Dr. Richard Bedlack, grew up in a small town in central Connecticut. He went to college at William and Mary in Virginia, then back to Connecticut for an MD and PhD in Neuroscience at UConn. Finally, he came to Duke where he completed his Medicine Internship, Neurology Residency, Neuromuscular Fellowship, and Masters in Clinical Research Science. He is currently a Professor of Neurology at Duke and Director of the Duke ALS Clinic. He has won awards for teaching and patient care, including best Neurology teacher at Duke, Health Care Hero, Strength Hope and Caring Award, America’s Best Doctor, the American Academy of Neurology Patient Advocate of the Year and the Rasmussen ALS Patient Advocate of the Year. He has received ALS research grants, participated in ALS clinical trials, published more than 100 ALS articles. He is leader of the international ALSUntangled program which utilizes social networking to investigate alternative and off label treatment options for patients with ALS, and leader of the ALS Reversals program which attempts to understand why some people with ALS recover from it, and to make this happen more often. He lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Shelly and two mischievous cats.
Dr. Xiaoyan Li is a specialist in neuromuscular medicine and research, with a focus on ALS. After completing medical school at Taishan Medical College (China), Dr. Li completed her residency in neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her neuromuscular fellowship at Duke University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Neurologist at Duke. Neurology is being transformed by scientific advances and exciting new treatments are becoming available. Dr. Li uses her expertise, both in clinical medicine and basic science, to help find effective treatments for this disease. She encourages and welcomes patients to participate in clinical research that will move us forward in finding effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure. Her goal is to always make an accurate diagnosis and provide effective treatment. However, treating every person with humanity is equally important to her. She believes in listening carefully to people as they describe their symptoms and as they express concerns they may have. For Dr. Li, listening and treating people with respect is key to the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Li lives in Chapel Hill, NC with her husband and 2 children.
Mark Sollars, RRT-ACCS, RCP
The role of respiratory therapy is to monitor each individual's breathing abilities over the course of their illness with the goal of maintaining breathing function and maximizing comfort.
These services include:
Laura Good, DPT, PT, NCS Amanda Beaty, DPT, PT
Physical therapy provides many services and options for people diagnosed with ALS and other motor neuron disorders. ALS and motor neuron disorders have the tendency to change one's physical status over time and affects individuals in different ways. Our philosophy is to tailor our interventions to meet your specific needs with an ultimate goal of optimizing your independence. Some people who attend our clinic live nearby, but many people are not from the local area. Physical therapy provides direct services and consultation to provide you with information and education on a variety of areas that may affect your lifestyle. As we have contact with many people diagnosed with ALS, we hope to offer you, and your local healthcare providers, information on how to best meet your needs wherever you live.
Interventions may include the following:
Melissa Werz, OTD, OTR/L Francesca Monachino, MS, OTR/L
The role of the Occupational Therapist is to work with individuals to maintain their ability to participate in their everyday activities. Tasks such as eating, bathing, dressing, writing, working and using the computer can become challenging over time. The goal of the Occupational Therapist is to provide evaluation, assistance and education that enable individuals to maintain some level independence while performing these daily tasks effectively and safely.
Interventions provided may include:
Jill Marcus, MA, CCC-SLP Meredith Nye, MS, CCC-SLP Kevin Caves, ME, ATP, RET
Speech Pathology provides valuable services to patients with ALS and other forms of motor neuron disease. Individuals with motor neuron disease may experience changes in their ability to communicate and/or safely eat and drink. As a part of the multi-disciplinary team, the Speech Pathologist provides evaluation and treatment to address both progressive dysarthria of speech (slurred speech) and dysphagia (swallowing problems).
These services include:
Susan Steves, RD, LDN
The Dietitian's role on the ALS interdisciplinary team is to help the patients maintain and/or achieve good nutritional status throughout the disease process. Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining quality of life.
Services provided by our Dietitian include:
Stacey Asnani, MSW, LCSW
Clinic Coordinator & Clinical Social Worker
Medical social workers have a Master's degree in the field of social work and have specialized training and experience focusing on health related issues and their impact on physical, emotional, social and spiritual functioning. Social work provides screening, assessment and intervention to patients and their families, empowering them to deal with the stresses that accompany a diagnosis of ALS.
Services provided by our clinical social worker include:
MIchelle Ward, RN
Clinical research nurse coordinators are nurses who have received specialized training and certification in coordinating clinical research trials. Clinical trials can include studies of new medications, studies to collect data to assist with diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression and those to study new non-pharmacological interventions.
Services provided by our clinical research nurse coordinator include:
Dan Harrison, ATP
A certified ATP has demonstrated competence in analyzing the needs of consumers with disabilities, assisting in the selection of appropriate assistive technology for the consumer's needs, and providing training in the use of the device.
Services provided by our ATP from Stalls Medical include:
Erin Belleau, MSW, LCSW Meg Whitaker, MSW
The ALSA Care Services representatives help patients and families cope with the day-to-day challenges of living with ALS by providing a variety of services both in the clinic setting and the community.
Services provided by the ALSA Care Services Representatives: