In 1985 , Weiner was awarded an endowed chair from the Kroc Foundation of Santa Inez California for his study of MS with a gift of $ 1M to the Harvard Medical School . The chair was named for Robert L. Kroc , the brother of Ray Kroc , the founder of McDonald ’s . Three Kroc chairs were established in the United States to support research in the autoimmune diseases of MS , diabetes , and rheumatoid arthritis as members of the Kroc family suffered from these diseases . In 1985 , together with Dennis J. Selkoe , Weiner established the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women ’s Hospital that he currently co-directs with Selkoe . The Center for Neurologic Diseases carries out basic and translational research in MS , Alzheimer ’s disease and Parkinson ’s disease and consists of 250 scientists and research personnel . In 2003 , in honor of Weiner ’s 60th birthday and in recognition of his research in MS and other neurologic diseases , a gift of $ 3.3 M was made to Harvard Medical School by Biogen , a Boston-based biotechnology company , to establish the Howard L. Weiner chair in neuroscience at Harvard . Because a chair can not carry the name of an active faculty member , the chair was named for Samuel L. Wasserstrom , Weiner ’s maternal grandfather who perished in The Holocaust . Vijay K. Kuchroo was named the first incumbent of the Wasserstrom chair . The chair will carry Weiner ’s name upon his retirement . During the course of his career , Weiner has trained over 40 clinicians and scientists
The Holocaust
The Holocaust
Howard L. Weiner