Jane Johnson, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
The Nichole Silversteen Research Chair recipient
The CORD Foundation is thrilled to announce Dr. Jane Johnson as the recipient of The Nichole Silversteen Research Chair. As a result, the University of Texas Southwestern will receive $300,000 over the next three years to fund her research project entitled, “Spinal Cord Progenitor Cells: Distinct Molecular Characteristics and Involvement in Tumor Formation.“ Dr. Johnson is a preeminent spine scholar and Chair of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s graduate program in Neuroscience. Her research examines the formation, generation and treatment response of spinal astrocytomas.
This award honors the life of Nichole Silversteen who was diagnosed with a spinal glioblastoma at age 21 and tragically lost her battle with the cancer just two years later. In her memory, her family and friends established the Nichole’s CORD chapter of the CORD Foundation in Philadelphia in 2007, hoping to spare others the devastation of their loss. Inspired by her battle, Nichole’s brother Jason has decided to pursue a medical career in the field of neurology and will, coincidently, be completing a fellowship at Texas Southwestern sometime next year. To learn more about Nichole’s courageous battle, click here.
On behalf of CORD Foundation, its many supporters, and most importantly those who suffer from spinal cord tumors, we would like to thank Dr. Johnson for her interest and dedication to finding a cure for this devastating disease. We look forward to receiving word of her progress, and we pray for her success.
