T. Evans Wyckoff Lecture in Neuroscience

The T. Evans Wyckoff Lecture in Neuroscience at Virginia Mason was established in 2000 by Ann Pigott Wyckoff in honor of her late husband, Theodore Evans Wyckoff. The lectureship is the Center for Neurosciences and Spine's premiere annual event, featuring internationally-renowned physicians and researchers in the field of neuroscience. Lectures are free and open to the medical community.

The Center for Neurosciences and Spine is looking forward to welcoming:

Ronald F. Pfeiffer, MD
22nd Annual T. Evans Wyckoff Lecturer
“Historical Overview of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease”

Save the Date
Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, 7:30 a.m.
Volney Richmond Auditorium
Virginia Mason Medical Center

Dr. Ronald Pfeiffer

Dr. Pfeiffer specializes in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. In addition to working with the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon and Movement Disorders Clinic, he collaborates with other specialties throughout OHSU, including gastroenterology and the Nerve Center to study GI dysfunction and motility disorders as well as autonomic dysfunction. He also facilitates and oversees clinical trials for Parkinson’s. Dr. Pfeiffer has been published extensively in his field and serves on a number of editorial boards.

He earned his undergraduate and medical school degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and completed his internship and residency in neurology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. Dr. Pfeiffer then completed his fellowships as a guest at the National Institute of Mental Health, Laboratory of Preclinical Pharmacology and National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Experimental Therapeutics Branch.

Before joining the faculty at Oregon Health and Science University, Dr. Pfeiffer served as the Vice Chair of Neurology at University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Additionally, in 2019 he was a member of the Programmatic Panel in the Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Parkinson’s Research Program (DOD CDMRP PRP). As well as the Co-Chair of the 24th World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2018-2024).

Theodore Evans Wyckoff was a lumber entrepreneur and former director of the Washington State Department of Commerce and Economic Development. He had an unquenchable thirst for learning and adventure. When diagnosed with ALS, Mr. Wyckoff took it upon himself to research and learn about his diagnosis with the same enthusiasm as his other intellectual pursuits. He always asked hard questions, sought truth and wisdom, welcomed contradictory opinions, and took pride in healthy debate. Today, his family continues his values in education and new knowledge with this lectureship.

The T. Evans Wyckoff Lecture in Neuroscience Endowed Fund annually provides funding to bring to the Virginia Mason campus a prominent leader in neuroscience to present his or her work in the field to the medical community. Past presenters include:

Past presenters include:

2023 — John Ravits, MD, University of Califronia San Diego Health “Gene Therapies for Familial and Sporadic ALS”

2022 — Merit Cudkowicz, MD, Massachusetts General "New Therapies for ALS"

2019 — Stanley Appel, MD, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute "Suppressing Neuroinflammation in Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis: Cell-Based Therapy in the Age of Precision Medicine"

2018 — Christopher P. Ames, MD, University of California, San Francisco
"Frailty, Predictive Analytics and Cost in the New Era of Patient Specific Medicine"

2017 — Tahseen Mozaffar, MD, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
“Of Mice and Men: Lessons Learned from the Muscle Atrophy Inhibition Trials in Neurological Disorders”

2016 — Amit Bar-Or, MD, McGill University
"Evolving Insights and Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis"

2015 — John M. Ravits, MD, UC San Diego School of Medicine
“What Is C9orf72 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Why Is It Rocking the Field of Neurodegeneration?”

2014 — Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH, Oregon Health and Science University
“Overuse in the Treatment of Low Back Pain: Time to Back Off?”

2013 — Stanley A. Herring, MD, University of Washington Medicine Health System
“Youth Sports Concussion Legislation: The Zackery Lystedt Story”

2012 — Teepu Siddique, MD, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
“ALS: A Ubiquilinopathy”

2011 — Kathleen M. Foley, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
“Advancing Pain and Palliative Care Nationally: Challenges and Opportunities”

2010 — Stephen Salloway, MD, M.S., Brown University
“Clinical Best Practices in Dementia Care: Now and in the Future”

2009 — Andrew A. Eisen, MD, University of British Columbia
“Controversies in ALS – Some Personal Perspectives”

2008 — Louis R. Caplan, MD, Harvard Medical School
“Brain Embolism”

2007 — Bruce L. Miller, MD, University of California, San Francisco
“New Molecular and Clinical Links Between Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”

2006 — Stephen L. Hauser, MD, University of California, San Francisco
“Genetics of Multiple Sclerosis”

2005 — Lewis P. Rowland, MD, The Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University Medical Center
“What’s New in ALS Research? A Personal List of the Top Ten Advances”

2003 — Jerome B. Posner, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
“Paraneoplastic Syndromes”

2002 — James M. Schumacher, MD, University of Miami Center for Movement Disorders
“Parkinson’s Disease and New Developments in Parkinson’s Disease Surgery”

2001 — Robert H. Brown, Jr., MD, D.Phil, Harvard Medical School
“Neurogenetics and Molecular Biology in Neurodegenerative Diseases”

2000 — Robert G. Miller, MD, California Pacific Medical Center
“New Hope in the Battle Against ALS”