[TMIC] News about Dr Kerr and the TM Centers

[Jim Lubin]

Dr. Douglas Kerr, the founder of the first center focused on clinical management and research of transverse myelitis (TM), will be leaving Johns Hopkins for a position at a biotech company in the Boston area, where he hopes to advance the development of therapies for neurologic disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and TM.  Dr. Kerr will continue to serve on the Medical Advisory Board of The Transverse Myelitis Association and he will likely begin seeing patients in the Boston area in mid 2010.  Dr. Kerr will also continue to be involved with the Johns Hopkins Project RESTORE, as well as collaborate with the TM and NMO Center at the University of Texas Southwestern, headed by Dr. Benjamin Greenberg.  The stem cell research project for TM and MS, the high dose cyclophosphamide treatment program in MS and the functional electrical stimulation clinical trial for secondary progressive MS will all continue at the Johns Hopkins Project RESTORE. 
 
The Johns Hopkins TM Center that was established by Dr. Douglas Kerr at Johns Hopkins will continue to be a focus for research on this disorder and will provide clinical care to both children and adults with TM.  Dr. Carlos Pardo will become the new Director of the Johns Hopkins TM Center.  Dr. Pardo has been a clinician and researcher at the TM Center since its inception.  Dr. Pardo has provided exceptional care to people with TM and has been very active in the TMA community, including as a regular participant in our symposia and as a researcher with Project RESTORE.  Along with Dr. Pardo, Dr. Michael Levy will continue his effort focusing on the clinical and research studies on the recurrent forms of these rare neuroimmunologic disorders, such as recurrent TM, recurrent optic neuritis (ON) and longitudinally extensive TM.  Dr. Levy also established the NMO Clinic as part of the TM Center at Johns Hopkins in 2009.  Dr. Daniel Becker, a neurologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute who has been caring for children and adults with transverse myelitis, ADEM and NMO at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, will continue a very close collaboration with the JH-TM Center with his expertise in neurorehabilitation.  Dr. Julius Birnbaum, a neurologist and expert on rheumatological disorders will continue his practice at the JH-TM Center with special clinical and research focus on the underlying rheumatic conditions associated with TM. 
 

The Johns Hopkins TM Center in Baltimore (Maryland) and the newly established TM and NMO Center at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas (Texas) will become the axis of a network of TM Centers around the country for facilitating the care and research on TM.

Jim Lubin
Director, Information Technology/Webmaster
Transverse Myelitis Association
jlu...@myelitis.org
http://www.myelitis.org
http://www.myelitis.org/HowToHelp

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