The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA), the world’s largest philanthropic funder of research aimed at bringing treatments to patients and improving the lives of those living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), is excited to announce it has awarded the CMTA Center of Excellence designation to Dr. Oranee Sanmaneechai at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
Dr. Sanmaneechai is a professor of pediatric neurology at Mahidol University’s Siriraj Hospital, the largest university hospital in Thailand. She has extensive experience in pediatric neuromuscular diseases, including CMT, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). While receiving her training from leading CMT specialist Michael Shy, MD, at the University of Iowa, she became interested in clinical research with children living with CMT. Her recent research includes developing and validating the CMT infant scale (CMTInfS) and characterizing the phenotype in children with CMT.
“The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association is thrilled to welcome Dr. Oranee Sanmaneechai as the clinic director of the newly designated CMTA Center of Excellence at Siriraj Hospital,” said Laurel Richardson, CMTA director of community outreach. “Her exceptional expertise ensures that our CMT community in Thailand will have greater access to comprehensive, high-quality care. This new center reinforces our commitment to improving the lives of those living with CMT, no matter where they are.”
Dr. Sanmaneechai sees pediatric and adult CMT community members through the Siriraj Center of Excellence in Neuromuscular Disease (SiNMD) at the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital. The clinic’s multidisciplinary team includes pediatric and adult neurologists, rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists, special education teachers, certified prosthetists, orthotists, clinical psychologists, social workers, Thai traditional physicians, nutritionists, and a registered nurse. Held twice a month, her clinic offers telemedicine and onsite visits on the first and third Friday of each month. Additionally, cardiologists, pulmonologists, and orthopedists are part of the clinic team, with appointments scheduled for accessory tests such as pulmonary function testing and echocardiograms when needed.
Staffed by world-renowned expert CMT physicians, clinicians, and researchers, each CMTA Center of Excellence is a patient-focused, multidisciplinary clinic where children, adults, and families affected by CMT receive only the best comprehensive care. Through this new center at Siriraj Hospital, Dr. Oranee Sanmaneechai will support CMTA’s focus on improving the lives of those with CMT by providing advanced diagnostic services, personalized treatment plans, educational resources, and support networks that empower patients and their families, fostering hope and community.
With the addition of Siriraj Hospital as a CMTA Center of Excellence, CMTA now has 60 centers spanning the globe. We continue to add centers regularly. If you are a healthcare provider specializing in CMT care, please click the button below to apply to become a CMTA Center of Excellence. Or, if you would like your provider to become a Center of Excellence, we invite you to share the application link with them.
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Published: July 1, 2024