Dr. William Camu graduated as an MD and specialist in Neurology in 1989, and as a PhD in 1993 at the Faculty of Medicine and University of Montpellier, France. He started his research on ALS in 1986 and has never given up on trying to find a cure for ALS. In 1999, he became a Professor of Neurology at the Faculty and University hospitals of Montpellier. After he developed a method of purification for motoneuron cultures in Christopher Henderson’s lab, he oriented his work towards genetics with large and fruitful collaborations. The motoneuron team he headed until 2023 was labelled as a national expert ALS center in 2003. Prof. Camu also headed the Clinical Neurophysiology department of the University Hospital Gui de Chauliac in Montpellier from 2005 to 2023. His expertise covers clinical neurology, genetics, biomarkers, and clinical research, including clinical trials. He has published more than 200 articles in referenced journals.
Dr. Peter S. Spencer is a Professor at the Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, where he has also served as the Founding Director (1988–2009) of both the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (renamed Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences) and the OHSU Global Health Center (2009–2013). He obtained a Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of London in 1972 and undertook post-doctoral study in Neuroscience from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1974. Prior to joining OHSU in 1988, he was a Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology, and Pathology (Neuropathology), and a Director at the Institute of Neurotoxicology of New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which he joined after leaving the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1971. He specializes in neurotoxicology, occupational and environmental neurology, and global health. He has received continuous federal research grant support for more than 45 years. His continuously funded research, which is published in ~500 papers, has been recognized by numerous international awards and honorary professorial appointments. He is a member of the American Association of Neuropathologists, European Association of Neurology, Peripheral Nerve Society, Royal College of Pathologists, and Society of Toxicology - Neurotoxicology, and he serves as the 2024 Chair of the Environmental Neurology Specialty Group of the World Federation of Neurology.
