Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Program

About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic muscular disorder that affects many of the body’s functioning systems, including muscular, endocrine, urinary, pulmonary, digestive, respiratory, nervous, circulatory, skeletal, reproductive, etc. Duchenne primarily presents in males between the ages of 2 to 5 years old, and presents with early loss of ambulation, such as walking and upper extremity function, and, ultimately, heart failure. Interventional treatments offered at the Duchenne Clinic improve our ability to slow the progress of these symptoms in our patients, so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

Our Program

The Duchenne Program is a unique collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, UMass Memorial Medical Group and UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, with a goal of improving outcomes and advancing research for children and adults with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. This comprehensive program is directed by neurologist Brenda Wong, MD, who has 20 years of experience in providing coordinated and collaborative care for patients with DMD.

Our Team

Our multidisciplinary caregivers take a team approach to coordinating all aspects of your child’s care in partnership with our expert cardiologists, pulmonologists, endocrinologists and orthopedists. We also integrate other specialties into patient care as needed, including gastroenterology, nephrology and ophthalmology, and provide physical therapy, nutrition, social work, child life and orthotics support. Learn more about our team. (link to Our Providers page – see content below)

Our Research

The Duchenne program has a strong focus on clinical research, including clinical trials, and provides training and education for delivery of coordinated and collaborative care for complex chronic disorders.