CPMC Foundation Dee Norris, Maureen and Craig Sullivan Team Up for ALS

CPMC is home to one of the largest ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) clinics in the country, the Forbes Norris MDA/ALS Research and Treatment Center.

When Craig and Maureen Sullivan made a five-year, unrestricted gift to CPMC Foundation, they really didn’t know much about ALS. Dee Norris, R.N., the Center’s advisory director, had funds she intended to donate through her own ALS Research Foundation, and was willing to match the Sullivan’s gift, and both donations were directed to the Norris Center.

In addition to their generous gift to the Norris ALS Center, the Sullivans have contributed years of service and leadership. We honor Craig Sullivan (1940 – 2017) for his role on CPMC Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2004 -2016, and his wife Maureen for their long history of philanthropic partnership with CPMC.

A National Reputation of Excellence

The center is named after a long-time CPMC physician, the late Forbes Norris, M.D., who was married to Mrs. Norris until he passed away in 1993. A pioneer in ALS treatment and research, Dr. Norris developed many techniques that are now accepted by the American Academy of Neurology as standards of care for ALS patients including the use of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver care.

Evidence has shown that people who receive care for ALS in a multi-disciplinary clinic live longer and have a higher quality of life. - Robert Miller, M.D., program director of the Forbes Norris Center

This approach features neurologists, nurse case managers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, respiratory therapists, social workers, neuropsychologists, orthotists, nutritionists and others all working together on the patient’s behalf. “It’s a proven, effective style of treatment,” says the Center’s program director, Robert Miller, M.D. “Evidence from three different studies has shown that people who receive care for ALS in a multi-disciplinary clinic live longer and have a higher quality of life.”

Dr. Miller says that research is another important aspect of the Norris Center and it is a magnet that draws patients to CPMC. “We are testing more new therapies than any other facility in the country, so people want a piece of that action,” he says. “But once they are here, they quickly realize the standard of care is also something very special.”

Read the Forbes Norris ALS News, Fall 2017 Edition (PDF), including our latest clinical research, patient and caregiver tools, and generous philanthropic gifts.