Barrow Newsroom:
Breakthroughs in Neuroscience
Stay informed about the latest advancements, research, and impact from Barrow Neurological Institute.
Barrow Neurological Foundation Raises $28M in FY25, Appoints New President and Board Trustee
Barrow Neurological Foundation concluded its 2025 fiscal year (July 2024–June 2025), raising $28.17 million in gifts from more than 3,000 generous donors. This includes a record-breaking $14.4 million raised by...
Barrow Women’s Board Announces 2025-26 Leadership and Barrow Grand Ball Women’s Board Project
The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation is proud to announce its 2025-26 leadership team. Community volunteer Katie Mueller serves...
Art takes flight at Barrow Neurological Institute through art and wellness program
Barrow Neurological Foundation partners with Phoenix Airport Museum for environment of healing A new art exhibit is now on display...
Support Brain Cancer Research to Find a Cure
Barrow Neurological Foundation teams up with community partners and donors to support the Ivy Brain Tumor Center in May May...
Barrow Neurological Foundation Announces Michele S. Gregory as New President
After an extensive, nationwide search, we are pleased to announce that Michele S. Gregory has been selected to serve as...
Inaugural Golf Tournament Raises 1 Million to Fund Sports Biomechanics Spine Lab at Barrow Neurological Institute
https://youtu.be/bGfwvgY3Upw Barrow Neurological Foundation hosted an inaugural golf tournament, raising $1 million to establish the new Sports Biomechanics Spine Lab...
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,...
The Barrow Open, Presented By PXG: Getting You Back To Your Game
On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Barrow Neurological Foundation will host the inaugural Barrow Open, presented by PXG with special support...
Barrow Partners with Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative to Implement AI-Based Dementia Testing in Primary Care Clinics
Barrow Neurological Foundation is honored to announce that it has received a grant from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative—a pioneering worldwide...
First Participant Enrolled in NIH-Funded Access for All in ALS Consortium
The Access for All in ALS Consortium (ALL ALS) announced the successful enrollment of the first participant. Established in the...
What happens after a miraculous skull-to-spine reattachment? For the surgeon who performed the famous operation, Volker K.H. Sonntag, MD, emeritus professor of neurosurgery at Barrow, it became clear that there was a strong need to better understand the underlying mechanical principles of the spine to continue advancing surgical techniques. This led to the inception of the Spine Biomechanics Lab in 1983!
Today, Barrow experts in the Sonntag Spine Center are fulfilling this vision, developing new surgical techniques and technologies and leading the way in cutting-edge digital imaging to help surgeons improve treatment and maximize patient outcomes and quality of life. Learn more about how your support helps our Barrow experts continue this legacy of innovation at the link in our bio! ➡️ https://bar.rw/3LaloDb
#SpineHealthAwarenessMonth
Can you find the hidden brain? Check the comments for a hint! Happy Halloween from Barrow Neurological Foundation! 🎃
Students in the Barrow Summer Undergraduate Internship Program work in a research laboratory under the mentorship of a world-renowned Barrow specialist, and these mentors play a critical role in the students` overall experience.
Ria Moharil, a student at Arizona State University, shares that her mentors, Giselle Quezada and David Medina, PhD, "were very helpful and patient in guiding me...Dr. Medina would send me research papers, which gave me a good understanding of the field as a whole, rather than just performing specific tasks for the job. I think the best part of this program is that I was fully integrated and was able to learn and visualize many new techniques.” Read more at the link in our bio! https://bar.rw/4nCfmZn
Thank you to the ALS Network, who sponsored Ria`s internship!
Did you know women face a higher risk of stroke? About 1 in 5 women will have a stroke, which is almost 55,000 more than men each year.
This past May, Joyce K. Lee-Iannotti, MD, FAAN, FASM, interim director of the Petznick Stroke Center, attended the American Heart Association`s Go Red for Women event, which aims to end #heartdisease and stroke in women. The event was coordinated by Barrow stroke neurologist, Supreet Kaur, MD. It was inspiring to see women from Barrow Neurological Institute`s stroke team and St. Joseph`s Hospital and Medical Center cardiology team to raise awareness and empower women to take charge of their health! 💪❤️
Today, on #WorldStrokeDay, join us in advancing stroke research and patient care at Barrow: https://bar.rw/47fs3Ex
Visit https://bar.rw/47NYlXm for information about stroke care at Barrow.
Link in bio!
Thank you to everyone who visited the art exhibit at Creighton University! We were honored to showcase the incredible talent and resilience of individuals with Parkinson`s disease and their care partners. 🎨
Many of the pieces showcased were created through the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center`s Expressive Arts Program, which uses art as a therapeutic tool to reduce stress and support well-being. Thank you, once again, to all who joined us and to all who support this program at Barrow!
Register today to take advantage of the early bird special! ➡️ https://bar.rw/47iX893. 🔗 Link in bio.
Join us on Saturday, February 7, 2026, for the 20th Annual Walk the Fight and Run the Distance! 🥊 This walk/run supports community outreach and wellness programs at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. We can`t wait to see you then!
📅 When: Saturday, February 7, 2026
📍 Where: Tempe Beach Park | 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ 85281
"The Sattler Lab and the Barrow community as a whole are so ingrained, and they made me feel appreciated. It’s something I will forever be grateful for." - Garv Sharma, from the University of Arizona, class of 2028, and a participant in the Barrow Summer Undergraduate Internship Program.
Garv spent the summer as an undergraduate intern in the Sattler Laboratory, performing neurodegenerative disease research under the mentorship of Rita Sattler, MSc, PhD, and Kim Preller, MS. He says this opportunity provided him with valuable new lab techniques and cherished relationships with his Barrow mentors. Read more of his story at the link in our bio, ☝️ or by visiting https://bar.rw/47mExJb
We extend our gratitude to the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) for sponsoring Garv and facilitating this remarkable experience in neuroscience.
"Without philanthropic support, it would be incredibly hard to maintain and advance what we are doing here at Barrow Neurological Institute." Robert Bowser, PhD, John P. and Betty Van Denburgh Chair for Neuromuscular Disease.
What began as a handful of researchers and clinical trials decades ago has blossomed into a research powerhouse where dozens of research scientists conduct translational work, clinical trials, and work to bring the latest discoveries from the lab, to the bedside quicker than ever before. This incredible success is only possible with your support. Join us in transforming human lives through research with a gift today ➡️https://bar.rw/3JlOFdd. Link in bio.
We are thrilled and honored to announce that Barrow Neurological Foundation received the Global Leadership Award at The Mayor`s International 2025 gala on Friday, October 17. Barrow President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD, and Foundation Board Chair Mitch Sayare, PhD, accepted the award on behalf of Barrow. Dr. Lawton shared, "This recognition belongs to our entire Barrow community – our donors, our staff, and our global partners. Together, we’re building a future of neurological excellence." Our profound thanks go to Phoenix Sister Cities, Mayor Kate Gallego, and our donor community, whose support empowers Barrow to impact lives worldwide.
Congratulations to the Najafi families, recipients of the Global Citizen Award at the event! Cheryl Najafi (a member of our Board of Trustees) and her husband Jahm, alongside Dionne Najafi (a member fof the Barrow Women`s Board) and her husband Francis, have made an extraordinary impact on the neurosciences at Barrow. We are deeply grateful for their influential leadership.
What if neurosurgery residents could master surgical techniques before setting foot in the operating room? That`s where the VR Lab within the Sonntag Spine Center comes in. Using advanced simulation technology, Barrow can significantly shorten the learning curve for junior residents. Results from the Lab’s initial validation study showed that novice learners using VR training for basic procedures performed better than those learning from conventional methods, such as textbooks and videos, demonstrating the benefits of hands-on surgical education.
With your support, Barrow can continue to advance and integrate this technology into training programs, revolutionizing neurosurgery and improving patient outcomes worldwide. Learn more: https://bar.rw/4ovBCF2. Link in bio!
Small gifts, big impact! 💙 Each year, physicians and specialists at Barrow Neurological Institute treat more than 73,000 patients, and its surgeons perform more than 6,000 brain, spine, head, and neck surgeries. Because of its high volume, Barrow`s subspecialized physicians and clinicians are familiar with the rarest and most challenging conditions. It’s not uncommon for patients from around the globe to travel to Barrow for treatment.
Even a small, monthly donation provides consistent support to ensure our Barrow experts can continue providing life-changing, life-saving care. Join our Monthly Giving Program by visiting the link in our bio. https://bar.rw/4ncb62l
Meet David Wang, a student at Johns Hopkins University. David participated in the Summer Undergraduate Internship Program at Barrow Neurological Institute in the Spinal Biomechanics Lab under the mentorship of Brian Kelly, PhD. Check out this video to see what he worked on this summer, what he learned about spine health; his gratitude to you, our donors who support this program; and how his mentors guided him through this experience, solidifying his passion for spine health.
Thanks to your generosity, students like David can cultivate their interest in the field of neuroscience. Learn more about how philanthropy supports spine health at the link in our bio!
