Packard Center Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation in ALS Research

The commemoration served as the perfect prelude to the Center’s 25th Annual ALS Research Symposium.

The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research marked a significant milestone with its 25th anniversary celebration, bringing together a distinguished group of donors, researchers, Board of Governors members, Johns Hopkins leadership, longtime supporters, and both current and past Center staff. The commemoration, held at the Four Seasons Baltimore, served as the perfect prelude to the Center’s 25th Annual ALS Research Symposium.

Milan Karol, a member of the Packard Center Board of Governors, presided over the evening as master of ceremonies. Dr. Justin McArthur, Chair of the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University, delivered the opening remarks, setting a tone of both reflection and forward momentum.

Milan Karol, a member of the Packard Center Board of Governors, served as the master of ceremonies.

Among the featured speakers was Chris Angell, a founding Board of Governors member who helped establish the Center. He and his late wife Jeanne, diagnosed with ALS in 1998, partnered with the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation to secure the Center’s initial funding. In his poignant address, Angell reflected on the Center’s mission and its quarter-century of achievements: “We have nurtured and encouraged an extraordinary community of the best minds and the best organizers to continue the efforts to find the mechanisms of the disease and develop therapies to treat it.”

Chris Angell (center), a founding Board of Governors member who helped establish the Center, is pictured here with Dr. Justin McArthur, Chair of Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology (left), and Board of Governors Co-Chair Ralph Terkowitz (right).

Ed Rapp, Packard Center Board of Governors member and Chair of the Answer ALS Advisory Board, shared powerful insights from his journey with ALS since his 2015 diagnosis. Rapp emphasized how taking action through fundraising and leadership has given him hope and underscored that “great innovation comes from great collaboration.” While recognizing the Center’s impressive achievements to date, Rapp expressed confidence in the road ahead, stating, “I remain convinced that when we alter the course of this disease, the Packard Center will be at the center of the effort.”

Ed Rapp, Packard Center Board of Governors member and Chair of the Answer ALS Advisory Board, shared his insights.

The evening concluded with remarks from the Center’s founder and Executive Director, Dr. Jeff Rothstein, who paid tribute to the Packard Center staff—both past and present—and the network of researchers who work tirelessly in the pursuit to end ALS.

Following the reception, guests were invited to attend the Symposium poster session, where they had the opportunity to engage directly with established researchers and rising stars in the field about their innovative projects.

Drs. Chris Donnelly and Rita Sattler, members of the Center’s Scientific Advisory Board, joined the celebration.

As the Packard Center embarks on its next quarter-century, the anniversary kick off celebration served as both a testament to its groundbreaking legacy and a powerful launch pad toward a future of continued progress in the fight against ALS.