Membership

 
Lindsey A. Criswell, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc.
Chair, MDCC; Federal Agency Representative
Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Dr. Bianchi is the Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Bianchi was appointed as Director (October, 2016). Several of the muscular dystrophies affect young children and thus are a research area of interest to NICHD. Dr. Bianchi recently received two major lifetime achievement awards: the Landmark Award in 2015 from the American Academy of Pediatrics in recognition of her research and contributions to genetics and newborn care, and the Maureen Andrew Award for Mentoring in 2016 by the Society for Pediatric Research, which recognized her commitment to mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists.) She was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) in 2013.

 

 
Diana Bianchi M.D.
Federal Agency Representative
Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Health
Bethesda, Maryland

 

 
Gustavo Dziewczapolski, Ph.D.
Public Member
Scientific Director, CureCMD
San Diego, California
Dr.  Dziewczapolski brings to the table the voice of thousands of affected individuals, who have given their trust to Cure CMD as the source for current information about advances in research, diagnostic and care guidelines, as well as new therapies and clinical trial opportunities for the spectrum of congenital muscular dystrophy in particular, and the field of neuromuscular disease in general.  Dr. Dziewczapolski is leveraging over 20 years of neuroscience research including interdisciplinary projects at three different international Centers of Excellence funded by the National Parkinson’s Foundation: Buenos Aires, Paris, and San Diego; interinstitutional NIH-funded program project grants for more than 10 years, involving 4 basic research groups, 3 core facilities, statistics and translational units.

 

 
Eugene Freund, M.D., MSPH, CAPT USPHS
Federal Agency Representative
Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Washington, District of Columbia
Dr. Freund is a practicing physician and a medical officer in the center for consumer information and insurance oversight.  He is providing clinical and public health expertise for the Center and providing guidance on clinical coverage issues and assessing compliance with regulatory requirements such as delivery of essential health benefits, non-discrimination, and provider network adequacy.

 

 
Emily R. Freilich, M.D.
Federal Agency Representative
Medical Officer
Office of Neuroscience
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Silver Spring, Maryland
Dr. Jillapalli is a neurologist with board certification in neurophysiology and electromyography, and with extensive experience in diagnosis and treatment of patients with neuromuscular disorders. Since 2006, he has been a Medical Officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been involved in regulatory review of candidate therapeutics for neurological indications, including neuromuscular disorders. Dr. Jillapalli also has experience in the Rare Disease Program at FDA. Through clinical practice and regulatory review, he has considerable expertise in the muscular dystrophies and has co-authored a publication on drug development and regulatory considerations for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

 

 
James P. Kiley, Ph.D.
Federal Agency Representative
Director, Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Dr. Kiley joined the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in 1984 as Health Scientist Administrator in the Institute's Division of Lung Diseases. The muscular dystrophies are areas of research emphasis for NHLBI. From 1989-1994, Dr. Kiley served as Chief of the Division's Airways Diseases Branch. From 1995-2000 he served as Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, which is part of NHLBI. He was named Director of the Division of Lung Diseases in 2000. Dr. Kiley's primary research interests include obstructive and interstitial lung diseases and sleep. Dr. Kiley is the author or co-author of more than 85 scientific publications and abstracts. He has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Applied Physiology, Chest, Respiratory Physiology, the Journal of the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Journal of Clinical Investigations.

 

 
Walter Koroshetz, M.D.
Federal Agency Representative
Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Dr. Koroshetz is the Director of NINDS. He served as the NINDS Deputy Director since January 2007. Disorders of brain, nerve and muscle are areas of research emphasis for NINDS. Before joining NINDS, Dr. Koroshetz served as vice-chair of the neurology service and director of stroke and neurointensive care services at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He was also a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and led neurology resident training at MGH between 1990 and 2006. His research work spanned basic neurobiology to clinical trials in stroke and Huntington’s disease with a major focus in developing neuroimaging techniques to chart disease progression and enable therapeutic development.

 

 
Jennifer Levy, Ph.D.
Public Member, Pending appointment by HHS Secretary
Scientific Director, Coalition to Cure Calpain 3
New York, New York
Enter Member Description and Info

 

 
Marielena McGuire, Ph.D.
Federal Agency Representative 
 
Program Manager
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program
United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
Fort Detrick, Maryland 
Enter Member Description and Info

 

 
Glen H. Nuckolls, Ph.D.
Executive Secretary, MDCC
Program Director, Extramural Research Program, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Glen Nuckolls is a member of the Neurogenetics Cluster and is the NINDS point of contact for the muscular dystrophies, spinal muscular atrophy, myasthenia gravis, and some other inherited neuromuscular diseases. He is the Executive Secretary of the interagency Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee and NIH coordinator for the Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers. Glen received his Ph.D. in cell biology and anatomy from the University of North Carolina and completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University. He joined the intramural program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) as a Staff Fellow in 1995 and led a research group studying cartilage biology and skeletal development. He moved to the extramural programs of NIAMS in 2003, as the Scientific Review Officer for the NIAMS training and career development study section. In 2004 he became the NIAMS Program Director for Skeletal Muscle Diseases and managed the grants portfolio on the muscular dystrophies, channelopathies, atrophy, and other muscle disorders. He also served as the acting Director of the Division of Extramural Activities for NIAMS in 2009.

 

 
Daniel Paul Perez
Public Member
Co-Founder, FSHD Society
Randolph, Massachusetts

 

 
Alisha Keehn, MPA
Federal Agency Representative
Genetic Services Branch Chief, Health Resources and Services Administration
Rockville, Maryland

 

 
M. Theresa B. San Agustin, M.D.
Federal Agency Representative
Program Manager, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, Administration for Community Living
Washington, District of Columbia

 

 
Natalie Street, MS
Federal Agency Representative
Health Scientist, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
 
 
Michael J. Goldstein
Federal Agency Representative
Director, Office of Medical Policy
Social Security Administration
Baltimore, Maryland

 

 
Eric T. Wang, Ph.D.
Public Member, Pending appointment by HHS Secretary
Advisor, Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
 
 
Denise Myler
Public Member, Pending appointment by HHS Secretary
Idaho Caregivers Alliance
Ammon, Idaho

 

 
Radha Holavanahalli, Ph.D.
Public Member, Pending appointment by HHS Secretary
Program Specialist  

National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
Washington, DC 

 

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