CureDuchenne Now Offers Physical Therapist Certification Program for Specialized Training in Managing DMD Patients

One of the country’s leading not-for-profit organizations for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, CureDuchenne, recently launched a certification program for physical therapists, aiming to equip these members of the health force with specialized training in dealing with patients with DMD. The CureDuchenne Cares Physical Therapist Certification Program is set to begin in 2016, and will be directed by physical therapist and DMD specialist Jennifer Wallace.

“It is critical to have physical therapists in the community trained to provide optimal physical therapy for Duchenne patients, the CureDuchenne Cares Certification Program provides this specialized training,” said Dr. Brenda Wong, Director of the Comprehensive Neuromuscular Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Wong is an advisor for the CureDuchenne Cares Certified Physical Therapist program. “Daily physical therapy is crucial for those with Duchenne to help maintain function and quality of life. We need to keep those with Duchenne as healthy as possible so they can participate in clinical trials and benefit from pharmaceutical treatments when they become available.”

“CureDuchenne Cares Certification Program is a seal of approval giving Duchenne families confidence that those physical therapists who have completed the program are qualified providers and have the knowledge and expertise to treat their children,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne.

The organization founded the CureDuchenne Cares initiative with the main mission to help parents of children with DMD with access to reliable information and best practices. The program caters to the educational needs of not just parents, but caregivers, clinicians, and physical therapists as well, to equip them with knowledge and skills in proper DMD management, stretching, equipment use, orthopedics, and how best apply and modify these according to the child’s current stage in the disease. CureDuchenne Cares also provides updates on DMD research and opportunities to participate in clinical trials. Some of the program sponsors include BioMarin, Lilly, PTC Therapeutics, Sarepta Therapeutics and PhaseBio.

Physical therapists who are interested in the certification program may contact Katie Mastro at [email protected] or 949-872-2552.