Vanderbilt University Opens America’s Fifth Angelman Syndrome Clinic

The U.S.’s fifth Angelman syndrome clinic has opened at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

The Angelman Syndrome Clinic at Vanderbilt was established with support from the Angelman Syndrome Foundation.

It will offer a variety of resources, preventing patients from having to go to several facilities across the nation to receive different kinds of treatment.

The specialized care that the clinic offers covers both children and adults. Doctors will work with healthcare professionals where patients were being treated before to ensure continuity of care.

“We want to improve the standard of living for our patients and their caregivers by using our knowledge and expertise to change lives,” Dr. Jessica Duis, director of the Vanderbilt clinic, said in a university news story. “Ultimately, we believe our care extends beyond the clinic. We treat our patients on a personal and individual level, and having the resources of our medical team accessible to families will hopefully positively impact their future.”

The clinic offers a number of specialized services, including children’s genetics, developmental medicine, neurology, nutrition and speech pathology.

Vanderbilt’s long-term plan is to have it become a center of excellence that combines medical care, education, scientific research and clinical trials to deliver the newest therapies to patients as soon as they become available.

“The new facility at Vanderbilt will open up tremendous opportunities for our Angelman syndrome families,” said Eileen Braun, executive director of the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and mother of a young women with the disorder. “The team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has vast amounts of expertise in Angelman syndrome that makes this clinic possible, and we are so thankful that this partnership will help improve the lives of so many people impacted by Angelman syndrome.”

The Vanderbilt clinic is at 2200 Children’s Way in Nashville. Clinic hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Fridays. Appointments can be made by calling (615) 936-8866 or by sending an email to [email protected].