’s Center for Integrative and Translational Neuroscience, and director of the National Institutes of Health’s Great Plains IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Network.

The American Brain Coalition (ABC) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that seeks to advance the understanding of the functions of the brain and to reduce the burden of brain disorders through public education and advocacy.

Dr. Rizzo was appointed by the current ABC board of directors, and began serving a two-year term on Oct. 21.

As chair, Dr. Rizzo will oversee the board and staff of the ABC, as well as the organization’s advocacy and program committees and innovation initiatives.

“ABC membership comprises the United States’ leading professional neurological, psychological and psychiatric associations and patient organizations,” Dr. Rizzo said. “During my term as board chair, I’d like to see the ABC increase its academic membership, amplify its partnerships with other brain-related organizations, and increase its grant opportunities. To do this, I’d like to start by creating several working groups to further advance the ABC’s mission, vision, goals, membership and fundraising opportunities.”

Dr. Rizzo has been a member of the coalition since the American Neurological Association joined the coalition in 2005. He has served as a board member of the ABC since the fall of 2015 and has served as the ABC’s Program Committee chair since the Program Committee was formed in 2017.

ABC is a powerful voice for the 50 million people with disabling brain disorders, bringing together organizations that represent concerned and interested patients, families, and professionals. This voice is used to advocate for increased support of research that leads to better treatment; services and support that improves patients’ quality of life; as well as a national commitment towards finding cures for individuals with disabling neurological and psychiatric disorders.

ABC leverages the resources of its members to advocate for:

• Research funding and progress toward cures;
• Building a health care system more responsive to people with both acute and chronic brain disorders; and
• Advancing public understanding about the cause, impact, and consequences of neurologic and psychiatric illness in society through lobbying and advocacy efforts.