UI Children's Hospital named Certified Duchenne Care Center by PPMD

The University of Iowa Children's Hospital (UI Children's Hospital) was named a Certified Duchenne Care Center by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), a nonprofit organization leading the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and demanding optimal care for all people with Duchenne. UI Children's Hospital is the seventh center to be certified by PPMD, recognizing the Hospital's dedication to improving care for people living with Duchenne.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed in childhood, affecting approximately one in every 3,500-5,000 live male births.

In 2014, PPMD launched the Certified Duchenne Care Center Program as part of its robust Transforming Duchenne Care Initiative (TDCI). PPMD will continue to award qualified centers the title of Certified Duchenne Care Center in an effort to ensure centers 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 Care Considerations. As part of its ongoing mission to end Duchenne, PPMD continues to insist that all people with Duchenne receive comprehensive care.

UI Children's Hospital is Iowa's only comprehensive children's hospital and the sole hospital in Iowa nationally ranked for pediatric health care. All of Iowa's pediatric neuromuscular experts are located at UI Children's Hospital. With this certification, PPMD recognizes the quality of the neuromuscular care for children living with Duchenne provided by the multidisciplinary team led by Katherine Mathews, MD. This team illustrates the dedication to the Duchenne community that the certification program seeks to promote.

Kathi Kinnett, MSN, CNP, PPMD's Senior Vice President of Clinical Care and co-director of TDCI remarked, "Dr. Mathews has been a long-time friend and advocate of the Duchenne community. She and her team at the University of Iowa were one of the first centers to identify and implement the necessary elements of comprehensive care for children living with this difficult disease. We are so grateful to Dr. Mathews' team for maintaining their high standards in both research and care, and continuing to find ways to improve the lives of these amazing patients."

"We are delighted to receive this recognition from PPMD. PPMD is a powerful and tireless leader in promoting improved diagnosis, management and community involvement for individuals with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy," Dr. Mathews says. "In my years of practice, I have seen impressive improvements in management of these diseases, and I expect this to accelerate as we test an expanding list of potential treatments. Our neuromuscular team looks forward to continuing to work with our colleagues and friends at PPMD to promote all aspects of health and well-being for patients and their families."