World-renowned neurologist and author releases new book about the power of music
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
Dr. Oliver Sacks -- the world renowned neurologist and author who was portrayed by Robin Williams in the triple-Oscar®-nominated film Awakenings – returns to Beth Abraham Health Services for a benefit signing of his newest book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Open to the public, the book signing will take place Tuesday, October 30, 2007 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Beth Abraham flagship facility located at 612 Allerton Avenue in the Bronx.
For a donation of $25 or more, attendees will receive a copy of “Musicophilia” to be signed by Dr Sacks at the event. Funds raised will be used to continue funding music therapy programs and support research initiatives of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF) at Beth Abraham, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency.
The IMNF’s groundbreaking and internationally recognized programs use music therapy to assist in the “awakening and healing” of individuals with a wide-range of conditions including strokes, trauma, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Plans are also underway to expand the IMNF’s work in music therapy to childhood developmental conditions including autism.
“Dr. Sacks’ compassion for and dedication to people suffering from neurological impairments continues to be an inspiration to me and those who follow in his pioneering footsteps,” states IMNF Executive Director and Co-Founder, Concetta Tomaino. “We are honored that Dr. Sacks has graciously agreed to revisit Beth Abraham to help support our work and reinforce his message that music can have a profound impact on the human brain and mind.”
While Dr. Sacks was influential in the establishment of the IMNF in 1995, his working relationship with IMNF director Tomaino goes back almost thirty years. In 1966, Dr. Sacks began working as a consulting neurologist at Beth Abraham and it was here that he first encountered an extraordinary group of patients suffering from the devastating effects of encephalitis lethargica, nicknamed the “sleepy sickness.” In 1969, Dr. Sacks brought the Beth Abraham post-encephalitics together and began treating them with the then-experimental drug, L-dopa, which enabled many of the patients to “awaken” from their frozen states. It was this work that Dr. Sacks chronicled in his now legendary book Awakenings that became the basis of the movie of the same name.
“Connie Tomaino came to Beth Abraham [Hospital] when I was working there with my Awakenings patients,” recalls Dr. Sacks. “She went on to become President of the American Association of Music Therapists; founded the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham, and has been my co-worker and adviser in all matters musical for more than twenty-five years.”
The IMNF encourages the public to reserve up to five copies of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain now so that they will be available for signing by Dr. Sacks on Oct. 30. Please call or e-mail Teresa Simonetti at (718) 519-5880 or tsimonetti[at]bethabe.org for further information.
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Website: http://www.bethabe.org | 
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