Tony Proudfoot’s legacy lives on

Maria Gobbo is the latest recipient of the ALS fellowship named in his honour

In 2010, former Montreal Alouette and McGill physical education instructor Tony Proudfoot passed away from ALS. Ten years later, his legacy lives on in a fund that helps train and support the next generation of leaders fighting this disease.

Maria Gobbo is this year’s recipient of the Tony Proudfoot Training Fellowship in ALS Research. It will support Gobbo’s research into the development of biomarkers using newly acquired technology, gene discovery and genetic testing protocols, and the development of new outcome measures for drug development for ALS under the supervision of Dr. Angela Genge. Gobbo is currently conducting research towards her master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Guy Rouleau and Patrick Dion. She has also acted as interim manager for The Neuro’s C-BIG Repository, an Open Science collection of biological samples, clinical information, imaging and genetic data from people with neurological disorders.

The Tony Proudfoot Training Fellowships in ALS Research were established in 2008 to support outstanding master’s and doctoral students or post-doctoral fellows pursuing research training in ALS research at The Neuro. Supported by the Tony Proudfoot Fund at the ALS Society of Quebec, these training fellowships honour the legacy of Tony Proudfoot and his battle with ALS, which he shared so movingly with the public. After being diagnosed with the disease in 2007, Proudfoot campaigned for ALS awareness. He wrote about his illness in a series for the Montreal Gazette, spreading his story across Canada.

The fellowships are made possible by The Tony Proudfoot Fund at the ALS Society of Quebec and Wendy Alexander Clarke in memory of her father, A. George Alexander. The Fund also supports the Society’s mission to improve the living conditions of people with ALS and provides support for their family members across the province.