first time in fiscal 2000; the bulk of the budget is dedicated to extramural research and investigator-initiated grants (intramural research accounts for about 10 percent of the total). mission the mission of the ninds, as stated on their website, is "to reduce the burden of neurological disease—a burden borne by every age group, every segment of society, and people all over the world". the ninds notes that there are over 600 such disorders, with some of the common being stroke, epilepsy, parkinson's disease, and autism. in an effort to achieve their goal, the ninds "supports and conducts research, both basic and clinical, on the normal and diseased nervous system, fosters the training of investigators in the basic and clinical neurosciences, and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders." research general "some important areas of ninds basic research include: biology of the cells of the nervous system, brain and nervous system development, genetics of the brain, cognition and behavior, neurodegeneration, brain plasticity and repair, neural signaling, learning and memory, motor control and integration, sensory function, and neural channels, synapses, and circuits." "some key areas of ninds clinical research include: neurological consequences of aids, alzheimer disease, brain tumors, developmental disorders, epilepsy, motor neuron diseases, muscular dystrophies, multiple sclerosis, neurogenetic disorders, pain, parkinson disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, sleep disorders, spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury." "most ninds-funded research is conducted by extramural scientists in public and private institutions, such as universities, medical schools, and hospitals. ninds intramural scientists, working in the institute's laboratories, branches, and clinics, also conduct research in most of the major areas of neuroscience and on many of the most important and challenging neurological disorders. the institute's interests, however, are not limited to ninds programs. the institute collaborates with other nih components, as well as with other federal agencies, and with voluntary, professional and commercial organizations." javits neuroscience investigator award the javits neuroscience investigator award (r37) was established in october 1983 to honor the late u. s. senator jacob k. javits, "a strong advocate for support of research in a wide variety of disorders of the brain and nervous system" who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als). douglas g. stuart was an early awardee among the over 600 of these up-to-seven-year awards granted from 1984 to date landis award for outstanding mentorship the landis award for outstanding mentorship is named after former ninds director dr. story landis. structure walter j. koroshetz, m.d., the current director of ninds director walter j. koroshetz, m.d. was selected director of ninds on june 11, 2015. he began working at ninds in 2007 as deputy director, and he served as acting director from october 2014 through june 2015.""director's corner"". koroshetz received his undergraduate degree from georgetown university and his medical degree from the university of chicago. he trained in neurology at massachusetts general hospital (mgh), after which he did post-doctoral studies in cellular neurophysiology at mgh and at harvard medical school, studying mechanisms of excitoxicity and neuroprotection. before joining ninds, koroshetz served as vice chair of the neurology service and director of stroke and neurointensive care services at mgh. he was a professor of neurology at harvard and led neurology resident training at mgh between 1990 and 2007. koroshetz has been granted many honors in his distinguished career and is an elected fellow of the american academy of neurology and the american neurological association. division of extramural research the division of extramural research funds programs outside of the nih which "support research, research training, and career development". the division itself is broken down into "program clusters" that are "organized around critical, cross-cutting scientific topics that hold great promise for advancing knowledge and reducing the burden of neurological disease". they are: repair and plasticity; systems and cognitive neuroscience; channels, synapses, and circuits; neurogenetics; neural environment; and neurodegeneration. other working groups include: the clinical trials group, the office of minority health and research, the technology development group; and the office of international activities, and the office of training and career development. within these areas, the division tracks research and development and determines the necessity and areas for further research, analyzing and reporting on its findings to the nih and the nation. it pursues research with other nih institutes. finally, it consults with and outside scientists, health organizations, and medical associational to help identify research needs and develops necessary programs to meet them. division of intramural research the division of intramural research is "one of the largest neuroscience research centers in the world". scientists here do research in the "basic, translational, and clinical neurosciences", covering a wide range of topics, including "molecular biophysics, synapses and circuits, neuronal development, integrative neuroscience, brain imaging and neurological disorders". list of directors past directors from 1951 - present portrait director took office left office pearce bailey jr. 1951 1959 richard l. masland 1959 1968 edward f. macnichol, jr. september 1, 1968 1973 donald b. tower may 31, 1974 february 1, 1981 murray goldstein december 23, 1982 1993 patricia a. grady (acting) 1993 august 31, 1994 zach w. hall september 1, 1994 december 31, 1997 audrey s. penn (acting) january 1, 1998 july 31, 1998 gerald fischbach august 1, 1998 january 31, 2001 audrey s. penn (acting) february 1, 2001 august 31, 2003 story landis september 1, 2003 september 30, 2014 walter j. koroshetz (acting) october 1, 2014 july 28, 2015 walter j. koroshetz july 29, 2015 present notes "ninds overview". national institute of neurological disorders and stroke. national institutes of health. february 3, 2009. archived from the original on july 20, 2008. retrieved 2009-06-17. "ninds 2020 congressional budget justification". nih-ninds. retrieved 2020-01-18. "mission". national institute of neurological disorders and stroke. national institutes of health. february 3, 2009. retrieved 2009-06-17. rowland, 6. farreras, 20. farreras, 19. farreras, 20–21. rowland, 14. rowland, 9-10. farreras, 21. rowland, 8. rowland, 17. farreras, 22. farreras, 24. farreras, 24-25. rowland, 26. rowland, 46. "remarks of senator john f. kennedy at the 6th annual convention of united cerebral palsy, boston, massachusetts, november 11, 1955". john f. kennedy presidential library and museum. retrieved 2009-06-18. rowland, 34–37. rowland, 36. rowland, 37. rowland, 33. rowland, 48. "nih almanac: national institute of neurological disorders and stroke". nih almanac. national institutes of health. march 16, 2009. retrieved 2009-06-17. rowland, 37–39. rowland, 39. rowland, 39–40. rowland, 40. rowland, 49. "the nih almanac - historical data; chronology of events". nih. retrieved 2009-06-18. rowland, 41. "javits neuroscience investigator award (r37)". as of 2017 "landis award for outstanding mentorship". "intramural division". national institute of neurological disorders and stroke. national institutes of health. retrieved 2009-06-17. "ninds directors". www.nih.gov.