MDA Awards Honors Those Driving Progress in Neuromuscular Research and Care

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 increased understanding of what causes certain diseases — including early innovations in mitochondrial disease research that helped shape modern approaches to precision medicine.

“I have been very fortunate to work during a period of breathtaking advancements in neuromuscular diseases over the last three-plus decades,” Dr. Hirano says. “Together with multiple laboratory and clinical colleagues, our research team at Columbia has contributed to the field by identifying the genetic causes and investigating the molecular pathways leading to several mitochondrial neuromuscular diseases.”

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. “This work has fulfilled a longstanding dream of taking a concept in the laboratory to improve the lives of patients with a debilitating neuromuscular disease,” he says.

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.

“Working with MDA, patients, and their families, and with colleagues in the neuromuscular disease community, has not only opened my eyes to the huge unmet needs of these serious disorders, but has also enabled collaborative efforts to address those needs,” he says. “I am particularly grateful to the patients and families who have placed their trust in our efforts.”

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, and that set the tone for how we were going to conduct research,” Allison says.

Under Allison’s leadership, the HNF has launched several initiatives aimed at advancing clinical trial readiness, expanding multilingual diagnostic tools, and driving meaningful cross-sector partnerships:

• 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 wonderful 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 neuropsychiatric and neuromuscular disorders. 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 connection between autism spectrum disorder and type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1).

“I’m really interested in the connection between neurodevelopmental disorders and neuromuscular disorders,” he says. “With something like congenital myotonic dystrophy, which is the most severe form of myotonic dystrophy, the same or similar genetic mutation, just different timing, probably makes the disease that we typically 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 a really important part of my work,” he says. “A lot 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 a huge investment, and it mostly relies on other people supporting researchers.”

MDA’s Legacy and Momentum awards will be presented at the opening session of the 2026 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference in Orlando, Florida, on March 9, 2026.