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2025 Barrow Grand Ball Raises Record-Breaking $14M to Support Neuroscience Research
The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation announced today that its 60th Barrow Grand Ball, held on January 18, 2025, raised $14 million for Barrow Neurological Institute.
The 2025 Barrow Grand Ball co-chairs, Cathy Kleeman and Susan Westra, worked tirelessly leading fundraising efforts to help Barrow physicians, scientists, and clinicians offer hope through research and treatments that save lives and improve the quality of life. Thanks to research at Barrow, individuals suffering from neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, aneurysms and AVMs, diabetes, concussion, headache, brain tumors, spinal disorders, and more have reason for hope.
“For 60 years, the Women’s Board has driven cutting-edge research and innovation at Barrow Neurological Institute through generous philanthropy. The funds raised by this dedicated group have been critical in transforming Barrow into the internationally renowned neuroscience institute it is today. I look forward to the next 60 years of life-changing advancements made possible through their support,” said Michael T. Lawton, MD, President and CEO of Barrow Neurological Institute.
This year’s fundraising highlight followed a 19-year tradition of selecting a critical area of research at Barrow to receive special funding as the “Women’s Board Project.” The Board was proud to select the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program research efforts as the 2025 project. Barrow physicians and scientists are at the cusp of changing the entire course of Alzheimer’s disease. They are leading cutting-edge research to transform Alzheimer’s from a terminal disease to a chronic, manageable condition and investigating ways to prevent the disease altogether. An impressive $4 million was raised specifically through the Ball to help advance critical Alzheimer’s disease research at Barrow.
“We are incredibly proud to support Alzheimer’s disease research as this year’s special project. Our 2025 Barrow Grand Ball advisor, Carole Moreno, has a deeply personal connection to Alzheimer’s and, along with her husband, Arte, endowed the Moreno Family Chair for Alzheimer’s Research at Barrow. The strength of Carole’s conviction and her dedication to advancing research to find new, more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s inspired the Board’s selection of this project,” said Dionne Najafi, 2024-25 Women’s Board Chairman.
Other memorable moments included Barrow milestone-makers Robert F. Spetzler, MD, and Volker K.H. Sonntag, MD, serving as 60th-anniversary honorary Ball chairs. Dr. Spetzler is a world-renowned vascular neurosurgeon and emeritus President and CEO of Barrow, and Dr. Sonntag is a pioneering spine surgeon and emeritus professor of Barrow. The Women’s Board honored Dr. Spetzler and Dr. Sonntag for their outstanding leadership and significant impact on Barrow’s growth from a small, local institute to a global leader in neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroscience.
“In existence for 60 years, 40 of which I have personally been present, my respect and admiration for the Women’s Board has only grown. These talented, dedicated, intelligent, and compassionate women have, through their incredible fundraising skills, allowed Barrow to achieve the status of the world’s best and most recognized institution specializing in the treatment of neurological diseases,” said Robert F. Spetzler, MD, Emeritus President and CEO of Barrow. “Their support for research and clinical studies has allowed new treatments and surgical procedures to be developed and implemented for the benefit of many patients. On behalf of the Institute and our patients, I thank the Women’s Board from the bottom of my heart.”