Today Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy announced the expansion of our renowned Certified Duchenne Care Center (CDCC) Program with the pediatric certification of the clinic at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Rachel Schrader, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC, PPMD’s Vice President of Clinical Care and Education says this is an exciting step for the CDCC Program as it is the first certification in the state of Pennsylvania and continues the growth and expansion of the CDCC network into the greater Western Pennsylvania region:

“The heart of PPMD’s CDCC Program is bringing excellent care to all people with Duchenne and Becker, regardless of where they live. We appreciate that the team at UPMC Children’s has made advancements in how they deliver care, and can attest that the quality of care they provide is truly comprehensive and excellent. We are delighted to add them to our growing network of CDCCs throughout the United States, and look forward to working with them for years to come.” – Rachel Schrader, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC

UPMC Children’s is a growing clinic that currently follows approximately 120 people living with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, under the guidance of Dr. Hoda Abdel-Hamid, the clinic’s co-director and neurologist, and Dr. Jane Taylor, clinic co-director and pulmonologist.

Mena Scavina, DO, PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center Program Advisor had the opportunity to visit the site as part of the certification process and praised the team at UPMC Children’s:

I would like to congratulate their team on the CDCC designation. Led by Drs. Abdel-Hamid and Taylor, the UPMC Children’s team provides comprehensive and compassionate care to individuals living with Duchenne and Becker and their families. The center also participates in several clinical trials to investigate new therapies and treatment options. PPMD’s Certification Committee was impressed with what we saw from the team. We look forward to working with them and wish them continued success.” – Mena Scavina, DO

The center at UPMC Children’s provides state of the art care and management of patients and families for all aspects of care for Duchenne which includes diagnosis, medical treatment, assessment of cardiac, pulmonary, orthopedic, and equipment needs for the patients, in addition to other services as well as a chance to participate in therapeutic trials.

“I am very excited that our center at UPMC Children’s was awarded the certification as a Certified Duchenne Care Center and is the first to be awarded in the state of Pennsylvania. This speaks to the dedication and the collaborative effort between all experts involved in the care for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.” – Hoda Abdel-Hamid, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology and Clinical and Translational Science at UPMC Children’s

PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center Program supports standardized, comprehensive care and services for all people living with Duchenne. Certification means centers maintain the highest standards in clinical and sub-specialty services, rapidly apply new evidence-based knowledge, minimize heterogeneity in clinical research outcomes, and comply with standards in clinical care that were established by the CDC’s Care Considerations. As part of its ongoing mission to end Duchenne, PPMD continues to insist that all people with Duchenne receive comprehensive care.

To learn more about PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center Program, visit PPMD’s website. Click here to learn more about the history of PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center Program and to access PPMD’s first published article on the program.