Barbara and Neal Henschel to Receive Prestigious Award from the National Psoriasis Foundation

March 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Contact:          Deborah Barnard

         National Psoriasis Foundation, Southern Region

954-495-9974

dbarnard@psoriasis.org      

BARBARA AND NEAL HENSCHEL TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL PSORIASIS FOUNDATION

Boca Raton Residents to be Honored on April 7 for a Lifetime of Support to Help Cure Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis  
POMPANO BEACH, FL – Boca Raton, Fla. residents Barbara and Neal Henschel will receive the prestigious Research Leadership Award from the National Psoriasis Foundation (“NPF”) to recognize a lifetime of support for the organization that has accelerated genetic discovery and contributed to the development of improved treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

The Henschels are the first-ever recipients of the inaugural Research Leadership Award, which will be bestowed on them on April 7, 2013 at the 7th Annual Walk to Cure Psoriasis South Florida, to be held at 7 a.m. at Aventura Mall in Aventura.

"We are grateful to Barbara and Neal Henschel for their continued leadership and for everything the Henschel Family has contributed to the Foundation over the years," said Dan Farrington, chair of the NPF Board of Trustees. "Their support of our mission is inspiring, and this award recognizes their positive and lasting impact on the psoriasis community."

In 2005, the Henschels, in conjunction with the NPF, established the National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank, the world’s largest single collection of psoriasis DNA biological samples and clinical information to be utilized by qualified scientists in furtherance of psoriasis genetics. The Barbara and Neal Henschel Charitable Foundation made a $1 million donation to the NPF to create the BioBank in honor of Victor Henschel, father of Neal Henschel and Judith Gelman, who suffered his entire life with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

In honor of Barbara and Neal Henschel, their children and grandchildren created the Walk to Cure Psoriasis in South Florida, which consists of 1K and 5K walks and is the highest grossing of all of the 18 locations nationally in which the Walk is held. To date, the Walk to Cure Psoriasis has raised over $5 million for vital research projects nationally.

“I am thrilled to be recognized by the National Psoriasis Foundation,” said Neal Henschel. “This is a wonderful affirmation of a lifetime of work and dedication on the part of my family and myself. But our mission continues—we’re hoping to make this year’s Walk the biggest and best ever and ultimately find a cure for psoriasis.”

“It has been our family’s dream to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,” added Barbara Henschel. “We are making great strides in our research development.”

Indeed, recently, a major new set of discoveries has been made in psoriasis research. James T. Elder, MD, Ph.D., a researcher on human skin diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School, discovered 15 new genes associated with psoriasis. The National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank played a critical role in that major discovery.

In addition, researcher Anne Bowcock, a genetics professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and her colleagues, used DNA from the National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank to identify a gene directly linked to plaque psoriasis. Her study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics in April 2012, was the first published study using genetic material from the BioBank.  
For more information about the National Psoriasis Foundation or the Walk to Cure Psoriasis, call Deborah Barnard at 954-495-9974 or visit www.Psoriasis.org.

About Psoriasis  

Psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the country, affecting as many as 7.5 million Americans. Appearing on the skin most often as red scaly patches that itch and bleed, psoriasis is chronic, painful, disfiguring and disabling. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, a related joint disease. There is no cure for psoriasis.

About the National Psoriasis Foundation

The National Psoriasis Foundation is the world’s largest nonprofit organization serving people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Its mission is to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to eliminate their devastating effects through research, advocacy and education. For more information, call the National Psoriasis Foundation, headquartered in Portland, Ore., at 800-723-9166 or visit www.Psoriasis.org. The Foundation can also be followed on Facebook and Twitter.