Faye Simon Harac formed the Irene & Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation to honor her parents and to help further education & research in the field her dad was so passionate about. Inspired by the groundbreaking discoveries originating from Dr. Simon’s 50+ years as an NYU researcher, this foundation seeks to help further research and education and to help find answers to addiction & pain and other brain diseases and disorders, such as schizophrenia, brain cancer, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s.
While Dr. Simon’s work is well known in scientific circles, it is relatively unknown to the average citizen. Among other things, Dr. Simon’s discovery of opiate receptors in the brain blazed the trail for modern research toward an understanding of the biological basis of drug addiction & pain. The research impacts addiction and pain and has provided and will continue to provide new information useful in the study of other diseases & disorders of the brain. For work like this to continue, it is critical that funding continue to be available.
The Foundation encourages young scientists to enter this important field of research, as well as focuses public attention on the important, yet frequently overlooked, area – basic research of the human brain.