Diane Winokur sworn in and will be the recipient of 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award

San Francisco, California. (January 16, 2013) —

Diane Winokur being sworn in to the ICOC by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom

Diane Winokur and along with Fred Fisher, Senator Art Torres and Lt Governor Newsom

In a small ceremony, surrounded by friends and supporters, Golden West Chapter Board Member Diane Winokur has been sworn in by California 's Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom for her first term as a patient advocate for ALS and MS on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, the governing body of the state’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

"Diane Winokur is an inspiring individual. Her personal losses to ALS are unimaginable," said Lt. Governor Newsom. "Her contributions to the families touched by Lou Gehrig's disease, as well as to the scientific community dedicated to finding treatments and a cure, are invaluable. Both ALS and MS are complex disorders and she will be a tremendous asset in moving research forward through her work at the ICOC of CIRM."

“I want to acknowledge Diane for her tireless advocacy to the ALS community," said Senator Art Torres (Ret), Vice Chair of the ICOC. "I have known her for many years and know what she has gone through personally with this disease.  What she has done and continues to do is remarkable and an inspiration to us all."

CIRM was established through the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities and other vital research opportunities including the recent award of 18 million dollars to Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute to develop treatments for people with ALS. You can learn more about Diane’s appointment and contributions to the ALS community in our special article and by listening to this recent radio interview.  The Golden West Chapter extends our heartfelt gratitude to Lieutenant Governor Newsom for this deserving appointment.

Diane will receive the Golden West Chapter's Essey Award for Lifetime Achievement  on Friday, April 26 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco for our 2013 "All that Jazz" Gala  It will be a remarkable evening dedicated to conquering Lou Gehrig's disease and to celebrating the launch of the new Winokur Family Research Initiative, a joint program of The ALS Association and the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. For more information about this event, please contact  Giovanna D'Angelo, Director of Special Events at (818)-865-8067 or at gdangelo@alsagoldenwest.org.