Elsa Shapiro, PhD to Receive the 2024 Roscoe O. Brady Award

Elsa Shapiro, PhD, retired in 2014 as Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology in the Division of Pediatric Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, but remains on the faculty. Dr. Shapiro is now leading a consulting partnership assisting pharmaceutical companies and other research institutions in the development of protocols and endpoints for natural history and clinical trials in patients with rare diseases.  

Dr. Shapiro received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and completed her internship and post-doctoral training at National Children’s Medical Center in Washington DC. She obtained an A.B.P.P from the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology. Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota in 1974, she held academic appointments at George Washington University and the University of California, Davis.  

Dr. Shapiro founded and directed the Section of Pediatric Neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota, and started a well-recognized training program for post-doctoral fellows.  In this capacity, she also held faculty and teaching appointments in the Institute of Child Development and the Department of Psychology, and was a founding member of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development.   

Dr. Shapiro is known for research in neurobehavioral and neuroimaging manifestations of genetic neurodegenerative disorders. She developed methods of longitudinal assessment of neurocognitive functions, delineated the neurocognitive phenotypes of several genetic disorders, studied the relationships between quantitative neuroimaging and neuropsychology in treated and untreated children, and examined the characteristics of dementia in children with neurodegenerative diseases. She has more than 125 peer-reviewed publications and invited chapters. Recently, she was the co-Principal Investigator of the NIH-supported Lysosomal Disease Network, and Principal Investigator of Longitudinal Studies of Brain Structure and Function in the Mucopolysaccharidoses, until 2014. Her publications encompass neurocognitive, neurobehavioral, and neuroimaging profiles, development of new measures, natural history reports, and treatment effects in neurodegenerative disorders.

Congratulations to Dr. Shapiro from the entire WORLDSymposium audience! The 2024 Roscoe O. Brady Award will be presented on Monday, February 5, at 7:30 AM PST, followed by a scientific presentation by Dr. Shapiro.

About the WORLDSymposium Roscoe O. Brady Award

Each year, WORLDSymposium recognizes one individual for innovation and accomplishment in the field of lysosomal disease research and therapy. This award was renamed the Roscoe O. Brady Award to honor one of the early pioneers in lysosomal research, Roscoe O. Brady, MD, who was a beloved mentor to many currently working in the field. Dr. Brady passed away in 2016, and WORLDSymposium renamed the annual Innovation and Accomplishment Award to honor his achievements.

Award Nominations now closed.

The award is presented annually to recognize substantial contributions to lysosomal disease research and therapy. The recipient is presented with an engraved award and is recognized at the WORLDSymposium scientific meeting held annually in February. The award winner is also invited to present a 30-minute address as the opening speaker at WORLDSymposium, and an announcement of the award recipient is included in the February special lysosomes issue of Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. (This award is given on a yearly basis, but can be omitted in any given year at the discretion of the Planning Committee.) Nominations are solicited annually from members of the lysosomal disease community, planning committee members and attendees of WORLDSymposium.

Past Award Recipients:

2004 William Krivit, MD, PhD
2006 Henri A. Termeer
2008 Roscoe O. Brady, MD
2009 Elizabeth F. Neufeld, PhD
2010 William S. Sly, MD
2011 Steven U. Walkley, PhD
2012 John J. Hopwood, PhD
2013 Robert J. Desnick, PhD, MD
2014 Gregory A. Grabowski, MD
2015 Stephen C. Groft, PharmD
2016 Emil D. Kakkis, MD, PhD
2017 Konrad Sandhoff, PhD
2018 Mark E. Haskins, VMD, PhD
2019 Danilo A. Tagle, PhD, MS
2020 John F. Crowley
2021 Ellen Sidransky, MD
2022 Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD
2023 William A. Gahl, MD, PhD