Rush designated Center of Excellence by Huntington's Disease Society ...( ical investigators in HD. This group wi...),Health

The affiliation with the HSG gives Rush patients and families access to clinical trials investigating the natural history of the illness, the importance of genetic and environmental factors on the onset, development and progression of the illness, and new treatments for the disease and its symptoms.

Huntington's Disease is an inherited degenerative disease that progressively robs patients of the ability to think, judge appropriately, control their emotions and perform coordinated tasks. Huntington's Disease typically begins in mid-life, between the ages of 30 and 50. Each child of an affected parent has a 50 percent risk for inheriting the disease. There is no effective treatment or cure for this fatal illness that affects 30,000 Americans and places another 200,000 at risk.

In addition to Rush, the other new HDSA Centers of Excellence are located at UCLA, Indiana University and the University of South Florida. The Huntington's Disease Society of America currently sponsors 17 other HDSA Centers of Excellence across the country.

Core members of the HDSA Center of Excellence at Rush r include Dr. Kathleen Shannon, center director; Jean Jaglin, RN, center coordinator; Dr. Melany Danehy, psychiatrist; and Brian Bernard, PhD, senior clinical neuropsychologist.

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Contact: Mary Ann Schultz
mary_ann_schultz@rush.edu
312-942-7816
Rush University Medical Center
28-Apr-2005