Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is pleased to announce the opportunity for members of our Certified Duchenne Care Center network to apply for a grant to support an inter-institutional collaborative project to focus on advancing the quality of care provided to Duchenne patients throughout the lifespan.

PPMD will offer a maximum of three grants of up to $150,000 per collaborative network to support the work of no less than six centers from across the country working together to address a universal quality improvement or care need that can be advanced by collaborative guidance and training.

PPMD is interested supporting one grant for each of the following care domains that address the following areas:

• Diagnosis, early intervention and community education
• Transitional or adult Duchenne care
• Pediatric Duchenne care

Applicants have been invited to apply after completing a pre-application and awards will be announced March 19, 2021.

Grantees will be expected to present both interim and final analyses at PPMD’s bi-annual Duchenne Healthcare Professionals Summits in 2022 and 2024 to ensure disseminated learnings and advancement of Duchenne care throughout and beyond the Certified Duchenne Care Center network. In addition, grantees will be expected to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed journal to extend the reach of their learnings and subsequent impact on Duchenne care.

PPMD’s Vice President of Clinical Care and Education, Rachel Schrader MS, APRN, CPNP-PC, discusses the importance and timeliness of this kind of funding initiative:

“We recognized as a community that while the COVID-19 pandemic slowed our ability to travel and share our knowledge and experiences in person, it did not stop our drive to collaborate with one another to formulate and implement creative projects within the clinical setting to advance Duchenne care. We are excited to see the innovation that will come from this group of institutions and the potential impact it may have on the evolving Duchenne care landscape.”

PPMD’s Certified Duchenne Care Center Program supports standardized, comprehensive care and services for all people living with Duchenne. Certification is granted to centers that 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.