Newgiza University School of Medicine, Cairo , Egypt

I received my training & my Doctorate degree thesis on the genetics of Neuromuscular disorders in National Institute of Neuroscience NCNP, Japan under the mentorship of Prof. Ikuya Nonaka. Currently I’m the chair & Founder of Myocare National foundation, NGO working with LGMD patients. Also I’m Neurology Department lead & assistant professor of neuromuscular disorders at New Giza University, School of medicine. Also served as the editor for the WMS website section “Myology across the world” since 2020. I'm interested in studying patterns of LGMD patients in the region. I worked as a fellow researcher in NCNP in Tokyo, and completed my Doctorate degree thesis on the genetics of muscular dystrophy. Currently I’m Chair I serve as scientific committee member on the “Egyptian National Genome” project and represent North Africa in the WHO rare disorders panel of experts.

Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago , Chile

I graduated as physician in Argentina, 1989, but I have started my academic career in histopathology as an undergraduate student in 1985, (which was later important to allow me becoming a muscular pathologist). I was resident in Pathology (1990-1991), became a Neuroscience PhD in 1994 at Wales University in UK, and later became a clinical neurologist in Chile (1998-2001). At this stage I focused my career in the neuromuscular field, becoming EMG and NCS specialist, to pursue a Diploma in Myology at the Institut de Myologie/UPMC Paris, France in 2006. Further I became the Head of the Neuromuscular Unit of the Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile. I currently practice as clinician, electrophysiologist and muscle pathology in the field of NMD. I have contributed with the research and education in the field since 2000, with different research lines mainly focused in LGMD and dysferlinopathies, both clinical and fundamental research, as well as contributing with the identification of diseases never describe before in Chile, bringing novel methodologies for diagnosis of NM diseases (RM), and establishing the incidence and prevalence of different forms of ailments previously not identified in the region. We contribute permanently with the education of new specialists, promoting educational activities in the field, researching and publishing new knowledge in neuromuscular disorders.

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto , Canada

Dr. Hernan Gonorazky is a staff neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children since 2019. He is the neuromuscular fellowship program director of that institution. He currently is the co-director of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy program at SickKids and has dedicated much of his effort to spreading education about neuromuscular disorders.

Univ. Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte , Brazil

Juliana Gurgel Giannetti is Associate Professor at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), chief of the Pediatric Neurology Service and Residence, coordinator of the Neuromuscular Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence Clinics. She is currently, the vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Neurology. She graduated in medicine in 1992, after she completed the Pediatrics and Pediatric Neurology residences (1992-1996). From 1997 to 2001, she moved to São Paulo to specialize in Neuromuscular disorders and concluded her PhD at Universidade de São Paulo (USP). In 2005 and 2013, she did a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University (NY), under Prof. Salvatore DiMauro and Michio Hirano supervision, respectively. Since 2002, she became a Professor at Medical School of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), where she set up the Service of Neuromuscular Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence and the Neuromuscular laboratory. She is taking care of neuromuscular patients, with a multidisciplinary team, and also involved in research in this filed. She is titular Professor at the Post graduation Program in Pediatrics and has under her supervision master and PhD students. She participated in the elaboration of the Brazilian Consensus for DMD and she is PI for Ataluren trial (PTC), DMD Registry (Sarepta), Rainbowfish trial (Roche), Devote (Biogen).

Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung , Taiwan

Dr Wen-Chen Liang is currently the attending physician and assistant professor of Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University. She was also a former postdoc in Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan. Her department serves as a referral center for neuromuscular diseases in Taiwan and she has been involved in clinical, pathological and basic research works related to variable neuromuscular diseases for more than 15 years.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati , United States