Biography
Since childhood, I was fascinated with medicine and wanted to become a doctor. I love children, and during medical school, I decided I wanted to become a pediatrician. I was drawn to pediatric neurology during my residency training and became a board-certified pediatric neurologist. I am passionate about taking care of children with neurological diseases and consider this a privilege.
As a child neurologist, I work with children and adolescents with neurological diseases, especially neuromuscular conditions. I believe in wholistic healthcare, which allows me to assess and care for patients using a systemic approach. Wholistic care helps me fully understand my patients’ diseases along with the obstacles they face, and this helps me deliver the best care to meet their needs.
I am the director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic, the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy and the Certified Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Care Clinic. I am co-director of Cincinnati Children’s Comprehensive Neuromuscular Center. Our clinic offers multidisciplinary care from providers in the areas of neurology, cardiology, pulmonology, physical therapy, psychology, nutrition, genetics, rehabilitation medicine and orthopaedics.
My clinical research focuses on new drug development for patients with pediatric neuromuscular diseases. I am determined to conduct medical research to find better treatments for our patients. I am the principal investigator for several industry-sponsored clinical studies and coinvestigator for National Institutes of Health-sponsored research. In these clinical studies, my colleagues and I are investigating the efficacy and safety of new drugs for treating patients with pediatric neuromuscular diseases and molecular mechanisms underlying the disease process. We are studying diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy and myotonic dystrophy.
In my free time, I enjoy gardening, going to the park, listening to music, and playing badminton and tennis with my family.
Academic Affiliation
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics