Dr. Meilan Rutter
Dr. Meilan Rutter is Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati. She completed her training in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the USA, before her appointment as a pediatric endocrinologist at Cincinnati Children’s in 2005.
She provides care for children, adolescents and young adults with a wide spectrum of endocrine conditions. Her clinical and research focus is on improving the health of people with endocrine complications associated with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). She has served as the primary endocrinologist for the comprehensive interdisciplinary Neuromuscular Center at Cincinnati Children’s from 2006. She has contributed to international awareness of the importance of proactively addressing endocrine and bone health issues in people with DMD and has conducted research and co-authored multiple publications in this field.
Within OPTIMIZE-DMD, she serves on the Steering Committee, as co-chair of the Growth and Puberty working group, and as a member of the Weight Management and Bone Health working groups
Dr. Claire Wood
Dr Claire Wood, (MBChB, PhD, BMedSci) is an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology at the Great North Children’s Hospital and Senior Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University.
Her primary research focuses are bone and growth in DMD and thyroid disease in young people and she works closely with young people with DMD. With funding from Duchenne UK, she completed a clinical trial investigating the role of testosterone therapy in DMD.
She received the William Dick medal for best overall PhD student for her thesis entitled “Characterisation of skeletal development and the use of anabolic agents in murine models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy” .
She is a member of the Duchenne UK bone and endocrine steering group, involved in developing UK guidance for managing osteoporosis in adults with DMD and a member of the DMD Care UK corticosteroid use in DMD group. She is the co-chair of the growth and puberty working group and a member of the sexual health and fertility group. For inquires please reach out at Claire.wood@ncl.ac.uk
Dr. Anne Marie Sbrocchi
Anne Marie Sbrocchi, MD, FRCPC, is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at the McGill University Health Centre and is the Division Director of Pediatric Endocrinology. In addition to working at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, she also works in the metabolic bone and endocrine clinic at the Shriners Hospital for Children Canada and is the co-medical director of their preoperative clinic.
She is active in teaching, advocacy and clinical research. Her work focuses on the comprehensive care of children with complex care needs, with a specialization in bone health and neuromuscular disorders. Currently she is involved in clinical trials studying the use of setrusumab for osteogenesis imperfecta, as well as vamorolone therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
She is a steering committee member of the Canadian Consortium for Children’s Bone Health and is a member of the OsNET (Canadian National Bone Health Research Network)and the CareLeuko network for leukodystrophy. She is the co-chair for the OPTIMIZE Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Adrenal Working Group and is a member of the osteoporosis and growth and puberty working groups.
Carol Lam
Dr. Carol Lam is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and staff physician in the Division of Endocrinology at the Hospital for Sick Children. She is the program director of the fellowship training for the Pediatric Endocrinology Training Program at the University of Toronto.
Her clinical and research interests are in pediatric bone health and calcium metabolism. She co-leads the endocrine bone health program at the Hospital for Sick Children. Additionally, she is a Project Investigator at the SickKids Research Institute, with a focus on metabolic bone diseases and endocrine complications of chronic childhood conditions.
She is committed to education and mentorship, by playing a leadership role in postgraduate medical education through her work as Program Director for the Pediatric Endocrinology Training Program.
She is a member of OsNET, a bone health research network, and is a steering committee member with CCCBH. Within OPTIMIZE DMD she sits on the Growth and Puberty working group as she helps advance the understanding and management of endocrine issues in neuromuscular conditions.
Dr. Funumbi Babalola
Dr. Funmbi Babalola (MD, MSc, FRCPC),is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and Osteologist at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Western Ontario. She is an Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute. Dr Babalola’s research areas of interest are diabetes and disorders of calcium and bone. She is part of the Growth and Puberty working group in the OPTIMIZE DMD consortium. She can be reached atfunmbi.babalola@lhsc.on.ca
Dr. Janet L. Crane
Janet Crane, MD is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) with a joint appointment in Pediatric Endocrinology and the Orthopedic Surgery Center for Musculoskeletal Research. She serves as the director of the Pediatric Bone Health Clinic program at JHU and as a Clinical Associate at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders and Bone Disorders Program.
Dr. Crane’s research mission is to understand hormonal signaling pathways that regulate bone vasculature and sensory innervation in relationship to skeletal disorders and how these signaling pathways can be manipulated by pharmaceutical drug targets. She adapts this knowledge to develop treatment recommendations for children with bone disorders, specifically skeletal fragility, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease. Dr.Crane received the Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2016 and receives research grant funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense. Dr. Crane is a member of the Osteoporosis Prevention Working Group and the Growth and Puberty Working Group within OPTIMZE DMD.
Fun fact: Dr. Crane enjoys traveling and has set foot in 44 US states and 4 continents. Contact information: jcrane2@jhmi.edu
Dr. Julia Sorbara
Dr. Julia Sorbara MD, MSc, FRCPC is a Staff Physician in the Division of Endocrinology at The Hospital for Sick Children and Project Investigator, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children. Additionally, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto.
A large part of her clinical practice is caring for children with disorders of calcium metabolism and bone fragility, including primary and secondary osteoporosis. Dr. Sorbara is involved with local, national, and international clinical and research initiatives that aim to advance the understanding and management of bone fragility conditions. Dr. Sorbara is a member of The Canadian National Bone Health Research Network (OsNET) and is a steering committee member of the Canadian Consortium for Children’s Bone Health and the Canadian Alliance for Rare Disorders of the Skeleton. As a member of the OPTIMIZE DMD Consortium, Dr. Sorbara is part of the Growth and Puberty Working Group and looks forward to collaborating on efforts that will enhance care for those living with DMD.
Contact: julia.sorbara@sickkids.ca
Dr. Laura McAdam
Laura McAdam MSc, MD, FRCPC is a Physician Director of Ambulatory Services at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and an Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Her clinical focus is rare genetic conditions specifically children who have neuromuscular conditions. She leads the multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Clinic and Rett syndrome clinic and is a Clinician Investigator at the Bloorview Research Institute.
Dr. McAdam’s research focuses on three main areas: enhancing care for children with neuromuscular conditions, advancing rehabilitation for children with rare diseases, and understanding the broader psychosocial impact of living with a rare condition. Through her research she seeks to bridge knowledge gaps, improve patient care, and address the multi-faceted challenges faced by individuals with rare diseases and their caregivers.
Dr. McAdam participates in the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry, Canadian Pediatric Neuromuscular Group, the Neuromuscular Disease Network for Canada and is a member of the Optimizing Management of Endocrine Complications In Optimize DMD, Dr. McAdam is an active member of 2 working groups: growth and puberty working group and weight management working group. She provides the neuromuscular clinic perspective regarding monitoring side effects, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to personalize child care.
Mena Scavina
Bio Coming Soon!
Dr. Robert Benjamin
Bio Coming Soon!
Dr. Roozbeh Manesh
Dr. Roozbeh Pourziaei Manesh is a Clinical Research Associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and an MBA from the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management. Since 2023, he has been an active member of the OPTIMIZE-DMD Consortium, serving as the Secretariat for its Steering Committee.
