The biannual Royer Award for outstanding contributions to neurology will given in 2009 to Bruce Miller, MD and to Steven Holtz, MD. The formal ceremony will take place at the meeting of the San Francisco Neurological Society next week.

This substantial cash award was established by Oakland physician J. Elliott Royer after his death in 1962. Dr. Royer's will specified the eligibility criteria, selection process and amount of the annual award, which alternates each year between neurology and psychiatry.

Seeking a Cure For Dementia

Bruce L. Miller, MD is a behavioral neurologist with an interest in the differential diagnosis and treatment of dementia. He leads the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and holds the position of A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry. In addition, he directs NIH and State of California designated Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, and co-directs the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at UCSF.

Dr. Miller's expertise in frontotemporal dementia and prion disorders have made UCSF a major referral site for patients with typical and atypical dementing conditions; Dr. Miller works closely with basic scientists at UCSF on developing a cure for both conditions.

An Exceptional Teacher

Steven J. Holtz, MD, is co-founder of the Neurology Medical Group of Diablo Valley, Inc. (NMG) that provides the majority of neurological services for the John Muir Health system. NMG has also been involved in cutting-edge clinical trials on treatments for stroke, migraine, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Holtz has been on the clinical faculty of UCSF since 1981 and is currently Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology/Psychiatry at the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine – California and conducts an undergraduate course for premed students at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Holtz was awarded "Outstanding Teacher in a Clinical Preceptorship" several times by medical students at UCSF.

The Royer Award jury included the president of the San Francisco Medical Society, Charles J. Wibbelsman, MD; the president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, Juan D. Ordonez, MD; the president of the San Francisco Neurological Society, Kern H. Guppy, MD, PhD; the chair of the UCSF Department of Neurology, Stephen Hauser, MD, and the Dean of the UCSF School of Medicine, Sam Hawgood, MD.