Each year, MDA presents awards to recognize people who are making a lasting impact on research and care for people living with neuromuscular diseases. From scientists to clinicians to advocates, the 2026 recipients reflect the depth of excellence and leadership across the neuromuscular field. Meet this year’s honorees.
2026 MDA Legacy Award for Achievement in Clinical Research: Michio Hirano, MD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York
Michio Hirano, MD
As a global leader in translational neuromuscular research and a longtime partner to MDA, Dr. Hirano’s pioneering work has advanced understanding of the causes of certain diseases — including early innovations in mitochondrial disease research that helped shape modern approaches to precision medicine.
As a career highlight, Dr. Hirano points to his work that led to the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the first therapy for thymidine kinase 2 deficiency (TK2d), a very rare mitochondrial myopathy.
Dr. Hirano’s leadership in mitochondrial disorder research and his commitment to families living with neuromuscular conditions have cemented his legacy as one of the field’s most influential voices.
“I am deeply honored to receive the MDA Legacy Award for Achievement in Clinical Research,” Dr. Hirano says. “For decades, I have been inspired by the courage and resilience of the patients and families who motivate every step forward in our field. I am grateful to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for its longstanding partnership and support of research, care, and advocacy, that brings us closer to transformative therapies. This recognition is a tribute to the collaborative spirit that drives progress in neuromuscular medicine.”
2026 MDA Donavon Decker Legacy Award for Community Impact in Research: Allison Moore, Founder & CEO, Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation (HNF)
After her diagnosis with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) as a young adult, Allison founded the HNF. She has since built it into an internationally respected organization centered on advocating for people living with CMT and reshaping the scientific landscape for inherited neuropathies.
Allison Moore
From their first research project in 2007, the HNF was dedicated to listening to people living with CMT. “That was before you heard people talking about bringing the patient voice into research, but we did it. By including community insight, we turned CMT symptoms into science. This has set the tone for how we conduct research,” Allison says.
Under Allison’s leadership, HNF has launched initiatives that strengthen trial readiness, expand access to diagnostics, and accelerate therapeutic development through cross-sector collaboration:
- Therapeutic Research in Accelerated Discovery (TRIAD) develops partnerships between biotech and pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers, and regulatory agencies.
- The Global Registry for Inherited Neuropathies (GRIN) houses patient data to help researchers better understand CMT.
- The CMT Biobank offers GRIN patient registrants the opportunity to participate in innovative and translational research to accelerate CMT therapies.
- Developing CMT cell and animal models allows researchers to test viable treatment approaches.
- Exploring the use of digital health technologies to track changes in symptoms and develop outcome measures for clinical trials.
Allison’s vision is driving innovation and collaboration in the CMT field.
“I just appreciate it so much, getting the validation from MDA that we’ve built something meaningful, valuable, and that we’re making an impact,” she says of receiving the award. “I think it gave us even more credibility.”
Inaugural MDA Research Momentum Award: Łukasz Sznajder, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
The Research Momentum award honors early-career investigators whose innovative, high-impact work is shaping the future of neuromuscular research.
Łukasz Sznajder, PhD
Dr. Sznajder is an expert in molecular genetics, with a particular interest in hereditary disorders caused by tandem repeat expansions. At UNLV, he has been conducting pioneering research to uncover the mechanisms underlying neuromuscular and neuropsychiatric disorders. In 2025, he published a scientific paper on the molecular connection between autism spectrum disorder and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).
“I’m really interested in the connection between neurodevelopmental disorders and neuromuscular disorders,” he says. “In conditions such as congenital myotonic dystrophy, which is the most severe form of DM1, the same genetic mutation type, just different mutation size and timing, probably makes the disease that we traditionally consider a muscular disorder into a neurodevelopmental disorder.”
Beyond his scientific innovation, Dr. Sznajder has demonstrated independent leadership and a commitment to collaboration and mentorship.
“Educating future professionals is an important part of my work,” he says. “Many of the challenges that we are facing right now are probably bigger than one generation.”
Dr. Sznajder notes that this award will signal to others that his research is worth supporting. “I hope for that because research is an important investment, and it mostly relies on other people supporting researchers.”
MDA’s Legacy and Momentum awards will be presented during the opening session of the 2026 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference in Orlando, Florida, on March 9, 2026.
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