I am very excited to announce that Dr. Mena Scavina has joined us as our Certified Duchenne Care Center Program Advisor!

While we have an amazing team at PPMD which includes a number of healthcare professionals, I have always dreamed about and hoped for a practicing physician with extensive experience in Duchenne to join our team to share their rich clinical practice insights.

This exciting addition of Dr. Scavina to our PPMD team is an integral step in advancing and expanding our vast portfolio of care programs as we work to facilitate access to care for all people affected by Duchenne.

About Dr. Scavina

Dr. Scavina graduated from the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1989 and leads PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center (CDCC) at the Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (Nemours) in Wilmington, Delaware.

In this new role, Dr. Scavina will be working with PPMD a day each week, while continuing to remain deeply committed to working with her patients at Nemours.

I first met Dr. Scavina years ago as Nemours joined the CDCC network. Mena and I sat across the table and talked about clinical care, the importance of listening to the patient and family, the need for optimal care and opportunities to participate in trials.

I was touched by her expertise and gentleness, the kind of feeling that comes over you when you know that you are in ‘good hands’, that you have expert arms wrapped around you, that you are listened to and included in the discussion of the next best and most appropriate steps; the willingness to answer questions, talk about the range of studies that might be considered and how she would help navigate the process. I knew that her experience and dedication would be an incredible asset to the PPMD team as we work to advance clinical care to all people living with Duchenne.

Dr. Scavina’s Role with PPMD

In her new role with PPMD, Dr. Scavina will focus on four primary program areas to drive forward access to excellent Duchenne care to all people living with Duchenne, regardless of where they live or how they are affected:

1. Support the continued expansion of the CDCC network, particularly expansion of the global division of the program.
2. Create programming and support resources for both international and domestic care centers via development of a mentorship program. This program will allow centers interested in becoming a CDCC to connect with peers at certified institutions to learn and optimize Duchenne care.
3. Develop and implement a standardized model of care for Duchenne carrier females, with hopes of creating a sub-certification for centers delivering excellent carrier care in line with published standards.
4. Offer advisory services to PPMD and partake in ongoing collaborations with other Duchenne community organizations and companies.

We welcome Dr. Scavina with open arms and are thrilled for everything we will do together for the Duchenne community!