Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract V101(93)P-1637, Task Order 25 and Task Order 30, between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Any opinions, findings, or conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
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COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE ON AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS IN VETERANS
RICHARD T.JOHNSON, MD (Chair), Distinguished Service Professor of Neurology, Microbiology, and Neuroscience,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
WALTER G.BRADLEY, DM, FRCP, Professor and Chair,
Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, FL
BEATE R.RITZ, MD, PhD, MPH, Professor and Vice Chair,
Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles
WALTER A.ROCCA, MD, MPH, Professor of Epidemiology and Neurology,
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN
JEREMY M.SHEFNER, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair,
Department of Neurology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse
CHRISTINA WOLFSON, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
STAFF
ABIGAIL MITCHELL, PhD, Senior Program Officer
MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, MPH, Senior Program Associate
DEEPALI PATEL, Senior Program Associate
PETER JAMES, Research Associate
DAMIKA WEBB, Research Assistant
RENEE WLODARCZYK, Program Assistant
NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Senior Editor
ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, ScD, Director,
Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
REVIEWERS
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following for their review of this report:
CARMEL ARMON, MD, MSC, MHS, Tufts University and Baystate Medical Center, Boston, MA
CARLO DELUCA, PHD, Neuromuscular Research Center, Boston University, MA
LAWRENCE GOLDSTEIN, PHD, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
CLIFTON L.GOOCH, MD, EMG Laboratory of New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia Neuropathy Research Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY
FREYA KAMEL, MD, MPH, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC
LORENE NELSON, PHD, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University, CA
M.DONALD WHORTON, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President and Epidemiologist, WorkCare, Inc., Alameda, CA
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Elena Nightingale, Scholar-in-Residence, Institute of Medicine. Appointed by the National Research Council, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author committee and the institution.