The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute have jointly been named a certified Mitochondrial Medicine Center (MMC). Mitochondrial disease affects tiny structures within the cell, called mitochondria, that are often called the “powerhouses” of the cell. The disease is inherited, and it causes problems with growth, muscle coordination, vision, hearing, the gut and learning.
Hilary Vernon, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the McKusick Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending physician at Kennedy Krieger Institute, serves as the center’s clinical director.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to direct the new Mitochondrial Medicine Center at Kennedy Krieger/Johns Hopkins Hospital. This center, as part of the Mitochondrial Care Network, furthers our mission to offer state-of-the-art medical care to patients and their families who are living with mitochondrial disorders,” says Vernon.
The newly-certified center at Johns Hopkins and Kennedy Krieger is part of the Mitochondrial Care Network (MCN), which was formed by professional and patient advocacy groups including the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine, MitoAction, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, and the Mitochondrial Medicine Society. MCN helps to unify clinicians who provide medical care to individuals with mitochondrial disease; define, design and implement best practices in mitochondrial medicine; and optimize management and care for patients with mitochondrial disease.
The Johns Hopkins-Kennedy Krieger MMC site joins the following hospitals and research centers in the Mitochondrial Care Network: Akron Children’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cleveland Clinic, Columbia University Medical Center, Children’s National Health System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Stanford University, University of California San Diego, University of California San Francisco, University of Maryland and the University of Texas McGovern Medical School.
For more information regarding the MCN visit www.mitonetwork.org or find patient resources at the websites below:
- Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine www.mitochondrialdiseases.org
- MitoAction www.mitoaction.org
- Mitochondrial Medicine Society www.mitosoc.org
- United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation www.umdf.org
About Kennedy Krieger Institute
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, Kennedy Krieger Institute in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region serves 24,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services, and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental issues, from mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneering new interventions and methods of early diagnosis. Visit KennedyKrieger.org for more information about Kennedy Krieger.
