Meet Our ALS Experts

Multidisciplinary ALS Care

The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital draws on the breadth of our scientific expertise, bringing together leading ALS care providers, including clinicians, therapists, laboratory investigators, project managers, bioinformatics specialists and others.

Explore how they collaborate to accelerate innovations in ALS care, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

ALS Specialists at MGH

Physicians & Nurse Practitioners

Our skilled ALS team of physicians and nurse practitioners specializes in ALS care, offering medical expertise and guidance to patients. They conduct thorough evaluations, provide accurate diagnoses, and develop tailored treatment plans. Collaborating closely with other health care professionals, these practitioners ensure a holistic approach to managing ALS symptoms, addressing individual needs, and optimizing the overall well-being of patients.

	Nazem Atassi, MD Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
	Suma Babu, MBBS, MPH Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
	James D. Berry, MD, MPH Winthrop Family Scholar in ALS Sciences Averill Healey Endowed Chair in ALS Director, MGH Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) Chief, Division of ALS and Motor Neuron Diseases
	Kate T. Brizzi, MD Instructor in Neurology
	Sheena Chew, MD Instructor in Neurology
	Merit Ester Cudkowicz, MD Chief, Neurology Department Director, Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
	Mark Garret, MD Physician Investigator Neurologist
	Doreen Ho, MD Physician Investigator Neurologist
	Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD Co-Director, MGH Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
	Haatem M. Reda, MD Site Director, Neurology Clerkship Associate Director, Advanced General and Autoimmune Neurology Fellowship
	Carl Lewenhaupt, NP 617-643-0422 or clewenhaupt@mgh.harvard.edu
	Sarah Luppino, NP 617-724-3380 or sluppino@partners.org
	Darlene Sawicki, NP 617-726-6190 or dsawicki1@partners.org
	Jen Scalia, NP 617-726-0316 or jbscalia@partners.org

Registered Nurses

Our dedicated registered nurses play a crucial role in supporting individuals with ALS by providing compassionate and skilled care. They offer expertise in ALS symptom management, administer medications, and collaborate closely with the multidisciplinary ALS team to ensure comprehensive and personalized care plans. With a focus on enhancing quality of life, our registered nurses contribute to the holistic well-being of patients throughout their ALS care journey.

	Judith Carey, RN 617-724-8995 or jcarey8@partners.org
	Cathy Chin, RN 617-643-7561 or cchin9@bwh.harvard.edu
	Emily Hegel, RN 617-724-9887 or ehegel@mgh.harvard.edu
	Kristen Kingsley, RN 617-504-1011 or kkingsley@partners.org
	Devin McClain, RN 617-643-7535 or damcclain@mgh.harvard.edu
	Aimee Roderick, RN 617-724-7290 or alroderick@mgh.harvard.edu
	Margot Rohrer, RN 617-643-1618 or mrohrer@mgh.harvard.edu
	Danica Sanders, RN 617-643-6249 or dlsanders@mgh.harvard.edu
	Kiersten Pease, RN 617-643-5337 or kpease@mgh.harvard.edu

Physical Therapists

Our specialized physical therapists assist in preserving mobility and function for patients with ALS. They provide personalized recommendations for living with ALS, including exercises, assistive devices, adaptive equipment, and options for outpatient or home care therapy.

	Katherine Burke, PT, DPT, NCS Physical Therapist 617-726-1844 kmburke1@partners.org
	Amy Swartz Ellrodt, PT, DPT Physical Therapist 617-724-0815 aswartz1@partners.org
	Claire MacAdam PT, NCS Physical Therapist 617-726-5059 cmacadam@mgh.harvard.edu

Respiratory Therapists

Our respiratory therapists work with ALS patients, evaluating breathing concerns, offering respiratory education, and recommending essential supportive equipment.

	Christopher Piccuito, RRT Respiratory Therapist 617-724-4490 or cpiccuito@partners.org
	Karla Schlichtmann, RRT Respiratory Therapist 617-724-4496 or kschlichtmann@partners.org

Occupational Therapist

Our dedicated occupational therapist conducts thorough assessments of each ALS patient’s daily activity capabilities. She offers comprehensive training to enhance essential skills, promoting healthy and secure independent functioning.

Julie MacLean, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
617-726-2960 or jlmaclean@partners.org

Speech Language Pathologists

Our speech-language pathologists are experts in addressing ALS-related speech and swallowing challenges by evaluating and providing solutions, including arranging for communication assistive devices.

	Elizabeth Christiansen, MS, CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist 617-724-0790 or echristiansen@mgh.harvard.edu
	Stacey Sullivan, MS, CCC, SLP Speech Language Pathologist 617-724-2045 or ssullivan@partners.org

Other Specialists

Jin Yun (Helen) Chen
Genetic Counselor
617-726-4878 or Jin.Chen@mgh.harvard.edu
Jin Yun (Helen) Chen is a certified genetic counselor working in the Department of Neurology and the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is specialized in providing genetic counseling services to patients and families with neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and movement disorders. She participates in provider outreach and education related to genetic counseling and testing for genetic neurological conditions. She involves in the newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and serves on the Medical Advisory Council for the CURE SMA Foundation. Prior to Mass General, she worked as a laboratory genetic counselor in the Division of Genomic Diagnostic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she gained expertise in variants analysis and report interpretation for both sequence variants and copy number alterations, as well as utilized clinical expertise to perform clinical correlation for report interpretation and generation. She received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Brandeis University and bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Diane Lucente
Genetic Counseling Manager
617-726-1561
Diane Lucente, MS, LCGC, has over 20 years of experience, initially as a research technician investigating genetic causes of neurological diseases before transitioning to become a genetic counselor. In her current role for the past 15 years at the MGH Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Neurology, she offers clinical care to individuals and families dealing with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions. This includes conducting diagnostic testing for patients with symptoms and presymptomatic testing for those at a 50% risk of inheriting a genetic condition.

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Diane is actively engaged in research, focusing on understanding the natural history and underlying causes of various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.

Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT)

The Daniella Lipper ALS PACT Program is designed to support parents and coparents in addressing the challenges experienced by children (infants to young adults) with ALS and other diseases. Within the PACT Program, a child psychologist or psychiatrist meets individually with parents to understand their child’s unique strengths and needs. They provide ongoing developmental guidance and support to the family throughout their journey with ALS.

	Archana Basu, PhD Psychologist for PACT
	Cindy Moore, PhD Psychologist for PACT

Schedule Comprehensive ALS Care Today

Please use the following links to schedule an appointment with our ALS care team. Existing Mass General Brigham patients can use their Patient Gateway to book an appointment, while new patients can use our convenient online form.

Online appointment form Patient Gateway Other inquiries

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Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS

Meet Our ALS Experts

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Multidisciplinary ALS Care

ALS Specialists at MGH

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